What should i do with my dog who chews everything but hates to be crated during the day?
What should i do with my dog who chews everything but hates to be crated during the day? General Dog Discussions
About a year ago we got a rat terrior/ italian greyhound mix from the Dumb Friends league in Denver. We are having issues crating him during the day or confiining him. We started off leaving him confined in the kitchen with a dog gate, leaving potty pads inside (it was winter and he was small and skinny and hated the cold) along with his crate and some toys and water bowls etc and this worked well. However we just moved apartments in the same complex and now have a carpeted apartment instead of floorboards so the area we have to leave him in the kitchen is smaller. One day we came home and he had chewed through his dog gate. It was an expandable wooden one, consertina style but he chewed right through it which was no mean feat- must've taken him most of the day.We bought a replacement gate and he chewed right through that the very next day and then chewed the carpet up near the door, including the insulation underneath. Toys are not the issue- he has PLENTY of toys but for whatever reason does not play with them when we are not there. We put it down to him being a puppy and being in a new environment, and decided to *try* leaving him with the run of the house while we were gone for work each day. He likes the couch and we have a blanket up there he knows is his, and he likes to lay on that. We left him that way each day for around a week and then bang, he chewed the carpet again.So we went back to dog gates in the kitchen but cannot find one that is big enough for the entrance to the kitchen and that is also metal, and high enough. He can jump on a surface almost 35 inches in the air and has either gotten through, over or around/under every dog gate we have tried (around 4). So we have gone back to crating him during the day while we are at work and even though this feels cruel to me, from what i am told this is ok? I see alot of posts here and friends i talk to that say as long as the crate is big enough and they have toys inside and its comfortable, 8 hrs is not that bad. He seems to be ok holding his bladder for that amount of time too. He did have one accident the first day we tried putting him back in there but i feel thats because of the break in routine. I'd like some thoughts on what people think is our best option to contain him that is humane?I have a feeling it comes down to routine. He does get to spend some time at our in laws place every now and then where he is NOT crated during the day at all.. so when he comes back to our place and we crate him its breaking his routine, which i feel does not help. I do my best to make his crate a "nice" place by leaving treats in there for him to find, and put toys in there for him and make sure its comfortable, and speak to him in a calm reassuring voice. I just cant see another option at this point but to crate him. We just cant trust him in the apartment not to chew something while we are gone.Further, he seems to have barely any interest in his toys when we are home. He preferrs to whine for attention. He does like to play tug of war (he is not aggressive, just likes it in general) but will only do that when you initiate it. We try to exercise him as much as we can by taking him to the dog park, but he is literally impossible to tire out. He will sprint around for an hour, get home, take a 15 min nap and he is ready to go again.any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.
