# Tearing up the backyard!!!!!



## marinehoney (Feb 5, 2012)

I have a 7/8 month old female GSD. She is an inside/outside dog. We excercise her once a day by walking, playing fetch, chase, and tug of war. Were out with her for 1-2 hours. When she is inside she is still a crazy tornado dog. We expect that with her being a puppy. She also goes outside alone periodically throughout the day. When she goes out to pee she usually doesnt wanna come back in for 30 minutes or so. SO here is the problem. When my husband leaves in the morning around 6, he feeds her and puts her outside, she is out there until me and my son get up...around 8-9. During that period of time she destroys the yard. She digs holes, eats the deck, shredded her nice dog bed, tore off the dryer vent from the house, etc! I have balls, rawhides, and busy bones out there for her so I dont understand why she is being so destructive, and she has GOT to stop or we will have to chain her or put a kennel in the yard for her too. I need some advice please and thank you.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Why is she left outside unattended? A frustrated dog will turn to destructive habits. I never leave my dogs out unsupervised. If I did, my land would be full of holes as the little idiots tried to dig out every mole they smelled. 

My dogs get worked 1-2hrs daily and I would still never leave them outside on their own. I think your dog needs more physical and mental stimulation. Are you enrolled in an obedience class? A trainer might be just what you need to curb the destructive tendencies and channel her drive into positive avenues. Have you crate trained her? She should be in the crate or a kennel when she is left unsupervised. 

Toys are only fun when YOU are out there to play with them. Few dogs will busy themselves for that long without resorting to unwanted behaviors. She should be crated when your husband leaves.


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## marinehoney (Feb 5, 2012)

She sleeps in her crate all night, so when my husband leaves for work we figured she would enjoy being outside playing instead of straight back in her kennel for 3 more hours. I have a small child and everytime she goes out we cant sit out there with her. We do go out once a day and have play time for 1-2 hours if weather permits. She is kennel trained in the house, I just see it as unfair to put her outside in a kennel. I want her to have free run but if I cant find a way to stop her destroying I will have to get a bigger fenced in area for her within the yard. She is not in classes for obedience but I work with her throughout the day.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Is this your first dog or GSD? She isn't being destructive, she is having FUN. Your husband (and you) are turning the yard over to a young dog, what do you expect? She doesn't know the meaning of 'destructive', she just knows how to have a good time. Dogs dig and chew and tug on things, they aren't children, they are animals. If you want to have a decent yard, get a Pekingese or keep your dog inside. Those are the hard facts.
When you purchased a GSD you took on a responsibility that you might not have realized requires a lot of time and energy.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

The solution is to not leave her outside alone for 2-3 hours. She's bored and entertaining herself by being Miss Destructdo. The only way to stop her from destroying things is to be out there with her and teach her what she can and can not play with. She is still a puppy and still untrained. So, she's bored, she destroys things she isn't supposed to and it's self rewarding behavior. It's even more unfair to her to leave her out there and have her get hurt on something she's ripping apart. Have him put her back in her crate and you can let her out in the morning when you get up so you can train her what is appropriate to play with and what isn't. Getting a larger fenced area is NOT going to solve this problem. It will only make it worse.


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## marinehoney (Feb 5, 2012)

okay, well put her back in her kennel. We just thought she would prefer being outside to being back in the kennel. Thank you all for the honesty and advice.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

When my dogs were learning house rules, they remained in the crate when I could not watch them because they could not be trusted. They are now all allowed to sleep outside at night and after breakfast, they sleep for a couple of hours before we start training. I avoid exercise before and after eating to prevent bloat/indigestion. It is not a matter of the dog deciding to run wild. They *will* go to their corners and rest after eating because that is what is expected of them. If they don't and they act up, they go right back in the crate. They can be trusted to stay loose in the house without being crated now, but when they were learning, they were crated during the night and crated after breakfast. As hard as it may seem, the dog needs to learn boundaries and remain contained when you cannot supervise it. If you continue to leave the dog outside unattended, it will be destructive and no amount of toys/bones out there will curb the problem. She cannot be trusted yet to have free-run. I would start obedience classes, establish firmer boundaries, increase exercise time, incorporate mental stimulation, and crate her when you can't watch her. Doing these things will help her learn house rules and allow her to increase her free-run time. But right now, I don't think the situation will change if it continues as is.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

When she's older she may enjoy being out there longer. My dogs love to lay in the sun, but as puppies they entertained themselves by digging holes you could lose a truck in and 'killing' anything in their reach.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Jax08 said:


> When she's older she may enjoy being out there longer. My dogs love to lay in the sun, but as puppies they entertained themselves by digging holes you could lose a truck in and 'killing' anything in their reach.


My last dog dug holes well into her adult life. She and my son's dog had hole digging contests. So we gave up having a decent yard for 13 years. With the current dog we let her out to pee and do a little playing, her exercise comes from walks, runs, hikes and playing with other dogs (not in the yard).


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Jax will still dig too but usually it's at a spot where she's smelled something. She's a great field mouse hunter! lol But she doesn't just dig for fun anymore. That was NOT an easy thing to train out.


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## marinehoney (Feb 5, 2012)

What are some good ways to mentally stimulate her?


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

PaddyD said:


> Is this your first dog or GSD? She isn't being destructive, she is having FUN. Your husband (and you) are turning the yard over to a young dog, what do you expect? She doesn't know the meaning of 'destructive', she just knows how to have a good time. Dogs dig and chew and tug on things, they aren't children, they are animals. If you want to have a decent yard, get a Pekingese or keep your dog inside. Those are the hard facts.
> When you purchased a GSD you took on a responsibility that you might not have realized requires a lot of time and energy.


Wow kind harsh. I've had 4 GSD dogs who have had run of the yard and were not destructive. The OP doesn't need a Pekingese or to keep the dog inside. She just needs to wear her out. A tired puppy is not destructive. She is going to have the most energy when she first wakes up in the morning. 

To the OP: are going to need to get up with your husband and play with her or he needs to play with her before he leaves for work. As she gets older this will get better but for a 7-8 month old puppy, when she first wakes up is her highest energy time. Leaving her outside full of energy and wanting to play, without someone to play with is a recipe for disaster.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

obedience training, tracking, agility. What kind of training have you done with her?

There are treat toys you can buy that are designed to make them think. You could get some of those and have your husband give her one when he leaves.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

There are many toys at the pet stores for mental stimulation. It depends on whether you want to interact or have her play alone. Getting her to find things is one way.
As Shepherdmom said, wearing her out is the best way to calm her down. And she was right, I was too harsh, sorry.
BTW, being an ex-Marine I like your ID.


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## marinehoney (Feb 5, 2012)

Shepherdmom...
that is really helpful thank you. It didnt occur to me that that would be her highest energy time. when I get up I am sluggish and tired so I guess i just thought the same about her. maybe an early morning walk or something would help with the problem.


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## marinehoney (Feb 5, 2012)

PaddyD said:


> There are many toys at the pet stores for that. It depends on whether you want to interact or have her play alone. Getting her to find things is one way.
> BTW, being an ex-Marine I like your ID.


 


I would like both. I have seen things you hang that melt and fall to the ground giving her a treat, but it seemed more of a tease to me. lol. I also saw sand pits where you bury toys. Maybe that would help keep her from digging everywhere else? Thank you, I am a proud marine wife


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I think sand pits would teach her that digging is ok.

I did a google search for "dogs mental stimulation toys"

Mental Entertainment for Dogs 
(I personally would not leave her alone with a kong. There have been ppl on here whose dogs have somehow gotten the kong stuck on their lower jaw and it could have turned out very poorly if they hadn't been found quickly.)

Best Food/Puzzle Toys for Dogs’ Mental Stimulation | Citizen Canine

http://www.nina-ottosson.com/Dog-2.php


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Enroll her in a class or find a trainer and start formal training asap. It will do wonders for unwanted behaviors and help you modify her behavior


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

qbchottu said:


> Enroll her in a class or find a trainer and start formal training asap. It will do wonders for unwanted behaviors and help you modify her behavior


AND...training will help to form a stronger bond between you and her!!


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

marinehoney said:


> Shepherdmom...
> that is really helpful thank you. It didnt occur to me that that would be her highest energy time. when I get up I am sluggish and tired so I guess i just thought the same about her. maybe an early morning walk or something would help with the problem.


Depending on the dog and if you want a formally trained dog or just a family member there are many different ways to do this. I'm not a morning person either and I know many of the formal trainers will shake their heads and this (and shhhh don't tell my husband he would kill me ) but I've convinced many a wiggling pup that cuddling and going back to sleep is the best idea. Most puppies want to be with you, so I just take them to dog allowed furniture (which is not my bed) and lay back down with them. You all get a little more sleep and then you can get up and play with them. The major drawback with this is they will tattle on the weekend. Another method if your yard is big enough and you have her trained to play fetch is to toss the ball for her until she is worn out. This is something easy to do while you are half asleep. A walk will probably work too, but it WILL wake you up. You want her to try and train her to fit your schedule not have her train you to suit her. LOL If you are looking for a formally trained dog, then toss everything I've said out the window and take her to a trainer right away. 

and sort of off topic to Paddy D and all the other military familys out there Thank You! :hug:


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## OriginalWacky (Dec 21, 2011)

marinehoney said:


> I would like both. I have seen things you hang that melt and fall to the ground giving her a treat, but it seemed more of a tease to me. lol. I also saw sand pits where you bury toys. Maybe that would help keep her from digging everywhere else? Thank you, I am a proud marine wife


If you have the time to teach her to only dig in the sand pit, then it can help (we have a Beagle mix, and digging is FUN). But without teaching her to dig only there, it might just encourage it more.

And I want to compliment you on looking for ways to help your dog settle into your life and taking even some kinda harsh advice in good spirits. Some people will make excuses and whine about being told the facts and it's refreshing to see somebody who doesn't do that.


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## KaiserGSDLove (Oct 21, 2010)

I have a Jolly Ball and a Jolly Egg outside for my dog to play with. He used to dig but not anymore. He loves playing with these toys in the back yard. Jolly Pets Jolly Egg Dog Toy - Dog.com


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## TaZoR (Jan 26, 2012)

My yard is more like a field with brush and woods surrounding. So, i obviously dont care if he digs. As a matter of fact i feel it is natural and helps build muscle...hopefully uncovering buried treasure. Lol. If, however my yard was a concern, i think i would try to contain him in an area that allowed him to do what comes natural. If thats not what you want perhaps contain him with a different surface like astroturf. 

Like i said, its never presented a problem for me, however, my dog takes a bale of straw and seperates it all over until he has about 2 ft to play and dive in. So..if anyone knows how to keep a dog away from straw, im all ears. Tired of raking.


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## Laney (Feb 12, 2012)

shepherdmom said:


> Wow kind harsh. I've had 4 GSD dogs who have had run of the yard and were not destructive. The OP doesn't need a Pekingese or to keep the dog inside. She just needs to wear her out. A tired puppy is not destructive. She is going to have the most energy when she first wakes up in the morning.
> 
> To the OP: are going to need to get up with your husband and play with her or he needs to play with her before he leaves for work. As she gets older this will get better but for a 7-8 month old puppy, when she first wakes up is her highest energy time. Leaving her outside full of energy and wanting to play, without someone to play with is a recipe for disaster.


I have a 7 month GSD. I leave for work at 5:30, but my boyfriend leaves at 8, so he wakes up 45 minutes early and takes him on a run or to the park to play fetch to help release some of his pent up energy in the morning. It makes an INCREDIBLE difference. Before we did this he chewed up our hose and the back of the dog door, and dug holes in every corner of the yard. Since we have started running him in the morning I haven't seen him dig at all  Your dog just needs exercise throughout the day to keep her entertained. I come home at noon to run the dog and then I bring him back to work with me (I realize everyone cant do this). That way, he is only home alone for a few hours and he is constantly being supervised and getting exercise many times during the day.


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## GermanShepherds6800 (Apr 24, 2011)

Your dog is bored. A young gsd requires more than what she is getting in both training and exercise. How about hiring someone to come during the day to work your dog?


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## marinehoney (Feb 5, 2012)

I am home with her all day but she is definitely the excited type! I am going to get her a flirt pole and have her chase that around. I also decided I was going to take her on runs daily (which will also help me get into shape) lol. I am still having a time deciding on mental stimulation ideas for her. and I have the perfect spot in my yard for a sand pit and I am going to set one up to teach her to dig! thanks everyone for the great tips and advice.


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## Bkratky (Oct 14, 2014)

No one has time to sit outside and watch the dog all day lol unless your single and have no life. It's called kids work school, events etc.. Some people act like owning a dog is like raising baby Jesus


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