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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To rehome our dog?

107 replies

Rumplestiltskint · 27/09/2012 09:37

We have a 6 month old labrador. We love him dearly but are at the end of our tether with his destructiveness. We are moving into rented accommodation soon and we are really worried he's going to do something to the house.

He digs up the lawn and we have had to relay the turf, we normally put him in his crate when we go out but the last few times we have left him in the front room with a chew and his toys (we never leave him for more than 2 hours and always walk him before we go), anyway we arrived home and he had torn our new sofa apart.... Insurance are going to pay for it. This morning I got out of teh shower to find he had done the same thing to the other sofa, as well as scratched the hell out of the floorboards.

We can't watch him constantly and don't know what to do... We're not irresponsible owners, walk him, he plays with other dogs daily, we play games with him, crate him at night... We're now worried he will damage the rented house we are moving into...

OP posts:
Original poster
Rumplestiltskint · 27/09/2012 10:21

I think we were lulled into a false sense of security as he is so well behaved the rest of the time, it's easy to forget he is still a chewing risk

OP posts:
Ephiny · 27/09/2012 10:21

YABU. A dog is for life, however inconvenient or expensive they might become.

However, if you really can't keep him, please go back to the breeder as your first port of call, rather than dumping him in rescue or advertising on Facebook.

Poppylovescheese · 27/09/2012 10:23

I agree with those saying crate him when you can't watch him. Six months is far too young to expect him not to destroy stuff and tbh labs are notorious for this. I have two ridgebacks both whom can be left happily without chewing anything however up to about 18 months had to be crated.

tabulahrasa · 27/09/2012 10:24

Think of him as a 4 year old - they know they shouldn't draw on walls, but if you disappear for half an hour and leave a marker pen next to a big blank wall...

akaemmafrost · 27/09/2012 10:24

That's personal choice though isn't it goldship? In. THIS situation the OP is seeking help about her dog and so I am sure will not crate irresponsibly. For us it worked perfectly and I would highly recommend it. Our dogs have completely bypassed chewing/bad habits because of crate training.

fluffyraggies · 27/09/2012 10:26

I think 'what did you expect' is a little harsh as well.

I've had 2 dogs from puppy hood, one being a Grate Dane, so not small fry, and had a few chewed objects (teeth marks on oak table leg was one of the worst of them) but nothing on this scale.

The OP does seem to be doing al the text book stuff already. I think she just wasn't prepared for the possibility of it being this bad.

Keep crating OP. When i crated my dogs i felt guilty. I'd grown up with dogs and they hadn't been crated as pups, so felt a bit bad. But it does work. Perhaps prepare yourself to have to crate for a while - especially in the new house - and buy a bigger crate too if ness.

Last Easter a friend of mine's boxer pup ATE THE SIDE OUT OF A WOODEN SIDEBOARD to get to the choc. eggs stashed in there. It ate the eggs and the wrapping too Shock

Not much help to tell you that, sorry! :)

Original poster
Rumplestiltskint · 27/09/2012 10:26

I've just spoken to DH and he has calmed down and even accepted that it was our fault for not crating him. Do you think it would be a good idea to get a 'pen' for him? The crate always seems a bit small (even though it's the largest you can get)

OP posts:
Original poster
Rumplestiltskint · 27/09/2012 10:28

fluffyraggies - haha that is insane!

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 27/09/2012 10:28

Yes he's been to puppy training classes. Obviously we expected it to be hard work, which is fine but we didn't expect destructiveness to this extent, it is going to get very expensive if it carries on

Surely you mean he's going to puppy training classes? Confused

Pandemoniaa · 27/09/2012 10:29

do you think he is unhappy or do you think that is normal puppy behaviour?

It's normal behaviour. Even my dog (a small breed not known to be relentless chewers) was still having a crafty gnaw at the kitchen table leg at a year old.

Crating is definitely not cruel either. In fact, crates can provide a comforting and secure place for a pup to be especially if you ensure he has his blanket, toys and something appropriate to chew. He is probably teething so consider freezing a kong or similar toy. This will occupy him and relieve tooth pain.

I do wonder how much breed research you did though. Labradors are often mistakenly assumed to be "easy" dogs. They are beautiful but they don't get that way without considerable effort from their humans. Although this is true of most dogs. However, obedience training alone won't cure the chewing and this is where you have to put practical measures in place. Because without alternatives, he'll chew your furniture.

Also, it is a mistake to assume that he'll be suitable to be rehomed on a farm. In my experience, the farmers round here buy dogs from working lines precisely because they need the dog to work. They don't willingly take on unruly pets.

So give your dog the benefit of some effort on your part. It is the least he deserves.

GoldShip · 27/09/2012 10:30

akaemma yes of course it's personal choice. Because I don't like crating at all. Tried it once, thoroughly miserable so didn't again. Trained them in a different way. No problems.

Most people who crate shove them in when they go out and when they sleep. That isn't right IMO. It will work of course for those who do want to it.

Ill just add its up to the dog owner what they do, that's just my opinion.

tabulahrasa · 27/09/2012 10:30

I know two golden retrievers who ate through a wall to get into the next room while their owner was at work.

GoldShip · 27/09/2012 10:31

And I'll just say its an on going debate with dog owners, there's no right or wrong answwr

GoldShip · 27/09/2012 10:32

tabula :o that's hilarious

lisad123 · 27/09/2012 10:37

i didnt like crating him and of course dont now, but for his own safety it was best. if his at risk of chewing wires or things that get stuck, surely a crate is best.
looking at my lazy boy now, i remember how hard it was and if im being honest we should never of got a dog, the stress was awful :( of course he is lovely now but still a stress Wink

Pandemoniaa · 27/09/2012 10:40

If you don't crate him because you fear he will be unhappy, you've also got to ask yourselves, how cheery the atmosphere is likely to be for him when you come home to discover a demolished sofa. Or worse.

GoldShip · 27/09/2012 10:43

pande

So basically they've got two options, crate or chewed up sofa? Doesn't have to be like that at all. Plenty people manage to train their dogs without crating and don't end up with no furniture left.

Although I do wish mine had been in a crate when he decided to eat 200 cash that I'd left for the grand total of 2 minutes.

Flatbread · 27/09/2012 10:46

I agree with Gold. Sometimes it seems crating is taking the easy way out, instead of actually training.

If you add up all the times you go out and are doing stuff, in total, how long would the puppy be in the crate (taking into account the night time crating as well)?

I am afraid there is no easy answer, and it just adds to the stress if you are in a rented place. Could you possibly leave him in the garden when you go out?

Fwiw, none of our dogs chewed like this as pups. The worst our 7 month pup does, is bring a stick inside to chew on, when he knows sticks are for outside only (don't want a wood-strewn mess inside the house).

Toughasoldboots · 27/09/2012 10:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pandemoniaa · 27/09/2012 10:58

So basically they've got two options, crate or chewed up sofa? Doesn't have to be like that at all. Plenty people manage to train their dogs without crating and don't end up with no furniture left.

No. I'm not saying she has such limited options. As it happens, I didn't use a crate when my dog was a pup. Although I would have done had his chewing been quite so destructive and had I had to leave him at home for any length of time. But it seems silly to dismiss the idea of a crate completely when it is clear that her pup could benefit right now.

MadAboutHotChoc · 27/09/2012 11:02

I crate puppies and young dogs - its not cruel if you don't use the crate as punishment. Its safer than risking chewed wires and electrical items. If you leave it in a room, make sure its somewhere relatively safe like the kitchen. Train the family to keep doors shut and put everything away.

I always walk the pup/young dog before going out to tire them out, give them a kong and then go out.

Chewing is normal puppy behaviour and labs being gundogs love having things in their mouths. So your lab puppy is very normal.

As for rehoming - rescues are overflowing with puppies and dogs Sad often because their owners could not be arsed to do their research before getting puppy and then gave up far too quickly.

TantrumsAndGoldAndOrange · 27/09/2012 11:03

The reason I suggested crating is because the op said she had already used a crate for the dog. Also because she does not seem to have much time to work with the dog as she is moving and the dog is being left alone for periods of time. It seemed like continuing with the crate, as she had been happy to use it before was preferable to rehoming.

I know not everyone likes crate training, ive used it before, but with the pup I have now, it was useless as he was terrified of an enclosed crate, having been left in one for 24 hours a day for the first 4 months of its life (not by me)
We tried a pen but he learnt how to climb out of it after 10 days.

So with him, it was a case of puppy kongs, removing everything out of his mouth when we saw him and replacing it with a toy and not actually leaving him alone very much.
He comes to work with me now.

Pippin23 · 27/09/2012 11:05

We have a boisterous 18-month old border collie, he still sleeps in his crate - although he can be trusted to be left to roam the house while we're out now. The only time we need to shut him in his crate now is when the window cleaner comes round, for some reason he hates him!

If you think the crate is too small then yes a pen might be an idea - as long as he can't jump out of it? Can he move around in his crate? As long as he can turn and move about a bit, it's not too small.

Does he still have his balls? If so then getting him the snip might also help.

Oh, and try and find some mentally-stimulating toys or games for him. Apparently 5 minutes of brain-exercise is as good as an hour's walk for a bored pup! They are the sort of thing you could also use when you're busy, rather than having to resort to sticking him back in his crate.

Hope you don't get rid of him, good luck!

hippermiddleton · 27/09/2012 11:27

This is the worst time for chewing. It will get better, honest. I have a non-chewy breed dog and until he was 18 months old I couldn't leave him alone in a room without running the risk of coming back to find shreds and shards of my possessions around him. He trained me to tidy up after myself and not leave stuff lying around where he could get it, and I trained him to be happy and chilled out in his crate when I wasn't able to give him constant supervision. He's fine now as a 3 year old, but if I'm going out, he still runs straight to his crate and awaits his Kong. If you don't use the crate as a punishment or leave your dog in there for long periods, they just treat it like a den.

He's got a memory foam mattress in there, fgs. It's more comfortable than my bed.

hippermiddleton · 27/09/2012 11:29

Obviously I also trained him to swop my shoes for a Nylabone, and provided a huge pile of stuff that he was allowed to chew safely.