Hi all,

I wonder if anyone has had a Cocker Spaniel that is disruptive when left alone - Even for half hour?? And any tips would be brilliant!!!

Missie is nearly 11 months old, a very loving dog and definatly has her own little mind, but my problem is when I leave her alone she wreks everything in sight. I keep her in the kitchen where you would think there is not much to wrek. She can open the fridge and plays with everything in there, open the makeshift door my dad made and generally wreks the house- It sounds slightly funny to others but I am so frustrated as I dont know what to do.

She is not left for longer than a few hours at a time.. I leave her chewies, bones, toys you name it she has had it. I leave the radio on - But still distroys things. When I return home she runs straight to her bed as she knows she had done something wrong..

Please, please can anyone give me some advise or tips of what to try.

Thanks so much in advance,

P.S I am getting a child lock on the fridge and another lock on the outside of the door unless some of you think I am a wee bit silly and not going to do anything about it ;)

Siobhan

well i always put mine in a crate when i went out(and at night) and then its impossible for anything to suffer except whats in the crate. depends if you think its cruel, i dont and i think its a good way to save a dog from harming himself on eating dodgy stuff.

a crate can be a life saver when you go out, ive never used one before this pup and she is absolutely fine she plays and follows me about all day so when I am popping out she is ready for a kip! I had a lovely dog 10 years ago who had to be rehomed after 2 years of extreme destructiveness - sofas, doors, carpets, car interiors destructed in minutes! and I wish I had known about crates then. they really are worth a try.

I think you need to ascertain whether this is just naughtiness (from our point of view, just something to do and fun from hers) or whether this is anxiety/distress.

If the former then just removing the opportunities and taking her for a walk or doing some training with her to take the edge off before leaving her.

If the latter then a consultation with a behaviourist through your Vet might be a good idea so that a program can be designed to help her cope with your absence.  Dogs are social creatures and unless being alone is introduced correctlya dn gradually soem individuals can develop severe seperation anxiety.

i use a crate when i go out but i crate trained my dogs as soon as i got them (8 weeks old) and needless to say ive never had my house trashed but wether it would be suitable for you i dont know and also trying to crate an older dog in some cases is not easy

She's not an orange roan by any chance is she? :-D

My mum's orange roan used to be a real monkey, she's a complete angel, obediant, loving, great with the other dogs, her only faults are she is the most vocal,:rolleyes:  and boy if you go out and she has access she would climb on furniture, climb on units, destroy photo's, anything she could get her hands on. (Rather teeth on) Then when mum returned she would be sat down like an angel, and mum just could not work out which of her dogs was doing it, until........................  I suggested the camcorder ;-)  We set it up and went out for 30 minutes.  It was unbelievable to see this little monkey getting up to all sorts, tail wagging, having the time of her life.  The other dogs were just watching her. :-D

Once she was outed, mum used to crate her when she went out or take her with her.  It didn't appear to be stress with her, I think she just totally disapproved of my mum leaving her and thought ok, I'm having some fun then.

A dog on it's own though, it may well be loneliness or stress, try the camcorder so you can gage her body language and get an idea of what she is up to, then I agree with the crate, dog gate, and dog proofing your whole kitchen as you would for a toddler with teeth and claws. :-D

Plus side hopefully she will grow out of it. :-)