On occasion, I have to leave my pups alone for a short while (Food shopping, visiting grandad in hospital etc, unavoidable things I'm afraid).  I leave them in the kitchen and they have the usual stuffed treats etc to keep them busy and a comfy warm bed.  However, in the past month (They are now 6 months old) they have begun excessively scratching the walls and leaving big holes in them?  I can't be sure which one of them it is, but I am getting a littel worried.  Couldn't care less about the walls, they can be fixed easily.  I just wanted to see what people thought (i.e. I assume it is an anxiety thing, but...) and if they had any suggestions that might help stop it?

Over to you....

Jen it will get a lot worse until it gets better ;) Having one pup at six months is bad enough but two is

Have you thought about a dog crate for them to go in ?

Also Daisy will soon be having her first season and therefore they should not be left alone in any circumstances ;)

My pup does that, great big hole in the kitchen wall, but it is definitely NOT anxiety, just boredom. With our neighbour problems here we can NEVER leave the dogs alone for even 5 minutes (they have had people with them every minute of the day since July) so this happens when we are at home -usually if the weather has been bad so the dogs haven't been able to be out as much as usual, and especially if we are watching TV in the other room. Days when more happen she doesn't do it. :) She's not the first I've had to do it and no doubt won't be the last.

Neighbour Probelms?  Sounds fun?!?!

You're so lucky that your dogs can be with someone all the time.  unfortunately OH works away sometimes, so there are the unavoidable times where they have to be on their own.

Any suggestions to reduce boredom would be appreciated?

Had this problem with my 8 year old cav so put up cardboard board against wall to save walls have you tried the treat toys you can feed your dogs there meals in them and this gives them something to do  my 2 cavs are left alone while i am working and they have used buster balls and kongs

Yup, tried kongs and all that, but they still scratch.  Will have a look at buster balls though.  I've not heard of them.

Thanks for the advice though.  might try the cardboard to stop the HO going mental at the holes in the walls! :rolleyes:

Honestly, you'd think he'd never had to use polyfilla before!

You're so lucky that your dogs can be with someone all the time.  unfortunately OH works away sometimes, so there are the unavoidable times where they have to be on their own.


Not as lucky as it may seem......... It's costing us £100 a week in petrol to keep going to collect either my step son or step daughter to dog sit when I go to dog training or to shows, the rest of the time I am housebound completely. :( I'm a prisoner in my own home really. Can't even nip down to shops.

Has the house gone through yet??????
Lea :)

No, it's now been 9 ½ months and STILL not gone through. Still wiating for paperwork to be signed. This has GOT to be a record........... 6 weeks turning into almost a year.

Poor you Goldmali.

Sounds like you are having a right time of it!  Suddenly, the holes in my wall don't sound too bad!

Hope you've got the smelling salts ready for when they tell you contracts have been exchanged! :P

I thought mine was bad at 6 months. Started in Jan, moved in 2 weeks AFTER my son was born in the june. This was 11 1/2 years ago.
I hope you get sorted soon :D
Sending positive vibes your way
Lea :)