tearing apart the yard

[Anjapop]

our puppy of 10 mo. stays out in the backyard when we are not home. its very secured, dont worry.
but he has ripped and dug out our grass, chewed trees apart and our patio furniture. digs up all the plants.
I've tried cayene pepper, all the sprays, tobasco sauce....he doesn't care.
I need another suggestion!!

[Cheetah]

I wouldn't leave a dog unsupervised in a yard all day anyway. It's dangerous. And if you're not there, there's no way you can teach your dog not to be destructive in the yard.

[MafiaPrincess]

He sounds bored. I also wouldn't leave a dog outside unless secured in a run. Too much to get into, eat, depending where you live there are also evil people who could possible do nasty things to a dog left outside even behind a fence.

[Herschel]

He sounds bored and might even be suffering from separation anxiety.

[Maxy24]

i also suggest not leaving him out all day i have heard stories of people poisoning dogs because they were barking or just because they felt like it. Also there is the problem of eating dangerous plants, digging under the fence or getting hurt by another animal that can get under the fence.

For when your dog is outside you will have to watch him and train him. You could give him a section of the yard that is OK to dig in, perhaps a sand box Also you can put chicken wire under the places he digs so that he will not like the feel of digging in those places. When he digs in the sand box praise him give him a treat. When he digs in other places re direct him to the sand box and praise him if he starts digging there. he sounds bored when you are gone. Try giving him a treat filled kong or other long lasting enticing toy, or maybe hiding treats around the place for him to find.

[Kayla]

I've you are going to leave him outside while your gone try putting out some treat cubes, burrowing different treats, os he can try and sniff them out, and leave lots of different toys scattered around so he dosen't have as much time to think about where you've gone.

I plan on doing the same for Duke when he's older as we have a 7' high solid wooden fence so noone could bother him that is completely secure with a double bolted gate. Their are no holes or anything he can get into while out their and I was watching a show on the pet network that recomended hiding treats and toys and so on to keep them busy while your gone.

One other thing make sure he has a dog house where he can feel secure if he wants to lie down and incase it rains or something.

Kayla

[Rubylove]

Also - he's a ten-month-old puppy. This is what they DO :D.

He'll settle down in time but in the meantime please stop using potentially harmful things such as tabasco :yikes: - his reasons for shredding the yard are not going to be solved that way as he's getting a super pay-off by just doing what he's doing. He'll never associate a bad taste with wrecking your yard; he'll just think it's a random nasty he came across while pursuing his favourite pastime!

He's an adolescent and at an age where consistent training is paramount! How much exercise does he get? Is he neutered? What does he have to do while you're gone? Also, what breed is he? These all will help determine your course of action.