Tucker was doing really well being left home alone. No accidents, no destroying things for a very long time. The only time he would have an accident was when he would be isolated while someone was home. Like if mom wanted to go upstairs by herself and left him downstairs, he'd poop because he upset about it. Or once I gated him upstairs so I could go down and do laundry and he pooped. But this has dwindled too.
Then I came home from college for the summer. I am home all day most days, we don't do things during the day, just hang out. When I do leave there is usually someone home. So I've been dogsitting a dog up the street starting Saturday. Tucker screams his head off every time I leave, something he had mostly stopped doing before I came home for the summer (as a puppy he would scream for an hour and often poop when he was left alone but he had gotten over it). On Saturday and Sunday dad was up when I left, so Tucker barked and howled when I left but didn't get into any trouble. Yesterday, since it was Monday, dad was at work and mom was still asleep. I left, Tucker started screaming. When I came home Tucker had raided mom's pocket book, threw everything on the floor and found a bar of chocolate to eat. Today mom was up when I left, so again just noise. Then this afternoon me and mom went out for a little while, so Tucker was alone, we came home to find he had gotten into the bag that I use when I take him to the park (water bottles, ball, folding water bowl, nothing important) and had gotten into a box of brownie mix and ripped open the bag in the living room.
The thing is he has never once shown interest in any of these things. Mom's pocket book was on a chair, where it has sat for two years and he's never before touched it. The box of brownies has been on the floor in the closet for 2 months, he's never shown interest in it. My park bag has also sat on a chair in the kitchen for months with him showing zero interest in it. So it's not thing I would have even thought to keep out of his reach.
So I'm afraid by being home so much I've caused him to relapse into separation anxiety territory. But at the same time I'm not sure it's really SA. Mom and dad say he does it to get revenge, something I don't believe dogs are capable of, but it certainly does seem that way.
I assume the only way to fix this is to contain him somewhere? He's not really crate trained and to be honest none of us like crating because of how upset it makes him. I'm afraid to gate him in the living room (where he generally hangs out and which is easier to dog proof than the kitchen) because I don't want him to angry poop in there, he always angry poops in the kitchen or basement which is at least easy to clean. Locking him in the bathroom would cause a similar reaction to the crate, plus I'm afraid he'd get under the sink where the chemicals are. We still have his puppy play pen which we used for a while when he was small, it worked for a while but he eventually started angry pooping in there too (at which point we let him have free run of the house and the angry pooping when we left stopped, destruction continued for several months).
Anyways, do you think confinement will increase his anxiety and thus make things worse? Should I just try harder to clean up before I leave?
Then I came home from college for the summer. I am home all day most days, we don't do things during the day, just hang out. When I do leave there is usually someone home. So I've been dogsitting a dog up the street starting Saturday. Tucker screams his head off every time I leave, something he had mostly stopped doing before I came home for the summer (as a puppy he would scream for an hour and often poop when he was left alone but he had gotten over it). On Saturday and Sunday dad was up when I left, so Tucker barked and howled when I left but didn't get into any trouble. Yesterday, since it was Monday, dad was at work and mom was still asleep. I left, Tucker started screaming. When I came home Tucker had raided mom's pocket book, threw everything on the floor and found a bar of chocolate to eat. Today mom was up when I left, so again just noise. Then this afternoon me and mom went out for a little while, so Tucker was alone, we came home to find he had gotten into the bag that I use when I take him to the park (water bottles, ball, folding water bowl, nothing important) and had gotten into a box of brownie mix and ripped open the bag in the living room.
The thing is he has never once shown interest in any of these things. Mom's pocket book was on a chair, where it has sat for two years and he's never before touched it. The box of brownies has been on the floor in the closet for 2 months, he's never shown interest in it. My park bag has also sat on a chair in the kitchen for months with him showing zero interest in it. So it's not thing I would have even thought to keep out of his reach.
So I'm afraid by being home so much I've caused him to relapse into separation anxiety territory. But at the same time I'm not sure it's really SA. Mom and dad say he does it to get revenge, something I don't believe dogs are capable of, but it certainly does seem that way.
I assume the only way to fix this is to contain him somewhere? He's not really crate trained and to be honest none of us like crating because of how upset it makes him. I'm afraid to gate him in the living room (where he generally hangs out and which is easier to dog proof than the kitchen) because I don't want him to angry poop in there, he always angry poops in the kitchen or basement which is at least easy to clean. Locking him in the bathroom would cause a similar reaction to the crate, plus I'm afraid he'd get under the sink where the chemicals are. We still have his puppy play pen which we used for a while when he was small, it worked for a while but he eventually started angry pooping in there too (at which point we let him have free run of the house and the angry pooping when we left stopped, destruction continued for several months).
Anyways, do you think confinement will increase his anxiety and thus make things worse? Should I just try harder to clean up before I leave?