Destructive behaviour when away!

[CharlesKrangle]

Hi there!

I've been using your program for almost 2yrs now! The results are great and I enjoy the exercises with my dog. 

Just over a month ago I rescued a very abused dog. The dog, Simon, was emaciated and had been burned on his head. We are doing really well with trust, and I have to say that the process has gone way way faster than I expected. We are working on different commands and behaviour. He is total sweetheart and we have yet to see any aggression. He does nip a bit for a attention, or when in very active play. 

Simon is between 1-2yrs, he's got some bulldog and some hound in him we believe. 

At times I can catch him going for a household item (towel or clothing usually), and can do some redirect. He doesn't seem to take items as much anymore when I'm home. 

Generally, Simon is left for 2-4hrs at most. We have a large crate, he doesn't love it, but certainly tolerates it. If he's not in his crate, he will destroy items throughout the house. Some items, pillows, he seems to just pull to the floor, other items he will wreck (books, wooden items, his bed, shoes, slippers, tissue boxes, toilet paper, etc). He has tons of toys, and the home is very comfortable. At times he is left with another dog (they are good buddies), and will still destroy. The other dog does not engage. 

I'd like to not crate him forever.... Any ideas? Help? He doesn't go crazy or bark when I leave. He can sometimes whine for a few minutes and then stops. 

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

Bless your heart for rescuing a very abused dog. The things people do to dogs are sickening, makes one wonder who are the real "animals."  Poor Simon, I am glad that now he is in a loving and caring home and he has learned to trust again. 

The problems you are facing are not unusual with young dogs. Several dogs get better as they mature and become more trustworthy anywhere between the ages of 1 and 3 years old. Some get there earlier, some get there later-and a few may never "get there" or get there when they are old.

I recommend all dog owners teach their dogs both the "leave it' and "drop it" commands. The ""leave its" are for those times we notice our dogs approaching something, the "drop its" are for those times when we notice our dogs have already grabbed something in their mouth. You can find guides on training both in the below sections:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

While these commands typically work well when we are around, a whole different story is when we are not present. This causes us to assume that dogs may intently destroy stuff when left alone because they are angry/spiteful/seeking revenge for not being taken along. We are often deeply convinced of this also based on the way our dogs act upon our return...

With the dog looking away, ears back and slowly slinking away with his body low, it just seems to prove to us that "the proof is in the pudding" as these dogs just seem to have the word "guilty" printed all over their face. Yet, research has shown us that there are different dynamics going on.

Here's the thing: Guilt is ultimately a human emotion. It takes some complex thinking to feel guilty as guilt requires the adherence of a moral code necessary to make the act of destroying things unethical for dogs, a species that instead tends to merely act out of instincts.

So that "guilty look" our beloved dogs give us when we enter the home and act disappointed/frustrated/angry about the mess doesn’t equate to actual guilt, rather they are responding instinctively to our body language. Indeed, according to research, a dogs' "guilty look" isn't therefore “an official admission of guilt,” but rather an instinctive response to what's perceived by our dogs as threatening behavior.

Any time we therefore exhibit hostile/frustrated body language, dogs are going to make themselves as small and unassuming as possible to avoid our wrath. This is more an appeasing gesture than anything else.

In any case, it would be helpful understanding firstly why Simon acts destructive when left alone in the first place so that we can tackle the issue correctly.  I will list some common reasons why dogs tend to destroy things around the home when left alone. 

1) Separation Anxiety

I don't think this may be what may be impacting Simon, but it's worthy of mentioning in any case,  primarily because many rescue dogs have some level of separation anxiety going on. If Simon is relatively calm when you’re around, but starts getting nervous (pacing, drooling, whining, panting) when you leave or are about to leave the house, it might be due to anxiety. 

In general, dogs who have separation anxiety will usually mostly target windows or doors (scratching and biting them) in a frantic attempt to be re-united with their owners. 

It may be worth it to record your dog's behavior the first 15-20 minutes when you leave the home and see whether he gets panicky. Watch for signs such as constant pacing, whining, barking, howling, drooling, scratching and chewing windows and doors and having accidents around the house.

2) Coping Mechanism

Likewise, some dogs may be triggered by certain sights or sounds. Normally with their human around, dogs are less likely to react to the stimuli. But left to their own devices, the sights and sounds going on in the world beyond the house may be too much for them to handle.

And some dogs just can’t handle the added pressure of keeping watch over the whole home in your absence. After all, no matter how big your fur baby is, the space they occupy is always going to seem much larger when they aren’t sharing it with you.

In reality, dogs at their core are social animals. Being left alone, especially when they ran wild, meant danger. A larger predator could snatch up even the quickest dog if they were by their lonesome. There was safety in numbers so being left on their own still can rub dogs the wrong way.

Stress can therefore play a number on dogs, and chewing can be their preferred way to cope with these unpleasant emotions.

3) Boredom Setting in

Many dog breeds were domesticated and later bred for a particular purpose. Hounds were bred to track by scent or by sight, while bulldogs were selectively bred to fight bulls.  With a history as working dogs, our companions have this hardwired need to find a "job" and fill up any idle moment in life. When boredom or frustration sets in, dogs will therefore engage in undesirable behaviors. "Idle paws are a devil's workshop"...

This type of destructive behavior is different than separation anxiety in that, the dogs appear calm when alone and aim to destroy things like the remote control, pillows, paper towels etc more than windows and doors. I think Simon may fit this picture, along with the hardwired instincts mentioned below. 

4) Ancient Instincts

Even though our dogs are domesticated and fed food from bags and cans served in shiny bowls, they still retain some ancient instincts. Let's just say that they have remained still a hunters and scavengers at heart.

Stuffed couch pillows are therefore super tempting as they remind him of prey animals. Just as dogs shake their toys and tear them apart to get to the squeaker, dogs will have a blast chewing through pillows so as to "de-gut" them, removing the internal "entrails" under the form of stuffing. 

After covering some possible culprits, let's take a look at some possible solutions. 

-Add food puzzles. I know you mentioned leaving him plenty of toys, but toys can get rather boring compared to a fun pillow to remove the stuffing or a book with pages that can be ripped off one-by-one.  Regular toys such as balls, tug toys or rubber bones can get "old" after a while, especially when they often around and we don't rotate them. It may therefore help to leave out toys that put your dog to "work" under the form of food puzzles and long-lasting goodies such as Kongs stuffed with some tasty foods, Kong Wobblers with some tasty treats mixed with kibble to get out, and long-lasting chews. If your other dog is free in the house though, use caution and keep them separated as sometimes fights may erupt around valuable foods/toys. 

-Keep temptation out of reach. At the same time, you may also want to remove all of the tempting things you know your dog is tempted to chew. Put books on tall shelves, close the bathroom door, remove pillows and small Knick/knacks, remove his bed too.  After all, they can’t rip anything into pieces if they can’t gain access to them or reach them! Don't forget to remove objects off of any surface your dog can reach. This is just temporary for when you are away, once back, you can place them back, as long as you always  supervise your dog and use any attempts to gain access to these things in your presence as opportunities to polish your leave its and drop its. 

-Keep your dog in just one room if removing all things is a complicated ordeal, you can try keeping your dog in only one room that is as "dog-proofed" as possible. 

-Walk your dogs, provide some brain games and play with them before you have to leave. You want to tire them out as much as possible so that they won’t have as much need to expend that extra energy (although I feel that this alone won't work well enough, you will most likely need to combine this with leaving legitimate goodies around and remove items you don't want him to chew).  

-Consider remote monitoring to keep tabs on what your dog is doing when left alone. I feel this can be extra helpful. The Furbo camera allows you to watch your dog, talk to him and is even capable of dispensing treats to keep your dog busy at the touch of a button. With remote monitoring, you can create 'set-ups" where you step outside the house and remind your dog to "leave it" as needed, entering the home as needed and reward when he's behaving well. This can cause your dog to believe you are always supervising him, even when you are not physically around, although I know of some smarty pants dogs who seem to eventually learn the mechanism.

-Go gradual. Start with brief absences and build up the time you are gone gradually. You want to establish a history where your dog looks forward to you leaving because it means that you provide him with several food puzzles that will keep him entertained and that will satiate his need to chew. 

-Build some anticipation. Before leaving, I like to prepare some goodies in advance and build up anticipation. For instance, I would prepare a Kong stuffed with a dog cookie stuck at the bottom, some kibble mixed with peanut butter and some other cookie to lodge things in and then I would place some treats mixed with more kibble in a Kong Wobbler and then I would open a package of bully sticks and grab one and I would place all these goodies up on a high shelf as I go prepare to leave the home. By the time I am ready to leave, the dog will be pleading me have access to all these goodies. I would then ask the dog to hold a stay while I scatter all these goodies on the floor and then I would say "go!" as I exit the door. Again, if your other dog is free in the house though, use caution and keep them separated as sometimes fights may erupt around valuable foods/toys. 

-If you find that your dog is becoming overly stressed or suffering from separation anxiety when left alone, please show your recording to your vet who can help confirm or rule out possible separation anxiety and  can provide a referral to a veterinary behaviorist for an in-depth plan. 

-Lastly, I would mention the importance of practicing caution. Some dogs may never be totally trustable left alone. It may just be best to crate these dogs, especially if there are risks for the dog to chew and ingest things that may lead to complications such as an intestinal blockage. 

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions. 

Happy training!

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2021 by Adrienne Farricelli

[FrederykBlot]

Hi 

I'm not sure I'm knowledgeable to give much advice in your case, but just wanted to stop by to salute the rescue of a dog, specially an abused one

 

My little grain of salt though : 

- destruction is not something that would go overnight, so environment control is much needed. With ours, when we couldn't watch him, he would be in a playpen, or to avoid destruction on stuff we really didn't want to, we would put that stuff in the kennel, not the dog :) One of our sofa was in a kennel during first chewing phase :)

- redirection with high value treats : the importance of the treat value can be underestimated and is more significant that we may think. Some stuff we were struggling with, was settled quite fast once we change the treats

- finding the adequate replacement : giving him an alternative thing to chew on and destruct would save the stuff you value... but it's not that easy to find : for example, the Kong, which is often "the Grail of toy to keep your dog busy" was a total failure with our pup... Chewing stuff like hooves, or horns, was the way to go for him

 

It's personal experience that worked with our pup, cannot guarantee it would be efficient with your dog
Still, hope it will help

 

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