# Tearing everything up



## DTS (Oct 19, 2010)

Jasmine is 13 months old. When we leave or if she goes in the bedroom by herself sometimes she will tear things up. We leave her with plenty of toys and soft bone type chewys. Nothing that is dangerous to leave her alone with. Well she will find it more interesting to chew her bed or cable cord. She was fine for the longest time 5 to 6 months she was fine being left out but now she's back to chewing things she shouldn't. We have tried to just go back to crating but she feels she shouldn't be in the kennel and will tear the kennel up. We hae also removed everything she could tear up and hurt herself but there are still things she can chew on that we can't remove. Any idea on what we should do next? She is only left alone at the most 4 hours while I'm in class.


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## wilbanks17 (Feb 11, 2011)

Taking whatever they chewed on, giving them a stern NO, and then spanking them with it has worked very well for us. Everyone has their own way though.


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## DTS (Oct 19, 2010)

I guess I should hve put in our methods of punishment so to speak. We have done the firm no with a spank on the butt. Our trainer also told us to use a few squirts of vinegar in her mouth and give a command like no chew. We also put her in a time out corner. She knows what she did because we ask did u do this? And she crouches down and runs into her kennel. Where we let her stay with the door open and after about 30 minutes she will come out and try to apologize. she knows its wrong but she continues to do it. im afraid to really spank her because she is so fearful as it is, and i dont want that to effect her


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## wilbanks17 (Feb 11, 2011)

Ok, well getting her to understand what she did wrong is the hardest part and it sounds like you have that under control. Should be easy to curve it from there. Goodluck.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

crate her. let her out of the crate and leave
the house for 5 minutes. if that works crate her
and leave the house for 10 to 15 minutes.
work on your time away. don't do this once a day.
do it everyday several times a day. as time passes increase your time away.


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## Caitydid255 (Aug 28, 2010)

Freyja entered into that sage at 8-9 months. Honestly I could have told her "NO" till the cows came home, and the next day she would have shredded another pillow. Dogs live in the "now", unless you catch them in the act most of your punishment comes for naught. I fully believe that they know when they've done wrong (once they figure that out), but if they are still learning then the punishment doen't sink in and the associate the punishment with the wrong thing. The simple punishment for Freyja was that she lost EVERYTHING that she could shred. She earned it back bit by bit. 2 months later and even the other dog's pillows are safe.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

DTS said:


> I guess I should hve put in our methods of punishment so to speak. We have done the firm no with a spank on the butt. Our trainer also told us to use a few squirts of vinegar in her mouth and give a command like no chew. We also put her in a time out corner. She knows what she did because we ask did u do this? And she crouches down and runs into her kennel. Where we let her stay with the door open and after about 30 minutes she will come out and try to apologize. she knows its wrong but she continues to do it. im afraid to really spank her because she is so fearful as it is, and i dont want that to effect her


Stop this immediately!!!!!! Your dog has absolutely no idea what she did wrong and is cowering because you are mad and knows you punish her every time you come home. Unless you catch her in the act, there is nothing you can or should do to her. This is one of the fastest ways to destroy any trust or bond between you and your dog.

Take everything out of her crate and crate her when you aren't home.


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

Your pup is bored and still very young at heart...she is just showing you she needs more to do and your no providing it. Dogs don't chew to be bad or pay you back....they chew because it is natural and passes the time. The first thing I would do is amp up her exercise. A good run before you leave her and after you come home should be standard...GSD's NEED a ton of exercise and mental stimulation to be happy their not couch potato dogs. Also engage her in extra training whether it be a class or just you teaching her new tricks and reinforcing old ones- a busy puppy is a good puppy. The bottom line is she really needs more of your time focused on her and her needs.

The second thing I would do is USE your crate. Remover all food, water, pillows, and blankets before you go and instead give her some toys, chews, and a frozen kong or marrow bone to work on. She can't destroy whats not in the crate and by giving her a kong or marrow bone you are forcing her to work and think for what she wants hence giving her stimulation while you are gone. GSD's are smart and curious- if given the opportunity and/or when they are under stimulated they WILL destroy things because they can. Free roam is earned and obviously it's not working for her so make the crate indestructible and focus on wearing her out more especially before you leave


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## Caitydid255 (Aug 28, 2010)

Elaine said:


> Stop this immediately!!!!!! Your dog has absolutely no idea what she did wrong and is cowering because you are mad and knows you punish her every time you come home. Unless you catch her in the act, there is nothing you can or should do to her. This is one of the fastest ways to destroy any trust or bond between you and your dog.
> 
> Take everything out of her crate and crate her when you aren't home.


I fully agree with this sentiment. A pup of that age has no comprehension of what they did wrong...all they know is that you came home, saw them, and got angry. Punishing them at that point reinforces that seeing you is a horrible experience and should be avoided.

When I went back to work after my leave of absence, Freyja went on a destructive spree...I'm not going to lie, when I came home and saw the damage, I wanted to strangle her....instead I went upstairs, changed into play clothes and realized it was mostly my fault. We began crating again, and less than two months later she can be trusted on her own. It's rough..I don't blame you for getting mad. Unfortunately this is one of the stages of raising a GSD. If you need to vent or want to ask a question, PM me...trust me, I've been there and done that.


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## DTS (Oct 19, 2010)

We only spank or use vinegar or put her in time put if we catch her. If not I just put everything up. I don't beat my dog and she's not Afraid everytime we come home. If I don't catch her I act like nothing happened. But I can hear her ripping up her bed I take action


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## DTS (Oct 19, 2010)

As for exercise we do a good 2 to 3 miles per day depending on the wether. Also I do a few training sessions outside working on our heel, down stay, etc. Every weekend we attend a 2 hour training class.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

You need to practice better management. She needs to be crated when you're gone and not let out of your sight when you're home. Obviously she can't be trusted to be unsupervised. Why set her up to fail? 

It's like trying to quit smoking. When you first start trying to quit, why would you surround yourself with smokers and cigarettes? At first you need to be as far away from temptation as possible. Then, as you get in the habit of not smoking, you can be around cigarettes and smokers and not be as tempted.

You're trying to get her to quit chewing on things that aren't hers. Why set her up in a situation where she's constantly tempted? Keep her crated or supervised for a few months. Then, as she gets in the habit of only chewing on her own things, she can be around forbidden items and not be as tempted.


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

I don't think you beat your dog at all,lol but I also think you are giving her too much freedom and not enough physical and mental stimulation. It's not her fault she has access to all these things and when their tired and challenged mentally they chew a lot less which makes you a happier owner. Why not run and train her more especially before leaving her and, crating her in a crate with only acceptable items to chew on? It's like putting a plate of candy and a plate of veggies in front of a toddler and telling them they can eat the plate of candy after the veggies and walking away for 4 hours. Does the kid go for the candy or the veggies? Just because she has other toys doesn't mean she's going to utilize them with new things to gnaw on....kinda more fun to eat the pillows,lol


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

DTS said:


> As for exercise we do a good 2 to 3 miles per day depending on the wether.


2-3 miles per day is what I do with my arthritic 9 year old.


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## JPF (Feb 5, 2011)

DTS said:


> I guess I should hve put in our methods of punishment so to speak. We have done the firm no with a spank on the butt. Our trainer also told us to use a few squirts of vinegar in her mouth and give a command like no chew. We also put her in a time out corner. *She knows what she did because we ask did u do this? And she crouches down and runs into her kennel. Where we let her stay with the door open and after about 30 minutes she will come out and try to apologize.* she knows its wrong but she continues to do it. im afraid to really spank her because she is so fearful as it is, and i dont want that to effect her


she is merely reacting to your demeanor. She notices you are upset and reacts to that. She is probably clueless as to why.


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## DTS (Oct 19, 2010)

I'm not trying to make excuse. For the lack of exercise but I was born with a diaphragmatic hernia. I had a hole in my diaphragm. It pushed all my organs up crushing part of my left lung and pushed my heart over. It's all been fixed but as a result my left lung is stunted. Long distances I can't do. A 1 mile walk gets my heart rate to 220 beats per minute when it should be at 170 to 180 at the most. My resting heart rate is 96 bpm. This isn't an excuse but it's my problem. Excersing Has always been difficult for me. I do what I can. But I will try crating her again. We put toys and a peanut butter kong but she will pull on the cage and bend the wire. Thank you all for the advice and replys


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## Caitydid255 (Aug 28, 2010)

DTS said:


> We only spank or use vinegar or put her in time put if we catch her. If not I just put everything up. I don't beat my dog and she's not Afraid everytime we come home. If I don't catch her I act like nothing happened. But I can hear her ripping up her bed I take action


Never said you beat her, was just giving you a heads up of what's going through her mind. Yes, the ripping sound, the sound you dread to hear. With Freyja I would hear the sound, and by the time I whipped around, not only was the damage done, but she would have an approved toy in her mouth. I know I posted threads about feeling like a horrible pet owner for taking away all her toys and beds until she earned them back. Buy yourself a cold case of beer, because if your pup is going through the same stage Freyja did, you are going to need it.

I ended up buying Freyja bones from the butcher, the longer the better. It takes her hours to get all the marrow out and she doesn't destroy the bone in the process. Other than that I have found that Tuffy's dog toys truly hold up, and they give her the squeak she wants, thus preventing her from shredding pillows and dog beds.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

DTS said:


> I'm not trying to make excuse. For the lack of exercise but I was born with a diaphragmatic hernia.


Blind people and quadriplegics exercise their dogs. Try fetch or a flirtpole. Try "find it" games. Try making her hunt for her kibble in the yard. Try throwing her food, one kibble at a time, in the yard or in various places throughout the house and making her search for it. Try frisbee. Try playdates with other friendly dogs. 

Honestly, very few human beings are able to do enough walking or running to exercise a GSD that's not elderly. Thus, we have to use our big brains to think of better ways to exercise them, while keeping their brains engaged as well. Working the body and mind at the same time will wear her out more than miles and miles of running.


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## Bradlyrecon (Feb 8, 2021)

DTS said:


> Jasmine is 13 months old. When we leave or if she goes in the bedroom by herself sometimes she will tear things up. We leave her with plenty of toys and soft bone type chewys. Nothing that is dangerous to leave her alone with. Well she will find it more interesting to chew her bed or cable cord. She was fine for the longest time 5 to 6 months she was fine being left out but now she's back to chewing things she shouldn't. We have tried to just go back to crating but she feels she shouldn't be in the kennel and will tear the kennel up. We hae also removed everything she could tear up and hurt herself but there are still things she can chew on that we can't remove. Any idea on what we should do next? She is only left alone at the most 4 hours while I'm in class.


Yes it is said to never hit a German shepard. It will make them fearful of you and not trust you


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

Bradlyrecon said:


> Yes it is said to never hit a German shepard. It will make them fearful of you and not trust you


10 year old thread fyi
I hope his dog stopped tearing up the house by now or there won't be much left of it


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