Why does my dog destroy things and bark when I leave him alone?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Usually these behavioral issues can be corrected but it does require time and patience. I highly recommend that you find a qualified dog trainer that can help her as this will usually take a professional to help. Good luck and have a good day!

It's possible Ares has a bit of separation anxiety going on. if he's destroying things even under the supervision of your roommates, it might be time to look into crate training or keeping him housed in a kitchen or laundry room that has few destroyable items in it to prevent him chewing on stuff. If he's feeling anxious, a pheromone collar (they have dog versions of Feliway) can help by releasing a calming pheromone that may help lessen his anxiety while you're gone. Offering chew and puzzle toys that are safe for dogs is also a good distraction to help keep him occupied with that instead of something he shouldn't chew on. If that doesn't help, looking for help from a trainer or veterinary behaviorist in person is a good next step.

This does sound like Rexxy has some separation anxiety. Some things that you can do to help him are to make sure he gets plenty of exercise, especially before you have to leave for an extended period of time; put him in a crate/kennel before you leave to prevent him from being destructive while you are away; and you may want to consider talking to your vet about medication for anxiety. This may help his transition and make him be more calm in your absence. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

Great question! When a dog has separation anxiety, typically you will see destructive behaviors from them when you leave the house, such as tearing up objects. They can also excessively salivate, whine, howl, bark, chew on things, defecate and/or urinate in the home, dig, or try to escape the house. If you are concerned that Fox may have separation anxiety, there are a few things you can do for it. I recommend crating him when you are gone. The crate will provide him a small space where he can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train him to get used to a crate. Start putting him in it when you are home and sitting nearby so he doesn't think you are abandoning him, and slowly increase the time he is in it. He can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that he has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to him in the crate. That will keep him occupied for a while. Finally, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety and pair that will a DAP pheromone collar that releases pheromones when in contact with his skin. If these methods do not help him, then I recommend having him seen by a vet to discuss the use of anti-anxiety medications. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Raising a puppy can definitely be frustrating at times! Dogs don't understand "bad" behavior the way that we do - they just do what makes sense to them at the time. He may know that you're angry when you come home, so he runs and hides in his bed - but he doesn't understand that his behavior earlier in the day was the problem. So I would recommend not scolding him anymore when you come home - it won't help the problem, and just creates additional stress and anxiety which can actually make things worse. If he's still having some issues with destructive chewing and housetraining accidents when he's home alone, then he's not ready to be left loose in the house just yet. Many dogs need to be crated or confined to a puppy-proofed room when you're gone until they're 1.5 - 2 years old, or even longer - this is perfectly normal. So my recommendation would be to simply not give him this much freedom yet. Another possibility to consider, if he's only having accidents and destroying things when you're gone, is that he may have separation anxiety. If you're unsure, try videotaping him one day when you're away to see if he seems upset or just bored. If he does have separation anxiety, you will need to talk with your vet as well as a good reward-based trainer who can help you work through this.

If separation anxiety is suspected, the first step is to discuss the situation with a veterinarian and have the dog undergo a complete physical examination. It is important to make sure that a dog's behavior is truly due to separation anxiety and not from something else. For instance,a dog may bark when alone because he feels he is protecting his property or because he can hear another dog. A veterinarian may recommend some testing to determine if a dog has an underlying medical problem, which could contribute to behavior problems or make them worse. This is important considering he is suspected to have developed anxiety recently and quite suddenly. Tests may include a complete blood count (CBC), a chemistry panel, urinalysis, thyroid testing, a blood pressure check, and an electrocardiogram (ECG). These tests will also be important to evaluate the health status of a dog prior to being placed on any medication.

Destructive behavior like this when you're not home is usually caused by separation anxiety - some dogs will chew things when they're bored, but if there is significant destruction and it only happens when you're gone, anxiety is much more likely. If you want to know for sure, I would suggest videotaping her the next time you go out - it's usually very easy to see on the video if this is anxiety vs. boredom. There are a few things you can do to try and help her. You can try crating her, but be aware that many dogs with this problem are more anxious when they are confined - she won't be able to do as much damage to your home, but she may injure herself if she panics trying to escape. I would strongly recommend leaving her with a special long-lasting treat of some kind every time you leave the house, like a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter or something similar. You may also want to try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Composure or Zylkene to help decrease her anxiety. If you don't see improvement within the next 1-2 weeks, you should talk with your vet about the problem as she may need prescription medication to treat her anxiety, at least for a while. You could also request referral to a veterinary behaviorist for additional help if the problem is severe.