NWR: Behavior changes in a 18 month old dog

SB1512

Our dog is about 18 months old.  He's a sweet little guy, really well behaved, etc.  H and I used crate training with him until about 2.5 months ago, and then, since I started working, we decided to see how he would do being confined to a room and having more space because we felt bad crating him for more than 5 hours.  We started slow, leaving him with the bigger space for a few hours at a time, until we worked up to him being able to be alone with no issues for up to 8 hours.  Up until a few days ago, he's been fine being left alone, wasn't being destructive or anything.  Since wednesday however, not only has he been escaping his room (chewed a bar off the wooden gate) (we live with H's parents while we are house hunting and they will find him elsewhere in the house during the day), but he's also been getting finding things to tear up and shred.  Before I leave for work, he gets at least a 1 mile walk, then we usually throw his tennis ball outside for at least 15 minutes, plus he gets lots of attention/family time when we are home.  I give him a frozen peanut butter kong and a couple treats and other toys in his confined space too.  Could he just be entering his "teenage" phase?  He doesn't display any other signs of separation anxiety, so I don't think it's that.  H wants to start leaving him in an empty bedroom, but I have visions of him scratching up the door, which is a heck of a lot worse than the cardboard boxes he's been finding so shred.  Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated!

Maggie0829

H and I crated our pup early on but then like you felt bad about keeping her cooped up for 6-8 hours a day. So we used to keep her in a room but then she figured out how to open the door and started being destructive. She was probably a year to a year and a half when this was happening. Well after she ate a sewing needle (thankfully it passed without issue) we started crating her again. Honestly, she was most likely getting bored so she chewed stuff. Also at that age they are still a puppy even if they don't look like it anymore so they still need to be watched carefully. 

Our pup is now a little over 2 years old and it is amazing how ,cub she has changed. Her puppy energy has gone down significantly and her need to chew p random stuff has all but disappeared. We still crate her and she is happy to go in her cage every morning. Dogs like having a small den like area. It makes them feel safe a comfortable. Even though you don't like doing it and feel bad, they actual like having their own space. 

Crating is not just good for your dog but good for your peace of mind. I suggest going back to crating for another year or so. If you want to wane your pup from the crate you have to do it a little at a time. Leave your pup for 30 minutes and then p it to 45 and then an hour until you get our pup comfortable with being alone in a big house for hours at a time.

Just remember that dogs, even though fully grown still have that young puppy mentality and energy for awhile.  So until they are ready they will get bored quicker then an older dog and will be destructive because of that boredom.

MoonlightSilver

I'm kind of curious why you don't let the dog just stay out with your parents if they're home during the day. 

Can you offer different toys, or have your parents drop off something half way through his confinement to keep him from getting bored? He might also be hearing your parents at home, and wanting to be with them.

Maggie0829

@MoonlightSilver - I didn't pick up on the fact that they would confine their dog even when his parents are home.  Pretty sure that the dog is probably upset and thinks that he is being punished while being confined when others are home.

hlvonb

I have a lot of experience with dogs and I agree this is not separation anxiety but like others have said he probably DOES think that he's being punished. It's torture for him at such a young age to hear your parents talking and walking about during the day and not understanding why he's confined. Also, at such a young age they need a LOT of exercise. He may be chewing things because he has energy that he can't get rid of by going outside for a walk or running in the yard. Could you ask the parents to let him be out in the house with them? Or if they do not want to do that can they let him out for a run outside for 30 minutes half way through the time you're gone? 

SB1512

@moonlightsilver, We don't want him to stay out and about with H's parents during the day because we are afraid he will get used to being with people all the time, and then when we eventually find a house and move he won't adjust well to being alone.  We do have H's parents take him outside and then let him be with people around 3pm every day during the week (I leave house at 8:30 so it's 6.5 hours "alone").

We do suspect part of his recent behavior is due to being able to hear people, but it's been that way still we started gating him in his area, so it's just strange that he started acting up all of a sudden.  We are torn because we can confine him to the empty bedroom which is on the other end of the house and he won't hear anyone, or we can go back to crating him (and crate him in that bedroom).  I'm also torn because his crate is small (not too small for him, he has enough room to stand up, turn around, and lie back down), but it just kills me that he would be in such a tiny space all day.  We might look into getting a puppy playpen instead, with a high enough gated area that he can't jump over it.

Maggie0829

Dogs like schedule and routine.  Your dog should only be confined when everyone is out of the house and should be let free to roam when people are home.  He will figure it out that when it is time to be put in his crate or confined to one area that means you are leaving for the day and will be back later.  To leave him confined when people are home is just mean.  Our pup was fine for a bit when we confined her to our bedroom instead of her cage but after a while she began to act up because she was bored and had a lot of pent up energy.

And as for the size of your crate that is the right size for him.  You don't want him to have so much room to allow him to pee or poop on one end of the crate and lie on the other end.  By keep the crate to the size it is it allows him to know that he has to hold it until you get home.

I really understand your feelings but trust me that really only you are upset about crating him.  He is in fact, probably very comfortable and fine with being in his crate for hours at a time.  We leave our pup anywhere from 5-9 hours a day and she is perfectly content in her crate.  Many times when I get home she is laying down and "watching" the tv we leave on for her.  She is not upset, in fact she is happy.

melbelleup

My pup (he's only 9 months old) stays in his crate 8-10 hours a day due to our jobs. My 9 yr old doggy stays out all day with no issues. Fiance is a teacher and was home all summer with the dogs while I still went to work. Once school started again we didn't have any issues crating the pup again. I honestly think you should go back to crating though if you won't leave the dog out with parents. We too leave the radio on for the dogs. I actually find my 9 yr old asleep on the couch when i come home from work sometimes during lunch.

SB1512

Thanks everyone.  We do keep him on a schedule and routine.  He knows when I'm leaving for work by the things I do in the morning (take him on a walk, pack my lunch bag, etc).  In fact, he will go downstairs when he sees me getting my lunch together and wait to get his treats and kong before I leave.  I guess I mostly feel bad about the crate thing because everything I read and heard while crate training was "omg don't leave you dog in a crate for more than 6 hours and if you have to leave them in there all day they you probably shouldn't have a dog".  But, it sounds like we should go back to the crate. 

H's parents are older (74 and 65) and already watch H's sisters two kids who are 1 and 3.5.  Ozzy has a lot of energy and even though they would look after him no problem, I don't feel right adding the dog to the mix of kids already running them around ragged.  So, looks like today we are going back to the crate.

Maggie0829

@SB1512

Don't listen to the "ZOMG don't leave them longer then 6 hours in their crate" thing.  It just isn't true. Each dog is different, so how you crate them or train them is different.

I understand that your FI parents watch their grand kids but honestly the dog should not be crated when they are home.  That really will make the dog feel like he is being punished.  Yes, your dog may have a bunch of energy but what dogs really want is to be around people.  Your FILs certainly do not have to play with the pup all day.  Many times with our pup, she will just lay around while I clean the house or H plays video games.  So it isn't like we are constantly giving her 100% of our attention.  She is just happy to be in the same room with us.  I think as long as your pup is house trained and has plenty of toys, he would be fine to be left out with your FILs all day.  Especially if they already let him out half way through the day.

SB1512

I just talked to H's parents, and they are find with having Ozzy with them during the day, such a relief.  I told them I'll make sure his crate is set up with his bed, toys and treats everyday, so in the event they are leaving the house with the kids (which is a rarity), they just have to bring him down there and lock him up.  H and I figure it will be quite some time before we find a house (slim pickings right now and with summer ending not a lot of new listings coming out) and by then Ozzy will be older and less puppy and then we can work on the confinement situation and he will realize he's no longer in a house full of people and has to be alone when H and I are gone.

@melbellup: oddly enough, the room he was being confined to had a couch that looked out a window and we thought he would be content sitting on the couch so he could look outside, but he will not go on the furniture unless he's invited up by either H or I and we are on it with him.  Can't really complain about that I guess!

Cokezerofreak

 I agree with everyone else, he was viewing it as a punishment.  Great that you spoke with them!  The kids are going to tire him out too.