Hi sam is 6 months old we have just moved house and he seemed to settle in really well even choosing his faveourite place to have a sleep. We have been here a week now and in the last 3 days he has been so destructive stealing and destroying anything he can get a hold of toilet roll plants cushions stealing out bin. My partner leaves for work at half 6 hes kicks into his bad behaviour from then till his mid morning nap then again until my partner is home. They have a really strong bond so could he be suffering from seperation anxiety? If i pop out he is fine and does nothing wrong. I cant turn my back for one second without him doing something. He gets long walks everyday and has the door open all day to play in garden and has a box full of toys and garden is full of toys aswell.
How do you divide your time up when you are alone with Sam? I have a 7 month old puppy (and a 10 year old Lab) and I sort of divide my time up during the day when I am here alone with them - jobs I need to do (so will generally do those whilst she sleeps); Kong time - at the moment in the garden as it's nice and I usually do a bit of gardening or just sit and read; training time and playtime. My puppy does not play alone with toys (or rarely) so I play with her. A lot of the time she is happy to sit on her mat and watch me. I have also removed anything I think she might fancy and I don't want her to have. What I am trying to do is build up my relationship with her and she is just as happy with DH as with me.
Hi @Laura1989 it us very easy to forget that dogs, and cats, can be quite stressed by house moves. All of a sudden their home is different - different smells, different places for things, different room layout so some reaction is not so surprising. I'm also sort of guessing that the new behaviours have started with the return to work of your partner so it is possible that there is some seperation distress going on as Sam feels abandoned by your partner leaving and the behaviour is a way of seeking attention. A proper diagnosis can only be given by a behaviourist actually seeing Sam and watching his behaviour. A behaviourist would then advise on a course of action to help Sam recover and deal with his new home and seperation distress. As far as having lots of toys and free access to the garden, toys andca garden are only fun if you have someone to play with. Dogs are social creatures and need the social interaction with their humans. A young dog left to it's own devices regardless of the number and availability of toys will find mischief.
Yeah every morning they get up together my partner spends 10 minutes playing in garden with him they sit together for breakfast and then sam comes upstairs sits with me to wait for his biscuit as he knows thsts when daddy leaves. His routine has been changed aswell we still go our long walk with daddy at 6pm before dinner have dinner together but instead of watching tv as usual my partner has been painting new house. The bond they have is really strong he wont even let me sit next to him without pushing in middle lol. My other concern is in morning he gets full tin of meat then biscuits at lunch then other tin for dinner but when i feed him meat hes looking for more is he just being greedy or am i not giving him enough.
Might this be a good time for you to take Sam for a walk. My DH walks our dogs at 7 each morning and then they are pretty much flat out for several hours. It might channel some of Sam's energy and he becomes less destructive. I think you can become part of that bond your partner has with Sam. This may sound silly but with our older dog Sky, my DH and I have always said 'group hug' and she has stood on her back legs to join in. She sees us as a team and is happy with both of us even though DH is the one that plays with her more. Red the puppy now pushes in when DH and Sky are having playtime - I do find it funny to watch. It's as if she is saying 'What about me, me, me?' I can't really answer the food thing (what does your partner think?) but Labradors are always hungry and looking for more food! Does he get treats when you do training?
Yeah i get up at half 7 with him give him breakfast and then took him straight out an hour walk he came home and straight away destructive but hes flat out asleep now. Yeah we lie on bed together and he pins my bf down for kisses then does same to me as if not leaving me out lol. Im going to take him a second long walk after his lunch today. Yeah my bf thinks hes just being greedy and he thinks sam knows im soft because ill give him more yeah he gets his treats for training and during the day olus once a week i take him into town with me and he knows we go to pet shop for his weekly pig ear. Hes quite a fussy eater he hates chiken flavour biscuits refuses to touch it got to be beef or duck and only eats tripe dog meat i did try him on boiled chiken and rice but it upset his stomach.
