Need Advise please- Bored dog.

LeahBaby

Hi everyone.

Would appricate a bit of help. I have an 18month old german shepherd boy. And recently we have both been workin form 8 to 6.

I know it's unfair to leave him alone so I don't need a lecture, but it can't be avoided at the moment. He has a Kingspan Kennel, any amount of toys/bones, food etc. But he's so destructive.

He gets an hour walk when we get home and have recently started getting up 30 mins earlier to bring him on a walk but he's still really bad. Even if we leave him in he'll get shoes,cd's, anything..

So here's the hard question. Is there anything we can do?

Get him another dog?Get him a new home who can give him the attention he deserves. We really don't want to get rid of him but it's just not fair on him.

Noopti

I think the main point is that you only recently had to work from 8-6.
So I'm guessing he is used to having someone around and now he is suddenly on his own?

LeahBaby

My bf used to work on the site we live on(he's a plumber) but recently got moved to dublin. So he usually had him around for lunch and mornings and home after 4.

ISDW

Are there any professional dog walkers in your area? Someone that could come in once a day in the middle of the day and take him out for a walk?

littlemisspiggy

ISDW wrote: »

Are there any professional dog walkers in your area? Someone that could come in once a day in the middle of the day and take him out for a walk?

I second trying this before you consider rehoming him. I recently (six months ago) had to return to working in town rather than just up the road from our house. I found a lovely dog walker in my area and I trust her 100% with my dog. She comes to the house around midday and brings her out for an hour. Some days she brings one other dog and brings them to a large green park area so they can play together. Dogs thrive on routine so after a few days your dog will realise that the dog walker will be coming and keeping lookout for her will keep him occupied for the morning. Even on weekends now, my dog sits by the window around midday waiting on the dog walker!

LeahBaby

i don't think there is anyone that does this in my area though! how much does yours charge you for this piggy?

littlemisspiggy

LeahBaby wrote: »

i don't think there is anyone that does this in my area though! how much does yours charge you for this piggy?

I pay é10 for the hour plus é2 petrol per day. It's worth every penny otherwise I spend the day in working stressing about how my dog is doing.

If you pm me the area you are in, I can ask her if she knows of anyone she could recommend that does that area. Believe me, there are loads of peolple doing dog walking these days but you have to trust them enough to give them access to your dog and (if he lives inside) your house.

LeahBaby

Yeah that would be my major concern. Giving someone access to my house when i'm not in.

I'm in portlaoise lilmisspiggy. if you knew anyone it would be great, thought it would be more pricey than that and would save on the things i have had to replace so far!

getz

my son always leaves on the tv with the news on-- that always works

littlemisspiggy

LeahBaby wrote: »

Yeah that would be my major concern. Giving someone access to my house when i'm not in.

I'm in portlaoise lilmisspiggy. if you knew anyone it would be great, thought it would be more pricey than that and would save on the things i have had to replace so far!

I'll ask around. You could also try calling your local vet / groomer and see if they can recommend someone.

IvySlayer

What about your neighbours? My neighbours kid used to play with my dog for a couple of hours after school when we had long nights, but she was a little terrier. Also, the back garden is a wonderful place for a dog to play around in.

nhughes100

I'd agree that leaving them in the house on their own is asking for trouble, if you've a decent size back garden he would do less damage out there.

Whispered

If left out the back though, I would be worried about him making noise and bothering neighbours or worse, getting stolen.

LeahBaby

He's a very very big german shepherd. He's a barker but my sis lives round the corner and she doesn't leave for work till half nine so she lets him out.

Thanks for all the suggestions but getting children to walk him is impossible he's far too strong. We decided to just practice coming in and out of the house and when we come back giving him a treat. If he's bad, we don't. Prob a stupid idea but we're so attached to him It would break our heart to get rid of him.!!!

Whispered

If you love him that much that you cannot get rid of him (great to see an owner take responsibility BTW as opposed to the all too common "oh a problem, lets get rid of the dog") then a dog walker is your best bet, maybe you could ring around local vets and see if they have any recommendations?

LeahBaby

helena.ryan wrote: »

If you love him that much that you cannot get rid of him (great to see an owner take responsibility BTW as opposed to the all too common "oh a problem, lets get rid of the dog") then a dog walker is your best bet, maybe you could ring around local vets and see if they have any recommendations?

I already have. Cannot seem to find one. Can't really afford it either but I guess it has to be done. I've put an ad on here and gumtree and will stick one in the paper about him. Thanks for all your help!

leopardus

I agree with a lot of whats already been said. I would recommend trying to give the dog some off-lead time in the morning if possible; play fetch, tug-of-war, interspersed with some training. This really tires them out, and quickly. It's also great interaction.
I feed all my dogs daily food ration in various Kongs and similar 'stuffable' toys (the everlasting treatball from zooplus is great), I also add bigger bits of beef jerky that takes him ages to get out.
Toys of different textures also help, ropes, squeezy etc

luckat

Poor little dog - a teenager, lonely and bored.

I'd ask around for trustworthy local kids (aged 13 and up, preferably) who'd like to earn a few quid by bringing the hound for a walk every day. Good way to get to know your neighbours too - which has its own positive security implications.

You might also think of getting a dog (preferably a spayed bitch) as a companion, but remember that this is two dogs you're now responsible for.

I'd also suggest some fun training for the hound, so he knows what's right.

Chewing is an age thing. My dog, a border collie cross, had the plaster, banisters, skirting boards chewed to bits before she grew out of it. Leaving her with a big beef bone did help, though.

ISDW

luckat wrote: »

Poor little dog - a teenager, lonely and bored.

I'd ask around for trustworthy local kids (aged 13 and up, preferably) who'd like to earn a few quid by bringing the hound for a walk every day. Good way to get to know your neighbours too - which has its own positive security implications.

The dog is a gsd, and as such, cannot legally be walked by anyone under the age of 16.

lightening

Oh come on... It's not enforced and anyway, who is going to rat on a 13 year old making a few bob walking a dog. They will probably build a good bond. I love to see kids walking dogs.

Bring on the kid dog walkers! They can't mow lawns anymore because of "estate management companies".

The Sweeper

Yep, and if that large, bored GSD pulls a 13-year old off their feet because he sees, for instance, a cat or another dog on the opposite side of the street, what then?

Any large dog needs a dominant handler. There are plenty of large-dog interactions that could become a lot worse without a dominant handler. An exchange of sniffs and growls between two dogs can be broken up by a dominant handler, but could escalate to a full blown dog fight without that handling. An agressive reaction caused by getting a fright could escalate to a retaliation without a dominant handler.

A bored dog like the GSD the OP has might be difficult to handle on a walk, because he'll be full of beans. I'd hate to see a dog like that being walked by anyone young who cannot assert dominance over him, because I have this image - he's big, he's excitable, and he sees a cat on the street/a bunch of lads whizz by on skateboards/someone cycles their bike past him/he meets another dog, on or off a lead... so on, so on...

Little A

If you're happy to pay €10+ for someone to walk your dog, I'm sure you'll find someone local (retired person, stay at home mum, unemployed etc) who will be happy to walk your dog out for an hour or 2......you may even get an "at home, dog-sitter" to do it for just a small bit more. I used to get €50 to mind 3 kids for about 4 hours.....I'd much prefer €20 to mind a dog for the whole day + walking and play. Stick an ad in your local supermarkets & see what comes of it.

But...a walk won't guarentee no more destruction...and I might be trying a dogsitter too.

I have an 8mth old collie/terrier cross & went back to work for a few hours in the morning. I walk her in the morning & afternoon (+plus fetch games & training) & leave her out back. The garden is in bits !!! I thought it was boredom (dispite the fact I was only gone for a few hours & she's left with toy stuffed with treats, balls, toys etc). So arranged to bring her to work (large enclosed area...and I can go out every hour or so). 3 large holes dug in less than 15 mins today means she probably won't be coming with me tomorrow:D. Anyone got suggestion to stop digging (tried "poo in the hole" but just leads to a new fresh hole!)

Maybe I need to give up work & get a few dogs to mind instead:p

Sigma Force

I think it might be worth while spending a few quid on a dog behaviourist this way they can visit your home and see first hand what is going on with the dog. This type of dog does need a lot of things to do but it can be managed with the walk in the morning and then a good walk later on that evening that should be enough if it can be figured out what to do during the day.
A dogwalker, as mentioned would be great of course but also the dog behaviourist might be able to suggest some other things as well.

Things like frozen kongs perhaps a dog walker coming in twice for short walks rather than one long one might break up the day more.

Sometimes stress can be mistaken for boredom as well.

It can be hard to find a dog walker though, try your local vets as well to see if they know of anyone.

beth-lou

I would suggest another dog. An older dog though, not a pup and one that is quite settled about 2 or 3 at least. It will be company for your dog and they will tire each other out playing when you are not there.

We had a similar problem with out first dog, a german shepard cross. We came home one day and shehad pulled the lino from one corner of the kitchen over to the other and had chewed big holes in the fold, she also chewed a hole in a door, the legs of the table ....... so we decided to get her a friend. I looked on the net for older dogs to settle her down. Irish animals on the web have lots of dogs looking to be reomed. You can get an idea of the personality of the dog and let them meet up to see if they get along. It sorted our first right out and she calmed right down. She had a buddy to play with, snuggle up to and burn off all that energy with during the day. And they are both wonderful dogs still best pals 8 years later. I couldn't recommend it enough. And I know plenty of people who have done the same and it worked out great. A lot of the rescues will take the dog back if they don't get along.

It's certainly something to consider. A German Shepard is far too intelligetn and has too much energy to be on its own all day. It needs company, either human or canine or it will become neurotic. Some people say tw dogs is double the trouble, I found it halved ours, even quatered it and it made everyone happier. We have had other dogs come and go since, but we still have the two originals. They are best buddies and sleep together on the same bed, share everything and still play with each other even though they're getting old now.

If you want any advice pm me.

kerrysgold

The dog walker sounds like a great idea if you can find one, maybe put up posters in local shops etc? A lot of people go out walking every day anyway so may be interested in taking the dog.

A companion is also a good idea, greyhounds make great companions as they are very sociable with other dogs and generally come fully trained almost, i.e. they are quiet to walk on the lead.

As for his training, maybe you'd consider taking him to classes on the weekends, i.e. obedience and maybe something fun like agility? GSD's are very intelligent and love to learn.

If possible, if he has a good recall you could also take him somewhere to let him have a good run around for an hour or two even once a week, like the beach or woods or maybe a park.

Good luck.