# help! my dogs ruining my house when im out



## rosie 1994 (Mar 14, 2012)

hi i have an 8 month old staffy when im out and hes in alone he ruins my house. he raids bins. pees and poos and pulls everything apart. i dont understand why hes doing it as hes great when i'm in. he even goes all night without accidents. has anyone got any idea why he could be doing this or any advice how to stop it. thanks


----------



## Pindonkey (Feb 5, 2012)

Raiding bins and pulling things apart can be linked with boredom. Do you give him Kongs or any other interactive toys while you are out? Do you hide food for him to find,give him chew toys?
Do you walk him before you leave,and if so for how long? Do you give him mental stimulation before you leave,ie some training,nose games,free shaping(if you clicker train) etc?

As for peeing and pooing inside,how long are you gone for? Is he fed in the morning? does he get a chance to relieve himself right before you leave? And again is he walked and does he do his business on the walk? 
And finally what food do you feed? (wet or dry and what brand?)


----------



## rosie 1994 (Mar 14, 2012)

Pindonkey said:


> Raiding bins and pulling things apart can be linked with boredom. Do you give him Kongs or any other interactive toys while you are out? Do you hide food for him to find,give him chew toys?
> Do you walk him before you leave,and if so for how long? Do you give him mental stimulation before you leave,ie some training,nose games,free shaping(if you clicker train) etc?
> 
> As for peeing and pooing inside,how long are you gone for? Is he fed in the morning? does he get a chance to relieve himself right before you leave? And again is he walked and does he do his business on the walk?
> And finally what food do you feed? (wet or dry and what brand?)


yeah we leave toys ect for him but he doesnt bother with them. we usually take him out every 2 - 3 hours so tend to keep him to that routine. but we let him out to do the toilet (he always does both) about 5 mins before we go hes on wagg dry food


----------



## rosie 1994 (Mar 14, 2012)

even if we are only gone 10 mins hes doing it


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

this is a Mgmt issue, not a training issue, IMO & IME: 
crate, tether, confine to a puppy-proofed area, etc.


----------



## Pindonkey (Feb 5, 2012)

Keeping to routine is fine but is he walked before you leave for a long period of time(over 30 minutes)? 
*When is he walked during the day and for how long*

The reason he may not bother with toys is because they aren't interesting,do you stuff a kong with nice smelly fillings to attract him to them? 
If they are interactive toys then get him used to them while you are there to increase his interest in them,show him how to use them. 
Good interactive toys are Kong classic(a must have),kong wobbler,bommer balls,buster cubes etc. All dispense treats.
You can hide food around your house for him to find,like hide his breakfast in the morning and use it for training in the morning. You can do the same with dinner.
*What type of toys does he have access to?*

As for raiding the bin just put it somewhere he can't get it. If its a bin with a flat lid then pop something heavy on it so he can't get to the inside of it.

You could solve most of the issues here by crating or confining him to a puppy proofed room,provided you are not gone for hours on end. A stuffed kong will provide some stimulation while you are away and if you walk him before you leave he shoudl sleep.


----------



## WhippetyAmey (Mar 4, 2012)

Okay firstly - Wagg, although better than Bakers, isn't a very good food. It is known that some foods can make dogs hyper active and a bit manic.

Look at these for a better food (it doesn't have to be more expensive);

whichdogfood.co.uk
http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/111437-raw-feeding-everything-you-need-know.html
http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/189896-dry-dog-food-index.html
http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/194976-wet-dog-food-index.html

Okay then also, how much training do you do with him? How much stimulation do you provide him with, as in actually doing things with him?
Do you walk him before you go out? How much walking does he get in a day? And is it every day?

I take it you don't crate train him? Does he have free roam of the whole house? Or just one room?

You say he doesn't touch the toys, but what sort does he have? Does he have things such as kongs, stag bars and other such toys that can keep him busy while you are gone?

Does he cry/whine/toilet when you are gone? Or just destroy the house?

It might sound slightly like Seperation Anxiety... this thread should help;

http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-training-behaviour/112552-how-help-dog-separation-anxiety.html

Sorry a lot of questions, but it will help us answer you!


----------



## WhippetyAmey (Mar 4, 2012)

Pindonkey said:


> Keeping to routine is fine but is he walked before you leave for a long period of time(over 30 minutes)?
> *When is he walked during the day and for how long*
> 
> The reason he may not bother with toys is because they aren't interesting,do you stuff a kong with nice smelly fillings to attract him to them?
> ...


Opps! Cross-posted!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

rosie 1994 said:


> even if *we're only gone 10-mins*, he's doing *it*.


 i'm not sure which of the several things are "it" that he does, even in a short time; 
if he's just been out on-leash for a supervised potty-trip, & U leave for a mere 10-mins & he VOIDS again, 
there may be something else going on: stress affects gut-motility, & can cause a stool he can't hold - 
the gut moves it along faster than normal, & suddenly he's "gotta go" right now.

a shipping crate / airline-crate will confine any mess, & calmatives should help him to relax: 
http://www.petforums.co.uk/1457713-post22.html

but calmatives & confinement aren't the whole thing - he'll also need B-Mod to address those anxieties, 
wso that he feels safer being left at home solo, & is not distressed.

VIDEO of his behavior when left home alone can be very helpful in determining what's going on: 
When he gets upset [soon after U leave?... Shortly before U come back?..., etc] & how he attempts 
to self-soothe, can help U design a plan to B-mod his current behavior.


----------



## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

rosie 1994 said:


> hes on wagg dry food


I just had my dog on this for a few days due to running out of his usual food. Oh my god, never EVER again! He became hyper as hell, horrendously destructive and unable too settle. Not saying it's the cause of all your problems but it could certainly be contributing to them.


----------



## lindr76 (May 6, 2012)

I would advise a crate for when he needs to be left,it will help him feel secure and keep your house safe 
also I apologise if i'm just repeating here but he may have the beginnings of seperation anxiety,but if you address the issue now it should be easy to fix given his age,and with the addition of crate training him,there is a thread here :

http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-training-behaviour/112552-how-help-dog-separation-anxiety.html

explains about it. 
RE: the Wagg food,it can cause hyperactivity in some dogs,I found this out the hard way too with my staffie girl ,I would suggest Chappy dry as I have hyper boxers and this doesn't affect them or nor did it my staffie girl one iota :thumbsup:


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Sarah1983 said:


> I just had my dog on this *for a few days, due to running out of his usual food.*
> Oh my god, never EVER again! He became hyper as hell, horrendously destructive and unable too settle.


Sarah, U were IMO lucky; most dogs react to sudden wholesale changes in diet, i-e, from one food directly 
onto another, with major diarrhea - it can be so bad they need electrolytes to replace lost ions / fluids.

it takes between 7 & 10-days to totally switch from one diet onto another; if at some point the dog does 
have soft stools or any diarrhea, STOP, back-up one step [i-e, from 3/4 new & 1/4 former to 1/2 & 1/2], 
STAY THERE for 2 to 3 days, then try the higher ratio of 'new' food again, & stay at that higher ratio 
for 3 or 4 days before moving to the next step.

Caution is better than regret.  at least, IME.


----------



## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

leashedForLife said:


> Sarah, U were IMO lucky; most dogs react to sudden wholesale changes in diet, i-e, from one food directly
> onto another, with major diarrhea - it can be so bad they need electrolytes to replace lost ions / fluids.


I'm not sure it IS luck to be honest. Out of the 4 dogs I've had only one has had a bad reaction to his food being changed and that was the one who wasn't given a wide variety of foods and scraps. And he had problems no matter how slowly you tried to change his food. A lot of the dogs I know are fed whatever's cheapest at the time and there's no slow change over from one food to another and no problems. I've always wondered whether it's because they're used to such a wide variety of food.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't advise anyone to just suddenly switch foods. It's just never been an issue for me. Rupert couldn't be switched slowly, he simply ate the stuff he was used to and left the rest. And in this case it was either Wagg or go hungry for Spen thanks to an unexpected £500 going out of our bank leaving us broke.


----------



## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

Not only will Wagg make him hyperactive, it will also make him poo more. I would like to know how you react when you return and find what he has done? Do you yell at him? Do you get angry with him? If you do, it is a good chance that it is the sound of your return which makes him mess and wee; he associates you appearing with being yelled at.

Apologies if that is not the case, but it happens a lot. Perhaps a stairgate across the kitchen doorway, a nice bed and lots of toys and a Kong stuffed with goodies. I have never been able to have a bin out since I got Ferdie. It doesn't matter what sort of lid it is, he will open it.

Mine is in a cupboard with the only handle in the house that he cannot open!


----------



## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

Sarah1983 said:


> I'm not sure it IS luck to be honest. Out of the 4 dogs I've had only one has had a bad reaction to his food being changed and that was the one who wasn't given a wide variety of foods and scraps. And he had problems no matter how slowly you tried to change his food. A lot of the dogs I know are fed whatever's cheapest at the time and there's no slow change over from one food to another and no problems. I've always wondered whether it's because they're used to such a wide variety of food.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't advise anyone to just suddenly switch foods. It's just never been an issue for me. Rupert couldn't be switched slowly, he simply ate the stuff he was used to and left the rest. And in this case it was either Wagg or go hungry for Spen thanks to an unexpected £500 going out of our bank leaving us broke.


Mine have had to have Wagg when I couldn't afford anything else, that's how I know it makes them poo more!


----------



## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

newfiesmum said:


> Mine have had to have Wagg when I couldn't afford anything else, that's how I know it makes them poo more!


Didn't seem to make any difference with Spencer but the food he was on was the best of a poor bunch. He's being switched to raw now so no doubt I'll see a difference there soon.


----------



## Galadriel17 (Jan 22, 2012)

Have a read of this - http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/AFTER You Get Your Puppy.pdf - ignore the overwhelming feeling of doom you'll probably get  and it is more geared for the younger pup but there's still quite a bit you'll be able to get out of it; sounds like you need to start from scratch regarding leaving him anyway.


----------



## gsmith86 (May 24, 2012)

We had this problem with our pup. We spoke to the behaviourist at our vet who suggested that it was seperation anxiety. It is likely that the puppy will wee or poo as soon as you leave. She suggested that firstly, don't make a fuss when you leave, don't even acknowledge the pup or say goodbye or anything. Secondly she suggested a calming plug-in, as well as leaving some clothing with your smell on it to reassure him. And also as others have suggested, putting him in a crate. We were really reluctant about using a crate at first but it was an absolute god send.


----------



## Doguiesrus (Apr 18, 2012)

I agree seperation anxiety seems to hit the nail on the head. I have a ddb who is quiet clingy to me and even though recieved regular excerise and routine nothing worked! She hate the dryer door. Chomped the kettle! Opened the dryer and took clothes. Ate bread from the breadbin. Ripped the bin to bits that many times i stopped using one and just leave the wheelie bin near the door. She too constantly soiled in the house when i went out but i could be in the other room All day and she wouldnt do a thing! I found that i went out for litterally 3 mins and went back in and if all was well i made a huge fuss. If she had made a mess i ignored her. I did this often and gradually extended the time. Now if i know il be away for a few hours i get someone to call in but things are alot better and i no longer have to hide the kettle! A kiddy lock on the dryer helps too! Its took nearly 2 year but its really worth it. A radio helps too. Good luck x


----------

