Post by vtfarmgirl on Apr 28, 2011 18:39:25 GMT -5
Our beagle, Wyatt, is approximately 9-10 years old. About a year and a half ago, my husband went back to work after being the stay-at-home, and our dog slowly began a downwards spiral of lonely + bored = Destructo Dog. It started with the occasional shredding of his bed, and now, we are dealing with daily anxiety problems. He eats through crates. We have tried so many different types, and they generally last about two weeks before he finds his way out of them.
We tried leaving him loose in the house, and he shredded the garbage. So, we tried leaving him loose in the house and put the garbage in the closet, and he shredded my son's book. Just when we think we have sufficiently prepped the house to leave, he finds a way to destroy something. We don't want to tie him outside because he barks all day, digs holes in the lawn and after battling fleas all last summer, we want to try to avoid exposure. My husband has even taken him to school with him on mild days and gone out to the car to give him water and walk him, but now it's starting to get warm to leave him in the car. He's only in the crate for about 7 hours, while we are both at work.
We are both teachers, so at least we'll be home with him in the summer, but I'm afraid that we are going to be dealing with these behaviors for the rest of his life. He's a great dog (when we're home) and we would never consider getting rid of him. We just don't know what to do. I've seen "indestructible crates" online for hundreds of dollars, but they don't come with a guarantee, and what happens if he is able to find a way to destroy it?
Has anyone ever used one of these indestructible crates? Any other advice???
We tried leaving him loose in the house, and he shredded the garbage. So, we tried leaving him loose in the house and put the garbage in the closet, and he shredded my son's book. Just when we think we have sufficiently prepped the house to leave, he finds a way to destroy something. We don't want to tie him outside because he barks all day, digs holes in the lawn and after battling fleas all last summer, we want to try to avoid exposure. My husband has even taken him to school with him on mild days and gone out to the car to give him water and walk him, but now it's starting to get warm to leave him in the car. He's only in the crate for about 7 hours, while we are both at work.
We are both teachers, so at least we'll be home with him in the summer, but I'm afraid that we are going to be dealing with these behaviors for the rest of his life. He's a great dog (when we're home) and we would never consider getting rid of him. We just don't know what to do. I've seen "indestructible crates" online for hundreds of dollars, but they don't come with a guarantee, and what happens if he is able to find a way to destroy it?
Has anyone ever used one of these indestructible crates? Any other advice???