Hi,

My wife and I have just purchased a 15 month old GSD and we can't leave him in the house, or go to bed. He won't leave my wife alone, so if she goes to bed he just stands at the bottom of the stairs all night whinning and barking? When we go out we leave him the kitchen and no matter how long it is for, the kitchen is destroyed by the time we get back. He came from a breeders and slept in a kennel on a night, but came in during the day for a few hours at a time. He also spent most of his time surrounded by 10 other GSD's. Has anybody any ideas on how to get him to behave whilst we are out.

Thanks

He has not been trained to be a family dog in a home, and is no doubt very lonely. You will have to treat him as if he was a young puppy, and slowley get him used to being on his own. As for going to bed try shutting him in the kitchen with a radio on low, buy yourselves some ear plugs and don't go down to him no matter what until it is time to get up. Don't scold if he has a pee or poo and make sure anything of value or that could cause the dog harm is put out of the way. Bet he is quite within a fortnight. all the best. Jackie

Jackie, thanks for the swift response, We left him today for about 3 and a half hours with the radio on, He seems to be jumping up and bringing everything onto the floor, he broke the radio, chewed his dog basket, (which is one of those hard plastic one's) he' d knocked his food and drink over. He will be left from tomorrow while i go to work, i can only pop in at dinner time to see how he's doing. Do you think he will be ok

Sorry I don't know, I would have suggested that you leave him for no more than 15 mins at a time to start with, but if you have to go to work then you have no choice. You had better spend the rest of today making sure there is a room that you can leave him in that will be safe for him, leave him with toys and anything that will keep him occupied but do make sure they are safe for him. If the people you got him from are not too far away could they take him back for you during the day until he gets a bit more settled. Jackie

Unfortunately not, there in Southampton, where in Yorkshire, not to worry we'll see how he goes

Thanks again

hi
how about trying a dog cage? sometimes, they feel more secure if they have a den, try placing a towel/blanket over the top to make it more enclosed. Feed him in there, put his toys in there, make it a nice place to be, my cage for cookie, who is 6 months now, is open all the time and he just pops in whenever he feels like a sleep, its his bed, I only close it when i pop out, it also speeds up the toilet training. All of my three were crate/cage (whichever you prefer to call it) trained as pups, and when they are older they go onto beds (which incidentally they ripped up this weekend). All of them still like the cage and get in it anyway, I was actually thinking of getting two more, after the ripfest this weekend, and just buying more blankets, but they do take up room. The cage is also good if you have a dog that wrecks the house when you are out. I would say though, I wouldn't leave a dog shut in the cage for a long period of time. I'm lucky :) I'm home most of the day with my lot, I'm only out for shopping and school runs, max of a couple of hours at a time so they aren't left for long, I definately wouldn't leave one of mine shut in a cage for more than that. It may be worth a try, although think of getting a bigger one than you need now, as they grow suprising fast :) and stuffed kongs are a great way of keeping naughty dogs occupied. Cookie who is a GSD/collie still follows me everywhere, he even waits outside the toilet for me
Good luck julie:)

sorry to sound abrupt but do you really thinks its fair to have adog at all if you are out work all day

Oh dear, I think you will need a large dog cage, at least for the time being, he is obviously distressed when left, and leaving him, will not get him out of it, for his safety and you own property.

Thanks to everyone for there replies
I shall certainly take everything on board

Are the cages for inside or out?????

Indoor cage, large enough for the dog to move around, good luck:)

hi guest,
please don't use a crate to crate him/her if you are going to be at work all day or out a lot, as the dog has not been introduced from this as a pup, he /she sounds stressed and anxious already and i feel you will only add to the problem already, idealy time off of work would of helped to settle the dog in, jackie h has given you good advice. regards tina

Guest, give it a few days to see if your GSD will settle, if not please return the dog to the place you got it from, before you become to fond of it. Leaving it for 7 to 8 hours a day is not fair on a dog that is used to company, and I am worried that it or one of you will get hurt in the end. Please don't consider chaining it out side better if you can leave it into a room that has a door into a well fenced garden that can be left open, that may work. But IMO I think the dog is missing the other dogs and is very distressed, do consider returning it and if you must have a dog then a puppy will learn to be left in time although it is not ideal to leave any dog for more than a few hours.
Hope you can sort things to suit you and the dog, Ja:)kie

Have to agree with the last two posts....GSDS need so much time and companionship it's not fair to leave him on his own all day ( or any other breed for that matter).
Gsds can be very destructive if left...they miss you !!! get bored , feel deserted, and so they have a tantrum.
Please don't take it out on the dog by chaining him or caging him ..it's not his fault.No dog likes to be left all day, sorry to say this but if you are out all day makes me wonder why a dog was bought in the first place.

i agree, its not fair to leave any dog for long periods of time. Although i was bought up with gsd's as a kid, after leaving home i didn't think it right to have a dog myself until i had left work for good, although it was horrible to live without doggy company for so long, i waited until i got married and had kids, and was ready to give up work, - its only fair.

Hi dont know if you`ve managed to get it sorted yet, but I had simular problems with my GSD when he was a pup. He managed to go through a single bed matress, numerous pairs of shoes, my little ones toys & when I eventually put him in one room when I went out he managed to chew away part of the door!! so I can imagine how you feel, but there are solutions!..:) Firstly I do agree that it is quite distressing for a dog to be left unattended for long periods of time, and GSD`s are higly intelligent animals, a bit like kids, if they know they can win you over with one situation they will do it again so you have to be very patient & be willing to give him time to adapt to new surroundings. At 15 mths he has prob become accustomed to being in kennels & hearing the sounds of his neighbours( the 10 GSD dogs with him) so this would have give him a sense of stability & security, so he is probably finding it as hard as you to cope with his new surroundings & has found your wife to be the sole comforter of his anxieties.. If you are adament that he be left alone for long periods of time why not try leaving him for the beginning, 5 mins in a room, with things to occupy him like toy treats ( the balls you can put dog biscuits into that stimulate him intelecualy) if he is ok for 5 mins then try 10 mins next time & so one till eventually he accepts that he is to be left alone, but make sure he gets loads of praises when you return to the room as a GSD like to please there masters and get self satisfaction from knowing this. It can be a lengthly process but I`m sure you will agree that in the end he is worth it!! just remember to introduce enough mind stimulation when he is alone....and take things gradually.. if you cant find time to do this why not ask a friend or neighbour to come in through the day to take him for walks & give him a bit of company til you return home... its worth a try... good luck... hope I could be of some help.

hi
just wondering how you were getting on with your GSD?:) Hope you have been able to sort out the problems you were having< I felt really sorry for the dog and yourselves :) julie