My 8 month old Shepherd pup named Amy loves digging and chewing. She cost me a lot of money in damage to my old apartment because she chewed the walls on my patio, the wood railing that goes beneath the sliding glass door of my patio, she chewed a whole through the screen door of my patio, she chewed off the paint off the corner frame of 3 doors in bathroom and hallway, she chewed off the bathroom cabinet sink in one corner. Then with digging she dug so hard in the bathroom she dug up carpet, and the tiled floor so I have to replace it. I have now bought a new home and sadly she will never be able to come inside again because I love her and want her to have a nice home, but then I don't have the money to keep repairing everything she tears up. I just need to know what advice anyone has. I know that when we lived in apt. she had to spend hours each day either on our screened in patio, or in the bathroom, and now she will be in a fenced in yard, or in the garage which is like 5 times the size of the 2 rooms she used to stay in. I think it will stop since she will have more room to run and play and occupy herself, whereas before she would get bored and lay down and chew whatever was nearby. Does anyone think I should do anything differently? Or just try to keep making sure she has plenty of chew toys ( like I've always done) and hope for the best?

Lots of exercise and training to entertain her body and mind is obviously called for with this pup.  Continued and repeated destruction is invariably due to owner negligence/absence

If she is shut in anywhere for hours at a time a new home may well be called for where she can receive the level of attention and stimulation that any pup deserves

It's important to remember that dogs generally don't run about and play all by themselves, keeping themselves occupied. You need to do it with them. A dog on its own, even surrounded by toys, is going to be bored witless, because the toys aren't interactive. They simply don't do the equivalent of reading a book to pass the time. She just won't 'occupy herself' as you put it. As her owner it's your responsibility to keep her occupied. If you can't do that she may well be better off with someone who can. Sorry if that's not what you want to hear.

Why not have a kennel & run outdoors for her whilst you are out & at night & bring her in when you are at home & are able to be with her. You need to give your puppy something to do so that boredom doesn't take over & then the damage will be a thing of the past

I do not think your dog is dominant just a bored puppy GSD. I had a Beardie who if not occupied would eat the plaster off the walls. this was cured by the judcia use of an indoor kennel & recreational toys

Have you done any training with your puppy ? I don't mean training classes but just you & your dog ? GSDs are highly intelligent dogs & if untrained will resort be making their own games !

This puppy needs love and company and positive interactive games with her owner.   Dogs are social animals and do not fare well living most of the day in isolation.  No amount of toys can replace owner interaction.

I think you really need to spend much more time with her or re-home her to someone who can.   Sorry if I seem hard but I only have the dog's best interest at heart.

Wendy

You have not said how long your Shepherd is left on her own. I have an 11 month old Shepherd pup who although still needs a lot of attention is a lot better than she was. Sounds like she is chewing through boredom. I am at home all day and was prepared for a lot of attention but at times wondered if I would ever have time to myself. We have had a bit of destruction ie. all my pot plants had to go as no amount of distraction would stop her from chewing the plants and turning over the pots followed by chewing up the pots. The only bits in the house are the odd bits of skirting board. All my waking hours were spent watching, playing and walking. Any time I had to leave her alone (getting showered etc. and sleeping) she spent in her crate. What a boon!! we have had dogs in the past when these things had never been heard of. In those days is was necessary to take the pup to bed with you or take into the bathroom. It takes time for them to get used to a crate but when they do it is their den and not a place of confinement. We can now leave her in her crate when we are going anywhere that she can't go. Quite often we will take her with us complete with crate in the boot of the car where she is happy to stay for an hour or so.

Things will get better in time but if you are away from home for more than a few hours at a time it is not fair on the pup and I would agree with the other posters. All pups no matter what breed need lots of companionship. 

Sorry if this sounds harsh but I don't think you should even be considering keeping this poor puppy any longer  :(   Clearly your circumstances were unsuitable for having any dog at the time you purchased her - regardless of age, breed etc they are companion animals and need us to be around them, playing, exercising and interacting with them.  Being abandoned for lengthy period, particularly somewhere so awful as a bathroom is nothing short of cruel - no matter how important your furnishings and decor or how good your original intentions.

Clearly no-one can afford to keep replacing and redecorating around the house but properly cared for pups who are given attention and stimulation do very little damage - simply because they are more content and sleep more too.

Please, please for the sake of this poor youngster return her to her breeder to find a home where she will get all the care and attention she deserves.   Life shut out in a back yard or, worse still, locked up in a garage is NO life at all.

Teri     

She is left home for usually 8 hours, while I am working. However, like I said I just bought a new home and she would live in a fenced in yard. I don't know why a couple of people said that was harsh...what's harsh about her living outside in a HUGE yard, with a nice warm dog house, and a bed made in the garage for her to sleep in at night when it gets cold out. I am doing the best I can, and my problem is EVEN when she is being paid attention to all she wants to do is get her mouth and paws onto anything she can destroy. I have played outside with her at my parents house where she has been staying in their yard for 2 weeks while I've been trying to get my house together, and she digs their plants, she digs up their yard, she chews on blankets, lawn furniture. I never did anything CRUEL to this dog. I explained this all to my vet and they said that leaving her in the bathroom was not cruel since she was not being left outside in cold temps, she wasn't crated all day as that can drive dogs mad, nor was she deprived food or water. She had a thick plush bed, and toys, and she had food and water. Plus I came home and played with her for like 4 or 5 hours a night until I crated her for bed. (Plus this was not a small bathroom, it was way bigger than any crate she could have been kept in). She is a very happy dog, and I know I have done nothing to make her life in any way meaningless. I don't know of anyone of you who would allow a dog inside that even when being watched tries to tear up your pillow cushions, chew your curtains, chew your couch, and bite you. My dog bites, she jumps, and 2 behavior classes later and she still only minds when she sees fit. She is a sweet dog and most people say I should have given her away a long time ago just because she bites, and is very mean at times. My parents told me to get rid of her because she scratched my poor sick father's arms so bad he bled for an hour since he is on blood thinners. So he can't play with her much. My boyfriend can't be in the room with her because she wants to eat his clothing and socks off his body. But, I love this dog, she is like a child to me, but I can only do so much. Do none of you with dogs work? Because I don't know how anyone who works 40 hours a week can take any better care of a dog than I can since I am not rich with a farm for her to roam on or something, but seriously do any of you have jobs? Are you single and the sole care providers for your dog? Are you all made of money that you hire pet sitters and send them to puppy day care when you are not able to care for her? Well sorry but I think for me being a working person that I am doing a great job. The vet tells me all the time how happy and healthy she looks so I can't be doing everything wrong if she's a happy, vibrant, playful, heatlhy puppy??? I just wanted to know about adivce on digging and let's pretend for one second that you stop judging how I board my dog during the day, and just understand that she does this stuff even when played with all day when I'm off work.

Okay. For one thing no dog should be left alone for 8 hours. Four hours is about the maximum a well-trained dog should be left. If you cannot get home at lunchtime for an hour to take her out, can you employ a dog-walker who can? This is what many people do.

How much time a day do you spend concentrating on her? I'm hoping she has a good walk in the morning as well as when you come home, and then have her with you for the rest of the evening. Do you take her to training classes in the evening? This could help you both enormously, as it sounds as though she is bored frantic. Remember, dog ownership is a privilege, not a right.
:)

Hi, Lots of people work, but most will come home at lunchtime to take their dog/s for a walk or get a dog walker in. I'm not an expert, but from reading what you wrote, then there is something not quite right. She shouldn't be scratching/biting/hurting anybody, especially as she's such a big dog. You've realised you need help, which is why you've come on here to ask for it, so well done. Unfortunately, it sounds like a problem with no quick fix, but in my humble opinion she sounds like she hasn't been taught the rules and is bored. Things like Kongs may help, but it won't cure the problem. She obviously has lots of energy and this needs to be redirected into a positive outlet. Perhaps if you let us know what area you lived in someone on here could recommend a good behaviourist for you? You probably need as much training as she does, but you can't leave it to go on like this for much longer, and it's definitly not something that you're qualified to take on alone with 'tips' from other dog owners.

hope that helps   :-)

It is,  IMHO, quite simple, long working hours where no-one is at home some of the time for a dog, let alone a puppy, is a recipe for disaster :( 8 minutes to some pups is a terminal amount of time, 8 hours

I personally have dogs so that they can live inside with the family, I don't agree with them living outside. JMHO. Generally they are companion animals and crave company and if I felt that I didn't have the time to devote to a dog because of work or any other circumstances, then for the dogs sake I would rehome. And we had to do just that when I was a child, my mother had to take a full time job after 4 years of having the dog and for his sake, he went to a home where they were there for him during the day.

You say that you cannot allow her inside because of her destructive tendancies, well either spend more time training her and giving her the attention that she deserves or rehome, it really is that simple. She sounds like a very bored juvenile delinquent that is looking for attention. She has become self employed.
You say that she is destructive "even when being watched" how do you react to her when she does this?

If you are so sure that you are doing all of the right things, why are you justifying your situation on here?
Even though some people have upset you with their comments, if you know deep down that you are doing all the right things so far then the comments will not bother you. If you are doing a great job, why is your dog behaving the way that it is? I would certainly question my training and attention skills if either of my dogs behaved in this way.

It really must be a difficult dillema for you and I hope that you find a happy solution, good luck :)

All you talk about in your post is how she has a nice yard, a nice kennel, a nice bed, toys - the fact is that she doesn't have YOU!!

For a considerable part of the day and night she is left alone to her own devices. No-one is around in order to help her learn what is right from wrong.

She is a puppy. Puppys chew and dog and nip and knaw and bite - its up to use to guide them - you can't do it if you are not there!

Your puppy would give up her toys and her bed and her kennel just to be with you more - I promise you.

I think you would be better with an older calmer dog who appreicates a quieter life.

quite agree Chloe - dogs don't care how 'nice' your home is - they just want you to interact with them. Some breeds are more likely to suffer from separation anxiety and shepherds are certainly liable to get very anxious and BORED when left on their own. as far as the chewing is concerned - to some extent this is part of owning a pup !. Again some can be worse than others. One of my dogs was 'the puppy from hell ' - chewed up everything including a £2000 sofa/a coffee table/a turkish rug/the skirting board/the plaster off the walls/the back door/the dog flap/ and countless other things. He stopped at around a year old and his pups ( I kept 2 ) have never chewed ANYTHING !.

I do feel that 8 hours is too long to leave a puppy on his own but understand the dilemma you are in :( - good luck !

One of my dogs was 'the puppy from hell ' - chewed up everything including a £2000 sofa/a coffee table/a turkish rug/the skirting board/the plaster off the walls/the back door/the dog flap/ and countless other things.

OMG - did you have a Willis too??! Mine ate the conservatory!! And I was with him all the time. Yesterday he chewed the corner of my desk to get attention and I was sat at it at the time! the cheek.

I just wanted to know about adivce on digging and let's pretend for one second that you stop judging how I board my dog during the day, and just understand that she does this stuff even when played with all day when I'm off work.

Your situation with working relates directly to the behaviour of your puppy. Unless you acknowledge that you will never conquer this.

She will do it when you are off because your messages are inconsistant - because you are not around.

Can you take a week off with her? Can you get someone to come in a couple of times a day?

I work full time and my mum dog sits when I am out - luckily I work from home 75% of the time.

This poor dog is 'like a child' to you? Would you leave a young child alone for 8 hours a day? And if you did, would you not expect its behaviour to be a little odd when you do decide to be there? If you have to abandon your dog all day, every day, why did you get one??

Why have you bought yourself a companion so that you can ignore her 8 hours a day?

Of course she wants to mouth and destroy things, that is what dogs do!  That is how they learn, and if you are not going to provide the socialisation, training, etc that she needs to keep her mentally stimulated then the void needs to be filled!

In prison/concentration camps/POW camps, one of the punishments is isolation; your dog is being continually punished just for existing! 

Cruelty has many forms, it is not just physical, but mental and emotional!

I work full time, even if I did not I would never allow my dog to "roam"!  However I make sure I meet the mental, emotional and physical needs of my dogs.

If your dog is being played with how can she do that and simultaneously dig, destroy etc?

I think the best dog for you would be one of those large ones with 4 wheels and a big handle................................

Quite right tohme!  Out of a 24 hour day this poor creature at best gets 5 hours spent with her owner - during which time I'd imagine the owner has housework, cooking, telephone calls and paperwork to deal with plus socialising with family or friends etc. and being only human must be physically and mentally tired too  :(

With the best will in the world this dog is being seriously and IMO unforgivably neglected - the poor creature deserves better and if the OP genuinely cares for her dog at all she will rehome her with someone who is prepared to give her the love, companionship, real fun and interactive training that EVERY dog deserves.

I don't like to be harsh but sometimes the softly softly approach doesn't work so it's time for this owner to face up to the fact that isolation for 19 hours a day and what started as an indoor life turning out be permanently a yard and garage existence is cruel in the extreme.

Teri    

I do appreciate some of the opinions and posts of some of you, but others of you are just plain riduculous. I guess the Brits and Americans have different views on animal care and being that I am American I have posted this question to a group of Americans who are better able to understand my dilema. We all don't all judge people so harsly over a dog, afterall my pet is just that, a dog. Yes I do love her dearly, and I do care for her and wish that right now I had all the answers, but I don't. I saved her from being killed at the pound, so are you all saying I should have done just that as opposed to welcoming her into my home and loving her? I think I did the right thing, so I will not be back here again to ask anything from any of you. I think when people have a question, just answer the question. There is no need to be as rude and there is really no need for some of your snide remarks and the judgements you passed on me. Thanks to those of you who did try to answer the question without calling me harsh, cruel, telling me constantly what a TERRIBLE person I am for not working 2 seconds from my home so that I can come home every break and lunch to take her out, for not allowing her to rule the house I live in, and not bend over and let my dog become my life when I have a family, I have a job and I have more to do than spend 10 hours a day with my PET. Some of you may think that a dog is living a miserable life with only 5 hours a day of companionship, why don't you guys spend more time worrying about HUMAN BABIES who don't get 1 hour of human contact from their actual parents who keep them in day care and then put them straight to bed so the parents can be alone. These are just animals, as much as we love our pets, we cannot let them consume our lives. We can still love and care for our animals without being with them 20 hours a day. I wanted to spare her from being gassed and then I become the bad person that I'm having trouble with a dog who spent the first 2 months before I rescued her abanonded by the owners of her mother, left in a box with her mother out in the heat of our summer by the road and I suppose the owner thought they'd be killed. She was found with a bad injury to her foot wandering nearly starved on the side of the road. I saw her face in that pound and I had to have her because she reminded me of my dog who had died 2 years ago. I just wanted suggestions on how to stop the digging and chewing because she had never been trained or disciplined before I got her, and sorry to say but they wouldn't let me enroll her into training because she was still very young and had no attention span, so I had no choice but to leave her mostly caged because for one, that is how my vet said to train her, to only let her out for 20 mins to 1 hour at a time because she was WILD. She jumped, bit, scratched, peed, pooped on EVERYTHING. When left alone for one second she'd pee right as soon as I would turn around. I would take her out after she ate and drank to get her outside peepee trained. I was told if she didn't go to put her up and give her 10 minutes then try again. But, she had been caged at pound so she would pee in crate anyway. Most of her life, so far, is me just trying to train her and sometimes I have to put her up to clean up her mess, to let her have time to calm down, and to show her she has limits. This is all stuff I was taught to do, I would have her out all the time if she was behaved, but she is still learning. When she learns to behave, her life will be different. She won't be kept strictly outside, or in garage. But she cannot come in my home the way she is now. I don't think any of you would allow my dog loose in your homes after 10 minutes with her. You have to train her first and this is what I am doing. All I ever did what I was TOLD BY PROFESSIONALS TO DO. I was told if she bites to put her up for 15-30 minutes to let her calm down and see if she can play again. If she won't eat her food in 15 minutes because she won't stop playing, put her away for 15 minutes and try again, or put her up and put her food with her. If she won't go potty outside, put her up for 15 minutes and try again. Every evening I get home at 4pm. I spend off and on 5 hours with her, but let me clarify this. I come home and play with her and take her outside from 4pm to 6:15pm. Then I put move her from the bathroom (when we were out our apt to the porch, which SHE LOVED, she would scratch the glass to go out onto the porch because she could see people walking by and hear birds and stuff). I would go get my boyfriend and we would eat dinner from 6:30pm to about 7:15pm. Then from 7:30pm to 11pm I would try again to play with her, but consider all of those above guidelines. If she bit me, she got put up, if she wouldn't eat, if she wouldn't pee. I would have been spending nearly 7 or 8 hours with her which is more than a lot of dogs get let me tell you some people chain their dogs to the doghouse in back of their house and only see the dog 2 times per day for 5 minutes each to feed them, so trust me, my dog is very lucky in comparison. She is so much better now, but she still has a lot to go. She is a puppy and we're still training her. I spend a large part of each evening training her as well. Someone said, "if you know what you're doing is right why are you defending yourself". I'll tell you why. I don't like when people pass judgements on my way of doing anything. I ask advice I just want advice not ** as per Teri "With the best will in the world this dog is being seriously and IMO unforgivably neglected - the poor creature deserves better I don't like to be harsh but sometimes the softly softly approach doesn't work so it's time for this owner to face up to the fact that isolation for 19 hours a day and what started as an indoor life turning out be permanently a yard and garage existence is cruel in the extreme" **. That is not called for, judgements of anyone is wrong. So now I will direct my advice to people who are capable of giving advice without casting stones. Thank you all, and to some of you ...no that would be rude of me to say. Happy Holidays Everyone.

I think you find I did not judge you, but you did not answer my questions either :(

If she had a kennel & run she would not be able to dig up the garden. Lots of show dogs & working dogs spend thei non show/non working days in a kennel

If you are working with her(constructive training)good for you she is just a puppy & still learning what is allowed & what isn't. I have a friend in exactly the same postion as you, her work moved from close to home to 3/4 hour away & her father became ill & couldn't stay at her house & look after her dog.

On my advice she takes her for a free run before work in a morning(she lives near"common"land-it belongs to the towm & is free for people to walk dogs etc on-gows back to medieval times & not something you have in the states), Poppy the dog then goes into her outdoor kennel & run with a filled Kong & boomer ball that she only has when she is in the kennel. She is in the  K & R from 8 until 5 in the evenng & comes in the house on the evening. Poppy is happy to go into her kennel & if anyone comes to check on her during the day she is usually fast asleep either in her kennl or on her outdoor bed. She has a sister who works shifts at the local priaon(she is a senior prison officer)& pops round to check on Poppy if she has the time. Poppy has no problems & has adjusted to the life well & is a super dog

Poppy was trained as well as free run when she was younger before & after work & she still has some training in the evenings(she is now 8)

She does like company & yes she would probably prefer to be with her owner 24/7 but she is obviously content with her lifestyle as is her owner

So keep up the training get your dog into a routine & go on loving her. Well done for taking a rescue, I'm involved with rescue dogs(GSDs)in the UK & some of the dogs spend years in the kennels before they are rehomed & they proably get less one to one than your dog & still cope

I'm sorry you won't be reading this, but maybe someone else in a similar situation will, so I won't be wasting my time completely.

Your analogy with human babies (>why don't you guys spend more time worrying about HUMAN BABIES who don't get 1 hour of human contact from their actual parents who keep them in day care<) is very good to prove our point - these babies are getting Day Care! They're not being shut up alone all day like your pup!

We all need to remember that, just like children, puppies and dogs won't just train themselves. Your puppy goes hyper when she's released just as children do when they're let out of lessons. She's so happy she doesn't know what to do with herself - this is where the owner has to teach them where to direct this energy. She won't and can't 'learn how to behave' as you put it unless you teach her what you want her to do. Shutting her away when she does the wrong thing is only doing half the job!

We also need to remember that the word 'professional' means someone who is paid to do a job. It doesn't mean they're any good at it! It sounds as though the 'professionals' who have advised you know very little about canine mentality, and you and your pup are suffering because of the poor advice you have been given. A dog's memory span is very short in many ways - if you shut her away for being 'wild', she'll have forgotten why she was shut away within 5 miniutes (if she ever realised the reason at all), so shutting her away for 15-30 minutes is useless, and will naturally lead her to being even more excited when you eventually let her out.

Like everything else in life, you get out what you put in. The more effort and time you give your pup, the better dog she will be.

Excellent post JG :)

And as you say, it is a shame that the poster will not be reading this as she still seems to have a problem with the "you get out what you put in" analogy. Alas, I doubt that this dog will ever learn to "behave" in the owners eyes as she clearly needs educating herself :(

You posted for advice and that was exactly what you got. Now it is up to you as to whether you take that advice on board or not. I haven't read all of your post because it was too difficult to with no paragraphs in it, sorry :(

"She is left home for usually 8 hours"

I stopped reading when i read those words.

EDIT: Some more free advice, learn to type in paragraphs.

What a shame this individual feels pride in finding a more local forum that has less concern for her pup's welfare than the many animal loving people on this Board who have tried to advise on what is best for her dog's mental and physical wellbeing.   No one was rude or intentionally hurtful towards her, only trying to point out that not everyone's circumstances are suited to the huge responsibility of bringing any domestic and social animal into our lives.

Thankfully I don't see this as being an American / UK divide.  I have many friends in the US and can't think of one of them who would not be heart broken to hear about the miserable and solitary existence endured by her poor dog   :(.

Teri

Sorry but I disagree Teri.  My experience is very different. 
Having spent a lot of time on the other side of the pond over that past 35 years, I generally (and of course there are always exceptions) find the attitude to pets in general and dogs in particular VERY different from here.
Firstly due to lack of fencing, toy dogs tend to be kept inside and treated likes babies.  Large dogs tend to be kept in a dog room or chained outside - due to lack of fencing.
Pet shops still sell dogs, regularly mixing litters and even breeds together and it's not considered wrong! :(
A friend's family has had 3 Rough Collies, my breed, in the time that I've known them.  All dogs were "loved dearly" but never allowed out of the basement and into the living rooms.  They were sometimes chained 'in the yard' - which was an acre large but completely unfenced.  Neighbours children would frequently walk through or even have a picnic in the garden!  So the dogs would lead a solitary life, unless someone felt like playing with or talking to them.  A family member would be 'sent' to feed the dog every day - big deal!  They would say "Val, it's a DOG"!
But you know the strange thing?  When a dog died, they HAD to get another because they couldn't bear not to have a dog in the house???????
They think that I'm mad the way I treat my dogs!  Maybe they're right........

    Perhaps I didn't make it clear, I went to ask a question on the internet and this was a site that popped up so I joined, posted my questions, and then realized that you people have "SHOW DOGS". My dog is a german shepherd MIX with who knows what else. But, because a lot of you have show dogs, your attitude toward them is clearly different. In this country it's usually the very wealthy who have dogs they treat the way you treat your dogs, or I know people who cannot bear children and so they treat their dogs like their babies they never will have.
    I live in Tennessee, which, from it's roots being more of a farming type place, dogs were kept outside or in barns with the horses, or left chained to someone's porch. As years have gone by people's attitudes have improved, where they let dogs inside, but overall it is not cruel or inhumane in any way to leave your dog in the backyard where it has a dog house, plenty of water, shade in the summer, blankets and even an alternative place to sleep when cold or raining (like I said, my garage). This may sound barbaric and cruel to you, but you should see the happiness my puppy displays at my parents' house just from being able to be outside. When we were inside my apartment she kept going to the door every 5 minutes for us to take our toys and play outside. Some days I would take a chair out and sit for hours and let her run around, but, on a leash since my state has a leash law where the dog cannot be loose without a leash. Some dogs are not house dogs. They THRIVE on being outside to chase squirrels, birds, and dig in the dirt and run around with no care if they break something because there is nothing outside that she can break or hurt. She loves digging the dirt with her face covered in mud, she loves running back and forth tossing sticks in the air to ammuse herself. When I go visit her, all I do is watch and she plays alone for hours with me sitting there, and she walks over occasionally to rub against me and hand me her stick or ball and I throw it back. My dog isn't unhappy, being neglected, being treated mean in any way. I just wanted advice because I don't want her digging out of the fence as a lot of dogs do, just because they like to dig. I did not say that American's think less of my dog's welfare and that is why I went to a different website to post to Americans, but clearly we do see animals differently.
     It is not that we are cruel and mean to them, but some of us realize dogs have a place and that is as a pet, not a family member that rules our lives. I love this dog and most people here in my area think I am TOO good to her because they just pet their dogs when they feed them once or twice a day. My neighbors growing up had a dog chained 4 feet from his doghouse. That was inhumane to me. He had enough room to potty in grass, and then go inside his dog house. That dog, deserved a better life. My other neighbors have a dog in a fenced in yard, and I talk to that dog and pet her more than they do and that is because I take my puppy up to the fence and let her run up and down the fence sniffing and communicating with their dog. There are people who never take their dogs to the vet until they are sick. I take my dog anytime she seems to be feeling bad, or if she isn't going potty normally, or if she isn't as active, and it's always been that nothing is wrong with her. So if anything I dote on her too much and have given up too much control over her trying to be too nice and too good to her. But, just so you understand about the mentalitiy of America, you can watch animal planet and when you see shows about animals and their owners, sometimes they are kept predominantly outdoors. Plus, as I've said a million times, when she can be trusted to be inside she can come in, but right now she cannot. Even while I watch her, she runs out of the room and goes to find something she's not supposed to get into. I have knee problems, and just had knee surgery today, so I could never get to her very fast, and she finds socks, shoes, everything. So I started shutting the doors to all the rooms in the house before letting her play but she tries to steal stuff from the trash, she puts her feet up on the dining room table and steals bags, napkins, anything she could. She would run up and down the hallway and come jump on my LEATHER couch with her sharp claws that even when trimmed still scratch me, and the furniture. Even when I bring her home a huge bone, which is every 2 days, she chews it for like an hour then tries to steal a coke bottle off the kitchen counter. So, again as I said, I appreciate the attempts at helping but most of what I read is just things telling me that I'm not spending enough time with her and that this is why she behaves this way and that I should "rehome" her. Well how is that helping us work this situation out? I had a dog for 11 years who lived outside, in our garage and I played with her when I could but I was in school and had other things to do, and this dog never chewed up anything, she never destroyed anything, she never jumped on people or bit them and I found her as a puppy wandering in an abanonded field on my way home from school. So a lot of this behavior of my puppy is clearly a personality issue that needs to be dealt with, not a "dog and master contact" issue because other dogs have gotten less contact and behave WAY better than my dog with 2 training classes AND more contact than any of our previous dogs my parents had as I was growing up. So explain this one to me?? Since some of you clearly think you are experts in dog behavior and say that my dog trainer (who has been in business for 13 years and my vet who has been a vet for 30 years are not "professionals" with a valid opinion, I guess since their opinion contradicts yours..but whatever...)

Quite a lot of the folks here have mixed breed dogs Stef, there is no distiction drawn when it comes to behaviour :)

I think the trouble is, that if you KEEP her outside, she will never learn how to behave inside, if you see what I mean? She has to be taught how to behave and she needs to learn that from you

If you trusted the opinion of your vet and also your trainer, I wonder why you felt the need to post on a forum? I am NOT knocking your reason, just wondering ...

Hope you find a solution to the problem :)

Stef, the huge majority of people (especially on here) don't care whether a dog is a show dog with a pedigree as long as your arm, or a 'Heinz 57'; many of us have now, or have had in the past, crossbreeds and mongrels. They all have the same basic needs. All dogs are social animals which suffer mentally to some degree when they are alone. The longer they are alone, the harder it becomes to 'rehabilitate' them. Your pup sounds like a normal active intelligent dog who needs direction. Unfortunately this is not something she can do on her own - she needs to be taught, and that requires owner-input.

I hope you find some way of solving your problem, for both your sakes.

Hit there.  Have a read of the post I put up What harm buying poorly bred?

could it be that your pup came with a poor start and has very poor social skills.  For a GSD or any working breed training is very important, and excersising the mind will keep her content and happy.

A dog is a pack animal and will display all sorts of behavioural problems if it is deprived of COMPANY as this is totally against it's nature.  Many well trained older dogs gradually learn to cope with time on their own, but this starts with a confident well reared pup who is gradually accustomed to being left for SHORT periods.

There is also a bit of a cultural diference her it would seem, as I suspect you are in the USA, where leaving a dog all day in a yard or in a crate seems to be commonplace, but is definately not the recomended way of dog husbandry in this country.  Perhaps with the UK being very densely populated with generally closs housing people find that neighbours will not stand for a dog that creates when bored.

**These are two samples of advice I've gotten from online training professionals at Happy Paws.

It is important that you make provisions for your dog when you are not home. Until your dog is housetrained, she should not be allowed free run of your house. Otherwise, she will develop a habit of leaving piles and puddles anywhere and everywhere. Confine her to a small area such as a kitchen, bathroom or utility room that has water/stain resistant floors.

Until your dog can be trusted not to destroy your home and yard, do not give him free, unsupervised run of your house. Give him a pleasant area or room of his own (which everyone I talked to in dog training said a garage was fine as well, and in fact better than outside since it's 40 degrees here right now) where he can enjoy himself and relax when you are not home or are unable to supervise him. Literally litter his room with a wide variety of toys. Since he will have no other choice of things to chew, he will learn to chew and play with his own toys. Make the toys enticing.

'Online professionals' have had no opportunity to observe you interacting with your dog, and behaviour is not an exact science - often several different solutions have to be tried to find the solution that suits both dog and owner.  I appreciate that culturaly southern states in the US are very different to the UK, but we've found that our dogs actually all have the same needs, and you seem to be caught between trying to accept what is a traditional way to keep dogs, and recognising that your particular dog seems to not be thriving mentally, if not physically, in these conditions.  Why not take that first step to minimise the stress on your dog by re assesing what she needs, and what you can offer.

PS - these toys - they are often static and many dogs won't interact with them unless there is something to be gained - and these gains have to be learnt about, often by repeated interaction with humans and toys,  I've been with dogs all my life, and the only one who interacted with inanimate object without being prompted by some kind of reward was an extremly bright dog who had learnt the behaviour prior to coming to me.  Toys that can provide some stimulation without the presence of humans are the sort that provide the dog with food (kibble or wet) such as Kongs or those which dispense kibble.

Although i do agree with the advice given on here, i  agree the US is in some ways very different to the UK in some things. For instance it's not that unusual for a dog to be kept in a large crate whilst the owner is at work and many US forum members would see that as normal. UK people would usually (and quite rightly IMO) see that as terrible and as abuse. Weather conditions also vary hugely across the US and that can also have an effect on where dogs are kept and how they are exercised.

What worries me is what would happen to the dog if it was given up? It may end up back in the pound and then where? This situation is not at all ideal, and i agree the dog needs so much more, but maybe if we can give some constructive help we may be able to help the owner help her dog.

I tend to feel that the advice re the minutes out would work if the dog was with the owner more, but, in this instance, all the dog wants is to desperately interract. What i would suggest is to consider joining the US based list Clickersolutions. The people on there may even be able to recommend a good trainer near by, and are very good at suggestions and help.

Lindsay
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