I apologise immediately for the length of this! I have a 9½ mth old Basset Hound. He is very hyper and quite destructive. He chews skirting boards, xmas decorations, wires as well as other things. I have tried lots of things - repellent spray, toys, a ball with treats that drop out, the word No is used alot, putting him in another room - which he then wreaks havoc in. I know it may seem that the dog is bored, but I do not leave him (other than when I go to work 3 part time days a week) a lot. This happens even when I go upstairs for a moment, and my 7 year old son is downstairs to keep him company. He knows he is doing wrong, as he 'drops and runs' as soon as I walk down the stairs. He particularly likes to jump on the chairs when only himself and my son are in the room, yet he will not when my me or my husband are there.
When friends/relatives, who he has met plenty of times, walk through the front door, he will jump up at them constantly, no matter how long they are there for. I tell him 'down' and 'no' all of the time, but he just doesnt settle. I then have to segregate from the group, as it is not very pleasant for them, but this makes him even more hyper. It is a vicious circle. He has been on a puppy training course, which taught him the basics of sit, down, stay etc. but if he is in a hyper mood he tends not to respond to the commands. He gets walked every day. I cannot leave him to play in the garden, as he constantly barks. I do not want to continuously give him treats to keep him occupied. Also, he does not have accidents in the house, or his pen (where he sleeps). However, as he has grown, I have wanted to leave him in the kitchen during the day, when I am work, instead of his pen. Not only does he chew the skirting, but he always wees - yet when I moved him back to the pen, he has not had an accident. I am aware he will not want to mess on his own bed, but how do I stop him from doing it on the floor if I am not there??? I am gone a maximum of 7 hours, yet he can last over 8 hours on a night. I hope someone can offer some help.

It would help to know what food you are feeding him, some foods cause dogs to be hyper.  :)

I also wondered about a dietary cause, but I also wonder if he needs to learn how to 'settle' as well as all the normal obedience stuff.  Is he rewarded for his 'quiter' moments as well as paid attention to when he's 'bad'?  If not then he may learn that the only way to get attention is to by 'hyper'........

Hyper is such a relative term, what some people may describe as hyper may be other people's "very active"; I own a truly hyperactive dog who is on medication:(

Dogs do chew, that is what they do and at his age it is a pastime.  If the ball with the treats has not worked to occupy him perhaps you could try stuffing kongs with goodies, they last even longer if frozen.  If you look up Kong on the net you will get plenty of recipes.  Also raw bones would keep him busy (when you are there).

Dogs do not "know it is wrong" , they are amoral; they know what is "safe" and "dangerous".

Just because you are actually with him does not mean that he should not be bored :D Are you actually "doing" anything with him or are you just "there"?  Lots of little games and training sessions can use hup mental as well as physical energy.  You say he is walked every day but for how long and where and how many times?

He will jump on the chairs when you are not there because he can and it is "safe".

You need to stop saying "no" and "down" as it is obviously not working.  If it worked you would not have to keep repeating yourself; the dog probably has no understanding of what exactly you want from him.  Why not concentrate on praising him for doing things well?

I am a little confused about the indoor elimination as you mention early on in your post that you only work 3 days part time but then when you are discussing his accidents mention that you are gone a maximum of 7 hours?  Are you therefore expecting him to eliminate in the hours between waking and you leaving and your arrival and bed time, two long stretches of 7 and 8 hours with no toilet opportunities?

I don't know what you are feeding him but I would look carefully at his diet. Something like Burns or NAturediet may suit him better.

Hope this helps.

You say he gets walked every day? How many times, and for how long? He will need a minimum of two 45 minute walks, preferably with some free running too. Don't forget that he is a hound, bred to have the stamina to be out hunting all day. It's in his genes.

Plus he will need a something to exercise his mind. Dogs are intelligent creatures that get bored easily.If they are young and bored, they will find something to do to pass the time - and it's usually destructive!

One other things that I don't quite understand - you say he has been taught the basics of sit, stay and down. Excellent (and I'm sure you practice them every day, in different situations, not just in the house and garden). Then you say that when he jumps up at people, you tell him 'down'. Is that the same command that you use when you want him to lie down? If so, it may be confusing him. Each different desired action requires a different command.

Well spotted re the "down" comand, Jan. It happens lots and lots. I do wish trainers would tell all owners "please don't ever use this command for getting dogs off furniture!" :D ;)

I agree with all that has been said - also at his age he will be more of a Kevin than when he is mature and settled. To be blunt, 7 hours is too long to leave any dog, and it may well be that, if this is what is happening, he has started chewing etc due to either boredom, frustration or anxiety - and now does it as a habit when you are home.

It also strikes me there is an element of attention seeking in his behaviour which is why he will do this when you are at home. Many owners inadvertenly teach their dog to seek attention by responding in the wrong way to the dog - fo rexample by rushing donwstairs if they hear the dog doing something. This teaches the dog he can controlthe owner and get him or her back in his environment. Clever, eh! ;)

He won't understand he has done wrong - this is i hate to say, a common belief. What is happening is that he reads from your body language you are cross - and even that you coming downstairs in a particular way means you are cross. Dogs have no idea of say, the value of a precious book or TV cabinet, or that pair of shoes. Dogs dont "do" books, shoes or cabinets :D

Whereabouts are you? I reckon you need the help of an understanding trainer who has some behavioural understanding. With the right training and management, he will improve so long as you can work out better hours. When i worked as a homechecker, we said tha on average 4 ours is the max. a dog should be left alone, with the proviso that the very occasional longer day may be necessary.

Best wishes
Llindsay

Hi
Firstly I must say that Bassets as a breed do not like to be left alone even for a short time. As a breed they are very people orientated and love to be the centre of attention. Hence all this hyperactivity. He is getting your attention when he is so naughty. Bassets are also naturally very destructive when left alone. Have you tried leaving the radio on when he has to be left? I also agree that you might have to change his food. Perhaps you could try Hills for a time to see if that helps at all?
Another trick would be to fill a Kong with peanut butter and only give it to him when you leave him.  Bassets just love this and then he will associate you leaving him with a nice treat. I would keep him confined while you are gone. They are a very attention seeking breed and so very very stubborn. My Basset is now 17 months old and still has his naughty moments. We also have a Yorkshire Terrier to keep each other company and he is really very gentle with her. He weighs in at 4 stone and she is only 8 lbs but she rules the roost. Bassets are a group type dog and need company. Bassets also need exercise. They need the stimulation of following the scent of other creatures and get bored if left inactive. Some people claim that they are lazy but this is untrue. They also suffer from selective deafness and so should not be let off the lead. Once they get an interesting scent they will ignore all commands until they are ready to do so. The jumping up at visitors is part of his desire to be friendly, but must be controlled as several stones of rampaging Basset can be awesome. You may have to put him on a short lead and be prepared to keep him under tight restraint until he gets the message.
I hope this helps a bit. Bassets are not the easiest type of dog to deal with. You need oodles of patience to keep one.
Carol

Owl,
I must admit I have read that Bassetts are very stubborn and difficult dogs to housetrain.