How do you contain your 10 month old puppy? <lovely words of reassurance appreciated>

[Lougle]

My dear Puppy, who will hence forth be Christened "Fiend" is now 10 months old.

He is shut in the Entrance hall/utility area when we go out. He has fresh water, his toys, etc.

I came home earlier in the week to find him in the main house. He'd managed to bend one of the rails of his 'extra tall pet gate' and push it so hard that it snapped the weld. He'd then squeezed through the gap. A new one arrives tomorrow.

So, today, we just left him in the kitchen. It has a smaller stairgate - a locking Lindam gate, with a handle that locks and lifts.

I've got home after being out for 2 hours, and he was in the main house. He'd prised the handle up with his teeth, and used his body weight to push the gate past the catch, mangling the handle.

He does have a crate, but as the metal is incredibly thin compared to the stair gate poles, I doubt it would survive the experience.

What do you do?

Why do you need to contain him?

What on earth is fiend! Jaws of steel?!?!?
I guess he is contained because of chewing?
Tried one of these?
www.dogkennelsworld.co.uk/p/Doggie_Solutions_Heavy_Duty_Dog_Cage.htm
We have one for our teckle who is a valuable furniture muncher (he leaves alone the ikea and goes for antique oak....!)

Watching this thread with interest. Our ten month old pup caused the worst row with my DH we have ever had in nine years this weekend :(

daisy I need to contain him while I'm out because I can't remove all chewable things from sight, and I can't guarantee he won't chew them. It wouldn't be his fault if I got back to find that he'd experimented with something. Seems sensible to confine him to a space which is safe and comfortable.

Maggot Fiend is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier X, but we're not sure what the X is - possibly something whippety or pointery.

shouty I know how you feel

If he's using his mouth on the gates can you not apple spray the buggery out of it, till he gives in?

Apple spray? Tell me more...

The dog crate looks effective.

I just couldn't believe the second gate. The first one, well it was bent like a banana, with a broken weld. But the second...he'd just mauled the handle and pushed the handle through the gate.

Why oh why he didn't just jump over, I have no idea. He's done that before.

Bitter apple spray, I'll link later. Most vets, pet shops have it. It's non toxic and ingedtible, but tastes bloody awful. Dog chews or mouths, dog goes "ack" a lot and gives you the hurt and bewildered face

Finally they decide not to mouth something that tastes bloody awful and give it up a a lost cause.

Can you not just shut doors to keep him somewhere in particular . We shut ours in the hall when we are out and overnight ,his bed is in a cubby hole in the hall ,and it's quite a large space. We just then shut all the other doors. Mine doesn't chew hard items / furniture but will go for anything soft such as my favourite hat which got the floraldog treatment this evening!

Sounds good.

Can't shut doors, as we don't have any. It's all open plan, hence the gates. Or rather, the ex-gates.

Argos are replacing the extra tall one free of charge, because I pointed out that it says that the gate is suitable for 'small, medium and large puppies up to adult dogs'. He's 16.5 kg, so not huge.

That's good of Argos

In regards to jump over it. Why jump, if you jump once you have to jump again. If you annihilate the gate into a mangled piece of metal you never have to jump again , intelligent dig you have there.

Thank you, Weasel. I told my Dad he was clever, and he muttered 'destructive' Couldn't really argue with him though. I thought he was quite clever to know that it was the handle which had to bite the dust

We have the cheaper mothercare own pressure gates for the dog. The handles are really still flush and flat so can't be manipulated. The lindh ones are to bulky and plastic and to easy to get purchase on.

Do you sense the voice of bitter experience in my post?

Still = stiff

I'm liking your style. See...this is confirmation that my dog is not 'Fiend' he's just 'Friend in the making'