# I can't take the DESTRUCTION ANYMORE!!!



## RogueRed26

My 5 1/2 month old black German shepherd puppy is driving me CRAZY!!! I have been having an issue with her non stop chewing and destructive behavior since I took her home. I understand she is a puppy, but she takes her destructiveness to a new level. 

I have followed my trainer's, other shepherd owners, and books advice on how to handle this problem. Our daily activities are: Texas goes on a mild one mile jog and walk, practice her obedience, and we play tug of war or toss the ball. She has 6 different toys in the balcony (a rope tug toy, a squeaky barbell, 3 raw hides, and a rubber ball), but she chooses to chew on my plants, destroy my plant pots, chew on my bistro set, chew and destroy the electrical cords outside, and destroy and chew on the wood fencing of the balcony (mind you, I live in an apartment). Also, when crated, she has a squeaky hot dog, a rope toy with a ball, and a kong with kong treats and peanut butter (sometimes different dog food or treats). Every few days I switch the toys and treats to a do-nut squeak toy, to a rubber ball, or a candy cane squeaky, and incorporate dental sticks.

After basic corrections did not work, our obedience dog trainer suggested to select a deterrent spray like bitter apple, but it did not stop her. We went through two - bitter apple and a bitter cherry. The next step was a training collar that delivers mild shocks. We were to warn her with a beep first and then deliver a mild shock, but she quickly began ignoring the shocks. My trainer was amazed at her resilience of destroying the wood. We are now using a muzzle only when she is not supervised, but she has still found ways to destroy the balcony, even with the muzzle on.

:helpLEASE HELP ME!!! What should I do? I understand she is a puppy and has energy, but I running at the end of my rope. I feel as if I give her plenty of outlets to release her energy and different things to chew on. She is a smart girl, she is doing well in her obedience classes but at home when not supervised, she becomes extremely destructive. Why is she doing this? I honestly believe this is affecting even our relationship; I almost resent her when she destroys my things and the apartment. I want to keep her, and I don't want to part with her at all, but she is pushing me to the edge. The last thing I want is for my landlord to evict me for her destruction. PLEASE HELP!!!! I need advice and guidance!!:help:


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## Verivus

Do you have a dog park nearby? Maybe she needs more mental/physical stimulation? Separation anxiety? Sounds like you've tried alot already that I would've suggested. :crazy:


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## RogueRed26

I do have a dog park nearby, but I am honestly hesitant of taking her there. I have heard horrible stories about our dog park and how aggressive and non vaccinated pets are taken there constantly. I set up a doggie play date this past Tuesday, but I don't think it went that well. The other dog got upset and even tried to attack her. I honestly don't know what to do. :/


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## Lucy Dog

If she is destructive when not supervised, why are you letting her do as she pleases when you're not around? Why don't you just crate her when you can't keep an eye on her? 

I have an almost 3 year old who I still don't trust when I'm not around to supervise because I know she'll get into all types of trouble. When I'm not around, she's crated. Simple as that.

Forget the dog park. I'm not a fan of them at all. Some people love them, but I don't... just my opinion. Too many stupid people bring dogs that should not be there. That's when the fights break out. Good idea setting up the doggie playdate... you just picked the wrong dog. Do you know any dogs who are a little more stable and friendly?


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## elly1210

I agree with Lucy. Keep her supervised. You can do that in 2 ways. 1. crate her and give her some busy toys to chew or a KONG ball or 2. tether her to you so when you are walking around the house she is always with you. Put treats or her food in her pocket and have her do simple obedience commands. So if you sit in the kitchen ask for a down and treat her. By doing this she are mentally stimulating even more which is what she may need.

As for dog parks, I only believe you should bring a dog that can do a excellent recall and is confident with all dogs. I have seen too many times people bring their puppies and then the dog is scared into submissiveness because there are 5 dogs running around the dog, smelling it and overwhelming it. I don't know how many people I have seen at the dog park and have said I brought her here when she was 6 months and now she is scared and fearful of other dogs because maybe an older dog went after her. That is actually true for even older dogs if they don't have the stability along with the recall you can actually do more harm then good for your dog.

I would look for controlled puppy socialization classes if you don't already have her in something with your trainer.


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## Good_Karma

I'd increase her exercise. Do you have a place you can take her off leash to let her race around? And like others have said, if you don't have two eyes on her at all times, put her in her crate.

Don't forget you are dealing with an animal who has a lemon brain. She's not destroying stuff you to make you mad. She just can't help herself. Even if she thinks it might be "wrong" to chew up your stuff, she does not have the mental maturity right now to make the right choice. And honestly, it sounds like some dogs never quite get there.

Good luck, keep trying.


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## Samba

We just had our 6 month old loose in the house this morning. It was non-stop getting into stuff as I would expect at this age. For ours it is fenced yard, dog pen or crate when not under constant supervision. I would expect destruction from a pup this age if not supervised and interacted with while loose.

Even though exercise does tire mine out it is not enough that she could be left to her devices!


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## rvadog

First, fire your trainer. He's either an idiot or is stealing your money. What trainer would suggest a muzzle for a 5 month old puppy? He's serioulsy surprised at the resilience of a puppy? Sounds like he's never trained a dog before.


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## Denali Girl

I also agree with everyone else. I will add that if the dog is chewing everything in site IMO, he's bored and is not getting enough exercise. A one mile walk is nothing for that dog, it's good for learning to walk on a leash but I have to add some fast paced fetch into the day. I like the "chuckers" for the tennis balls. I usually have 3 or 4 tennis balls in my pocket and one after another just try to keep him running, I promise he will be "flat" when he goes home.
Although I am not against a shock collar, I don't think you need it for what you are trying to do. I would leash the dog in the house and give leash corrections in the house if redirecting is not working. I would also crate him if you can't watch him. If he is chewing on your bistro set, I can't see how you are watching your dog? It does get frustrating and we all go through it but try to be patient and it will be good as long as you keep your training up. And remember.......A tired dog is a good dog! Good luck.


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## Elaine

Your dog needs more exercise and should be crated when you can't directly watch her.


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## JKlatsky

A 5 1/2 month old puppy is like a toddler that flushes all your best things down the toilet...they really don't understand and it's usually your fault if it got that bad because you weren't watching.

It's called a crate. Get one. If you cannot be there with your puppy actively supervising, then he needs to be in a crate. In a crate he will not be able to destroy your stuff. I would not raise a puppy without one. If you have to keep your puppy on a balcony (and I question the safety of this...dogs can and will jump over a balcony railing and then you could have some serious vet bills or a dead dog), then I would move a large crate out there or buy an Xpen so that you could block her from the balcony and your things. A big part of housebreaking and training a dog is management. My dogs wouldn't ever chew on anything in the house because they don't even know it's an option. We start when they are little by puppy proofing the house....so there is nothing they can get to that I wouldn't want them to have. Then they are only allowed loose when I am there to watch them. All other times they are in the crate. If they go to chew on something, I will make a loud eh-eh noise and then present a toy and invite the puppy to play with me instead. If I don't feel like playing with the puppy...then he probably shouldn't be out. Every moment your puppy is learning and creating habits. You have to limit the choices he can make by managing his environment. 

Also sounds like your puppy likes things that can come apart. He is also teething at that age. His mouth hurts and chewing alleviates some of that. My dogs always liked bully sticks, busy buddy toys from Premiere, and the Everlasting Treat Balls. Actually a Large Carrot or half a Sweet Potato also helped the urge to chew, the cold felt good on the gums, and my dogs liked to be able to chew them apart, and they're edible. For my busy dogs I would also stop feeding them entirely from a bowl. I would put a good portion of their food into some kind of kibble dispensing toy so that they would have to work for their food. Hunger would help keep them focused and intent...for maybe 30 minutes 

I also think your trainer sounds not so smart. I would not use a muzzle or a Ecollar on a puppy in this situation. IME it is never enough to teach a dog NOT to do something, you have to teach them what to do instead (No don't chew on that...play with this instead!)...and giving the toys is not enough usually. Most toys are not much fun unless there is someone there to play with you.


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## Veronica1

We did not crate train our last dog and he was destructive his entire life. I cannot tell you how many items of clothing, pairs of shoes, set of boosk, even belts he destroyed. 

Panzer is crate trained and this has made a WORLD of difference. We treat trained him to get him to go in his crate and now he's perfectly happy to go in his crate. And, at almost 9 months he hasn't destroyed anything (except some window blinds, but he wasn't in his crate!). 

I read here that you have to set the pup up for success. If you can't directly supervise your pup, she should be in her crate. That will bring you so much relief and reduce your stress immensely.


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## GSDAlphaMom

What part of Texas are you in? I don't do dog parks either but I do take mine to a meetup/training session held on 30 acres in Mckinney. If you are in the metroplex and interested let me know and I will PM you the information.


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## MaggieRoseLee

> Our daily activities are: Texas goes on a mild one mile jog and walk


The things I have to do or I'd also go nuts with a GSD puppy are:

1) Use the crate when I am NOT able to keep a direct eye on my puppy

2) Use closed doors and baby gates to make sure the puppy is ALWAYS in the same room I am in so I can have a TIMELY and immediate intervention (and that's NOT always a correction) for any puppy behaviors.

3) I do NOT only figure out ways to correct correct correct correct punish punish punish my puppy when they are not doing stuff right..........................

INSTEAD

I ask for all the information/hints/tips on how I can MANAGE and teach my puppy to do right. I keep toys all over the house. So if my puppy grabs something to play or cause they are bored it's MUCH more likely to be an allowable toy than something 'bad'. And if they DO grab something 'bad' IT IS MY FAULT!!! Not the puppy's. Cause I wasn't paying attention! I need to quickly replace the 'bad' thing (sofa cushion?) with the good thing (toy?) and PLAY PLAY PLAY as a reward.

The most important thing, I mean the most important thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4) REAL exercise. A 'mild' 1 mile walk is zero exercise for my dog. And if it was all I was doing I'd be a mental case too.

The 'training' I do with a puppy isn't obedience based on any corrections and looks like this with a basis on RELATIONSHIP building (not their 'obedience':





 
And MY exercise regime has to look like this!





 




 
SOCIALIZATION IS VITAL TOO!


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## MaggieRoseLee

Veronica said:


> *I read here that you have to set the pup up for success.*


Perfectly said! :thumbup:

I spend much more time using my brain to think of ways to have my pup SUCCEED and do things right.

Than allowing them to FAIL so I can correct correct correct punish punish punish correct correct correct. May initially mean I have to sit down and take a look at what I AM DOING WRONG or not enough or need to do differently.

I have to turn it around and think of what's happening when my pup misbehaves not as what my PUPPY is doing wrong and how to correct it. But WHAT AM I DOING WRONG so my puppy isn't doiing things the way I want it to do?


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## ba1614

I agree with ensuring she's supervised if not in the crate. Then you're able to redirect when she goes to chew something she shouldn't. Of course you're also protecting her from herself if she's supervised.

I would add some more exercise, (some flirt pole time?), or whatever might tire her out more. A 1 mile jog/walk would not be nearly enough to satisfy my pups.

It should start settling down soon for you, once she's done teething. Stick with it and remain patient with her, as difficult as it may be.


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## Rerun

Did you take any of the advice given in this thread that you posted when she was 3 1/2 mo old which is nearly identical to the post today?
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/puppy-behavior/144017-destroying-plants-furniture.html


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## Rerun

Everyone always says everything people complain about with puppies is that it's "JUST A STAGE."

It's NOT "just a stage." Adults do not OUT GROW behavior, they are out TRANIED behavior. Your puppy isn't going to suddenly hit 6 mo, 7 mo, 1 year, whatever and think to herself, "Ok, I'm done teething, it's time to grow up and stop chewing on everything else and only chew on my toys." My 7 YEAR old chews on every toy in this house. If she hadn't been trained as a young puppy not to chew on non-dog toys, she would have eaten my house by now! Puppies chew because they're teethin and it's a natural enjoyable activity. Adults chew for many reasons. This isn't a TEETHING issue, this is a training and supervision issue.


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## Denali Girl

Rerun said:


> Everyone always says everything people complain about with puppies is that it's "JUST A STAGE."
> 
> It's NOT "just a stage." Adults do not OUT GROW behavior, they are out TRANIED behavior. Your puppy isn't going to suddenly hit 6 mo, 7 mo, 1 year, whatever and think to herself, "Ok, I'm done teething, it's time to grow up and stop chewing on everything else and only chew on my toys." My 7 YEAR old chews on every toy in this house. If she hadn't been trained as a young puppy not to chew on non-dog toys, she would have eaten my house by now! Puppies chew because they're teethin and it's a natural enjoyable activity. Adults chew for many reasons. This isn't a TEETHING issue, this is a training and supervision issue.


 
:thumbup::thumbup:


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## MaggieRoseLee

> This isn't a TEETHING issue, this is a training and supervision issue.


I'd like to add to that to say it's a MANAGEMENT issue too. As in there are so many things WE can do to make sure our puppy never even wants to 'do bad' because we have set them up to do good. Being proactive is so much more productive than being REACTIVE and only punishing them after they have done wrong.....


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## PaddyD

My dog was the same. There were times when we were almost in the car on the way back to the breeder. If you look through this forum you will see many such threads. I wish I had seen them when my dog was in that phase. Just knowing she was normal and not a monster would have helped tremendously.
As stated above it is a training/management problem. Get your dog a lot of different kinds of chew toys. Give her a lot of varied types of exercise. A LOT. Give your dog crate time and observe the tips you have read on that. Let her know that you are in charge and biting is not allowed. The OUCH method worked on my dog plus an immediate scolding. Scoldings have to be immediate (within 3 seconds) and brief... then redirect and move on. Don't stay mad at your puppy for being a puppy.
GSDs are a challenge at that age and you have to be up to the challenge.
Like you, we did not expect that level of difficulty but luckily we had the time and energy
to work through it. We now have a wonderful dog that we wouldn't change one iota.


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## Rerun

MaggieRoseLee said:


> I'd like to add to that to say it's a MANAGEMENT issue too. As in there are so many things WE can do to make sure our puppy never even wants to 'do bad' because we have set them up to do good. Being proactive is so much more productive than being REACTIVE and only punishing them after they have done wrong.....


I completely agree. Set them up for success at this age. Don't let the pup run around unsupervised and then get mad when something goes wrong. 

I agree with "setting them up to fail" for training purposes when you can be RIGHT THERE to correct. For example, our three adults are not counter surfers. They don't steal food, or jump on counters, etc. You can walk out and leave food on a plate and they won't touch it if told to "leave it."

Dante being 5 mo has realized he's tall enough to jump up and look around, steal things off the counter (food items), etc. So I will set him up and put something tasty on the counter, walk out of the room and watch from another room. He'll sniff around and about 50% of the time now he'll jump up to sniff, look, or STEAL the item. Because I'm watching I can correct immediately. If I were to leave the item on the counter and leave the room for 20 minutes, then come back and punish him, it wouldn't be effective.


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## Pattycakes

Your puppy definitely sounds bored. Definitely needs more physical and mental stimulation. 

Also, you might want to try taking your puppy to a doggie daycare facility once or twice a week. I know it really helped my dog with her energy level and how to manage it. 

But definitely get out more and play with your dog. Play games with her that make her use her brain too. 

Good luck!


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## Zisso

Crate training is so very important as others have mentioned. 

Both of my dogs are 3 years old. My male, I would totally trust alone, unsupervised in the house, because he is a low key dog. 

But my female, no way!!! She MUST be crated or she will shred anything and everything! She is a high energy girl, and needs to be busy all the time. We walk a lot, fast paced, slow paced, running, tugging, OB, learning all the time. She taught me to always 1)Pay attention to her actions 2) Keep her busy and most importantly 3) crate her if I am going to be away. 

First time I left the pair loose in the house I learned my lesson! The ripped the couch cushions apart, the ripped toys apart, they counter surfed, had dirty dishes out of the sink and they were all shredded(plastic), curtains were tore down, porch light was on, Chairs were knocked over, cat food was Gone, you name it, they did it....Never again!


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## Stosh

I resorted to tethering Uschi to me- I literally tied her leash to my belt loop and when she wasn't tied to me, she was crated or in the fenced yard to potty. When I worked on the computer I gave her one toy and one thing to chew on. We had play time, training time, etc but I controlled what she did and what she was allowed to chew. I thought I would go nuts! It's no fun!! But within a few days the difference was unbelievable. By day 5 my husband came home from a business trip and couldn't believe how much she had changed. It really worked, give it a try. Like I said it's no fun but it was worth it


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## JakodaCD OA

it sounds like you don't have a yard but more of a deck? It also sounds like he is bored, especially with the destruction when your not around.

Have you thought about doggie day care??? Even a couple days a week, can burn off alot of that pent up energy


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## Jax's Mom

Puppies believe that anything that's not nailed down is theirs; anything that they can pry loose, is not nailed down. 
I pick up everything around the house at first and slowly reincorporate things like plants and carpets into the house as they get older, so they don't pick up the habit of chewing when they're teething and can't help it. 
Right now Jax is 10mos and his crate is in an empty room with nothing in it, just a crate, hardwood floors, a kong and stainless steel bowls. I recently started leaving the crate door open. If he passes, (no drywall eaten, hardwood floors left in place), he'll get his pillow put in the room. After that, we can start leaving the door open to the rest of the house if he behaves. 
Be leaving all those goodies around the house for your puppy to destroy, you're just setting them up for failure, and yourself for frustration.


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## ba1614

Rerun said:


> Everyone always says everything people complain about with puppies is that it's "JUST A STAGE."
> 
> It's NOT "just a stage." Adults do not OUT GROW behavior, they are out TRANIED behavior. Your puppy isn't going to suddenly hit 6 mo, 7 mo, 1 year, whatever and think to herself, "Ok, I'm done teething, it's time to grow up and stop chewing on everything else and only chew on my toys." My 7 YEAR old chews on every toy in this house. If she hadn't been trained as a young puppy not to chew on non-dog toys, she would have eaten my house by now! Puppies chew because they're teethin and it's a natural enjoyable activity. Adults chew for many reasons. This isn't a TEETHING issue, this is a training and supervision issue.


If that was directed to me, I never said it's "just a stage". I agreed it is a training/supervision issue. All I meant and said, while trying to offer a little encouragement, was that the intensity would lessen some once teething is done, that's all.


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## JustMeLeslie

As others have stated you really need to either keep her with you or crate her. Tethering really works I have to use this method on Jamie Lee. We also have baby gates up.


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## Zoeys mom

Dogs do chew less with age though some just really like to break things,lol Your pup is bored and not supervised so she chews- she's just entertaining herself. Since you don't find this form of entertainment acceptable ban her to the crate when you are not around and give her some more off leash running. A tired puppy is a less destructive puppy.

I promise if you commit to running your pup more and crate her when your not around she will eventually stop chewing so much. My Zoe woke me up from a nap today smelling of pine and peppermint. I thought my you sure smell like our christmas tree and then it hit me...oh s..t the christmas tree!! I run down to see she had eaten an ornament and a candy cane. Why you ask? Because she is 13 months old and it tasted darn good DH didn't crate her when he took the kids over to his parents for the day nor did he run the dogs this morning.....it was our fault and nothing I could get mad about. Your trainer sounds like a dumb dumb you don't shock a dog for chewing. You run them more and supervise them better


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## RogueRed26

Thank you everyone for all the support, guidance, and advice. It seems that my puppy is still bored and probably does indeed need more of an outlet. I want to start jogging with her, she has a red harness that I use for walks, but can I jog her at this young of an age? I mildly jog/ skip with her. I heard I could damage her joints if I push her early and should wait till she is a year old to actually jog and run with her. 

Also, I spoke with my vet early today, and he recommended a pheromone collar, since she might be experiencing separation anxiety. 

Also, I do have a crate. She is only in there when its time to sleep and if I am not home. Unfortunately, I do not have a yard, but a balcony. I try to enforce for her to eat only outside on the balcony and like to give her sometime to enjoy the views and sights outside while chewing on some of her favorite toys. But, it does not seem to be going that way. Though, I will try to incorporate more exercise for her. We enrolled her intermediate classes today, since she graduated today. So, I do not plan on reducing the mental stimulation either. 

I will keep looking for a play date buddy, but I find it so difficult to find someone genuine where I live. Most German shepherd or large breed owners, especially men, are very egotistical and don't bother to train their shepherds or like the idea of aggression or breeding. It seems everyone I approach just wants to breed my dog. But, I will try not to lose hope. 

Thank you everyone for everything. I will practice utilizing my patience.


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## JazzNScout

I haven't read through all of the responses. I know it can get expensive, but for me it has helped enormously even once/twice a week: a good doggy daycare.


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## MaggieRoseLee

One of the many great things about dog classes is they are chock (chalk?) full of other crazy dog people! That also may be looking for people/dogs/places to train and socialize THEIR dogs! 

I tend to get to class early and get to talk to the other people/dogs (good to calm my dog down too) and I still have friends I met over 15 years ago from dog classes!


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## RogueRed26

I wish I could afford day care. Also, I wish my class was larger. My class started with 5 dogs, including mine, and now there are only 3 left, including mine. The other dogs are a bulldog and a west highland terrier. I don't think they would want my shepherd playing with theirs, since they are shorter and do not have a high drive. hehe. I will keep my eyes peeled for another a play date buddy.


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## GSD4LIFE21

If your dog is destroying things then its obviously not being supervised. A puppy should be crated when no one is around to prevent destruction, or in a safe kennel. Not only is it not good to have your things destroyed, its very dangerous for the puppy as he can ingest something that can become lodged or sharp that may puncture his stomach/intestines during digestion. Very dangerous and if you have to have surgery to remove such an object and the vet bill can run well into the thousands. 

No matter how much excercise you provide a workingline dog, the dog will still be a puppy and have incredible amounts of energy. They recoupe very fast! I dont understand why people dont get this and allow their dogs to have full run of the house and wonder why the puppy is chewing up everything and having potty accidents everywhere. You wouldn't let a toddler run the house with no one to watch them would you? No because they could get into something dangerous and essentially destroy things.


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