Most of the time the dog is not at fault for the destructive behavior – you are. I know what you’re thinking: how on Earth can it be your fault the dog ate your couch? Well, once we analyze the facts it becomes obvious.
How much exercise did your dog get prior to any destructive behavior? I’m always amazed at how greatly most people underestimate the exercise needs of their dogs. All dogs wake up with energy – every single day – that needs to be drained. That energy is coming out one of two ways: constructively or destructively. If you don’t provide enough constructive energy release your dog will find a destructive outlet. Every dog has their own destructive ways to rid themselves of that energy. Stereotypically, a Yorkie will bark all day long, and a Lab will chew apart your furniture, but every dog will have their own way to let out extra energy.
Certain breeds have higher energy requirements than others. The average Jack Russell Terrier needs about 3 hours of sprinting a day, so those little walks around the block are doing nothing for him. If you have a puppy or young dog that energy requirement goes up. No matter what, every dog is an individual and will have their own unique set of energy needs. My usual rule of thumb is whatever you’re currently doing to exercise your dog, it’s not enough (not matter who you are). I’ve only met a handful of people who, in my opinion, adequately provided enough exercise for their dogs on a regular basis.
Lack of exercise is the number one contributing factor to all behavior problems, and just about all issues are improved upon with exercise. It’s the most powerful tool you have available and its always part of my treatment plan for any and all behavioral problems. A tired dog is a good dog – always!
Next we have to determine if your dog have too much freedom. Way too many people give their dogs run of the house much too soon. Personally, I like keeping the dog’s world small and slowly expanding it as he learns the rules of living in this very human world. Giving your dog too much unsupervised freedom is just setting him up to fail. At his best, he’s a dog. And he will make decisions as a dog no matter what. Our job as responsible dog owners is to guide him as he learns the rules of the human world. We need to be there to say sitting on the rug is good, but eating it is bad. If we’re not there, it’s not his fault – it’s ours.
There’s no magical amount of time when you can say your dog is officially ready to be left alone in the house unconfined, you just take a leap of faith and try it. When you do try it though, you have to set him up to succeed. If you get up in the morning, take your dog for a ten minute walk, pat him on the head, say “be a good boy,” and go off to work for eight hours, you’re really not giving him much of a chance. The first time you leave him you want to run him like crazy, and then give him something to do (like a Kong filled with frozen peanut butter), and only leave him for about an hour. Then, slowly expand the time, always making sure he’s exercised and has something to chew on besides your valuables. That’s setting him up to succeed and before you know it you’ve created a well behaved habit of not getting into trouble while you’re away.
So don’t be so quick to blame Fido for sampling your furniture if you’re the one leaving him there like a coiled spring with nothing interesting to do. Find constructive ways to get him the energy release and supervise him so you can teach him the rules of the house before you leave him all alone to make his own decisions. Your dog is just doing what dogs do - be a dog. It’s up to you to show him how to be a dog living in the human world.