My 1 year old Great Dane is home alone during the day – what can I do to avoid her tearing up stuff?
My great dane is home alone for most of the day as we work full time. We got her a dog companion so she doesn't feel so alone! Unfortunately, she still seems to feel abandonned. They stay in a 10 x 10 kennel in our garage! We can't leave the pillows in it as she will shred them to pieces! Recently we invested in some linoleum so they are not on the cement and she even managed to tear a huge hole in it!! What can I do to stop that?
We can not leave her outside all day as she will dig in the yard and even has dug out bushes and small trees. We play with her for 15 minutes or so in the morning before we leave! She has tore up any rug we put in there so far!
Don’t spank your dog! I can’t believe nobody else was annoyed by that answer. She is just trying to occupy herself. She also might have some separation anxiety because she LOVES YOU so much and it’s hard for her when you are gone. The best bet would be to talk to your veterinarian, about things that are safe to be left with her when you are gone, etc. Don’t give up on her either. If everyone gave their dog or cat away whenever a problem like this came up, then nobody would be able to keep their pet! The good news is that with age this will probably improve. In the meantime, getting there is the goal, and you can do it. Maybe she is just going to be like that, and you’ll have to only leave things with her that you don’t mind having destroyed. You can buy things cheap at Goodwill even, if it’s the cost that worries you. Just don’t give up on her.
Take her for a nice walk in the morning and when you get home. You might have to wake up a bit earlier, but your dog will appreciate it!!
sounds like she is bored! she needs toys, like a stuffed kong or bones to chew to keep her from tearing up the floor. she may never stop tearing up pillows (it’s fun, and you aren’t there to catch her and scold her for it). even if there is another dog, she can still be bored. how do the two dogs get along? i get nervous about the idea of leaving toys for two unsupervised dogs, because even the best of pals can get in a fight over a bone or good toy. it guess that is up to you.
muzzles work but most people don’t like doing that and another thing is leave the kennel open so they can go in and out of it and maybe she will stop.
I don’t have an answer for you, but I’ve been told by someone that I know that she had a Dane that ate a couch one day.
On another occasion, it ate its way through a door that it had been shut behind.
Keep it in the cage if you can….
Put her in the back yard. She will feel more comfortable outside than inside a house.
Put a rug or old blanket under the kennel that will get her off the cold floor but she should not be able to chew thru the kennel
It’s common for puppies to continue chewing on objects until they’re 1 1/2 to 2 years old, and chew they will – on everything from your best shoes to your windowsill. Here’s how to show your dog that there are better things to chew on.
Instructions
STEP 1: Determine whether the chewing stems from teething, curiosity, boredom or a behavioral disorder. Discuss these options with your veterinarian or an animal-behavior specialist.
STEP 2: Give a teething puppy a teething ring or a frozen washcloth to chew on.
STEP 3: Watch your puppy constantly. Use a baby gate to keep him in the same room as you, or crate-train your puppy and put him in the crate with toys for short periods when you’re unable to supervise.
STEP 4: Divert your puppy’s attention to something appropriate, such as a dog toy, when you catch him chewing. Have toys of soft and hard textures available, and rotate them to preempt boredom.
STEP 5: Set aside specific times for your puppy to interact with you: practicing obedience training exercises, learning tricks, exercising and going on outdoor adventures.
STEP 6: Exercise your puppy, and play with him using toys. If he’s tired, he won’t have the energy to chew.
Tips & Warnings
- Use chew toys designed for dogs. They are inexpensive and safe and will teach your dog what is OK to chew on.
- Some household items that are safe for your dog to play with, under your supervision, are card-board boxes and paper bags.
- Obedience training by itself won’t change behavioral disorders. You may need to correct the underlying problem with the help of an animal-behavior specialist.
Maybe you shuld trie harder to your dog!
I agree with the first answer. Get up a little earlier is youhave to and take them for a one hour walk. Then when you get home, you will have to do this again. They are high energy dogs and they are trying to burn up their energy by ripping things up. Is there any way you could build a dog run for them that could be attached to the garage? That way they could also get outside to run around when you aren’t there? If that’s not an option, maybe have someone come by to let them out for 1/2 hour.
When she tears it up show it to her and spank her – its not fair to the other dog to have to sleep on a hard surface all day. The bad dog needs to learn, use a newspaper to spank her, if it doesn’t work use your hand, but for the other dogs sake teach her not to tear stuff up.
And if you can’t bring yourself to train her, than at-least tie her up on a leash and put the pillows where she cant get to them that way the other dog has some place to lay
Or try giving her some chew toys
Well, what would you expect from a puppy that is left alone all day? Naturally she gets destructive when she is bored. And she won’t be mature until she is 3 years old.
Get her a pet sitter, take her to doggy daycare, or realize that she is too young to be left alone all day and rehome her with a Dane rescue.
Crate training. I think the only thing you can do is put her in a cage when you’re gone. Or if you can afford it you can always take her to a doggie daycare.
but her in the crate with lots of toys and a bowl of water.Or you can look her into one pacific room like the kitchen with dog gates.But make sure she has plenty of things to chew on.Take it from a girl with a puppy of her own.
Your Dane is still barely out of puppy-hood and needs to be kept occupied. Boredom is the usual cause of destruction. There are many toys available that are interactive and make the dog think, such as toys that are filled with treats that the dog has to do something with to make the treats come out, or toys that have toys inside them. I’ll list some examples below.
Other ideas is a Kong toy filled with peanut butter or a dog biscuit wedged in it.
You are basically looking for something that will occupy her mind and keep her busy. Good luck!
You don’t deserve to own a dane.
dane’s need to be with people as often as possible. most dane rescues and reputable breeders would not even allow one of their dogs to go to a home where nobody was home and the dog was left in a 10×10 kennel (not to mention sharing that small space with another dog). i have 2 danes and if i left them as often as you did they would act up too… especially with only 15 minutes of play before you leave them all day long!!!! try a 2 mile walk in the morning if they’re going to be left a lone all day. 15 minutes in the morning is ok if you do an hour in the afternoon and another hour in the evening. 15 minutes all day is not nearly enough exercise for a dane especially if you want them to NOT be destructive when left alone for the next 8 hours of the day.
you should be ashamed!
let me guess, you wanted a great dane to show off how big it is? you obviously didn’t want a dog to love and spend time with. great danes are people dogs, and they are big and require room to live… not a 10×10 kennel. i wouldn’t put a lab in a 10×10 kennel let alone a great dane!!!!!
here’s the answer to your problems and the answer for your dog to stop being so destructive…. find it a better home than yours!!!!!!!
i’ll take it and i promise i will rid it of it’s separation anxiety.
I love the first post… So helpful… Good thing he’s unemployed otherwise he wouldn’t be able to have a dog… I personally think your dog just likes to chew things so I would try the lots of toys idea. Our Dane puppy loves to chew things but only rarely chews anything other than her toys or my wifes heels… Haha
I have a beautiful and wonderful 18 month old Great Dane who loves to chew. I give her plenty of chew toys as well as empty plastic bottles to occupy her time. At first she would only chew on shoes, hats or books when I left her alone..( no more than a couple of hours). Now, she has started chewing them up at night when I’m sleeping. She gets plenty of exercise during the day. I take her on walks 3 or more times a day for at least 1/2 hr at a time. During these exercise times, she will run and play. She has a very comfortable bed for sleeping on at night and her toys are always near. If I forget to put everything up and away from her, they are destroyed by morning. I have never caught her in the act, so I don’t know how to get her to stop. We spend every day together and I know that she has separation issues if I need to leave her alone. I usually take her everywhere with me, but some times it isn’t possible. I try to leave her with a sitter when I do have to go out. I don’t know what to do…