# Is it a Phase?



## SuckLead (Jul 4, 2006)

Lily has gone into a new phase, but piled on top of everything else, my mom is getting really frustrated. The dog hides all day long. The only time she comes out is for meal time and walk time. The rest of the day, she is nowhere to be found. However, she has taken to destroying entire rooms when no one is home. We don't get it. But my mom is really upset that the dog hides all the time. She's lonely. So is this a phase? She was never like this before. Is there a way to break her of hiding all the time?


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## TedMac (Apr 25, 2007)

That's really odd....has anything in the house changed dramatically?? or even slightly that you might not notice? How old is the pup? 
as far as the destroying of things i know all too well how that game goes...i eventually resorted to crating (i used to be very against that kind of thing) after i came home one day and she made her way onto the kitchen table ate about 10 tootsie pops, as well as my ray bans... but it was for the dogs pertection (chewing chords, eating things dogs shouldnt be eating). And now she loves her crate its her own little domicile....


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## Wandering Man (Jul 9, 2006)

TedMac said:


> That's really odd....has anything in the house changed dramatically?? or even slightly that you might not notice? How old is the pup? ...


I recall you telling us about someone caseing the house. Has that affect the mood of anyone in the house (including yours)?

You think your dog might respond positively to a another pack member?

The crating might be a good idea, too, if its done properly.

WM


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## TedMac (Apr 25, 2007)

> The crating might be a good idea, too, if its done properly.
> 
> WM


Right, it can NOT be used a form of punishment, doggy must see it as a safe zone..it must be viewed as His/Her home, within its masters/alphas home....a good way of bringing on this feeling (i've found) is putting the food in the crate(during feeding time only, which in my home is after the alphas(humans) eat) this will lour the dog in with positive reinforcement.... (sorry this is going off the initial topic but just my experiences with the crate)


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## SuckLead (Jul 4, 2006)

Well, it started before the house was cased. She was coming upstairs and seeing I was gone for the day, then she'd knock some things over in my bathroom (the door won't catch, so she can get in). But I came home about a week or so ago and found she'd torn up the computer room. The computer was alright, keyboard was on the floor, but functional. However, she'd had at my digital camera, and you don't mess with my cameras. It still works, thank God, but it needed some tinkering.

It's all my stuff she goes after. She loves my mom to death, but when I come home from work, no one else but me exists in her eyes. I'm not sure why.

Here's the damage:














































Mind you, that's after some light cleaning. The dog took die cast model cars off the shelves, she even moved a cement decoration that was resting against the book case. If she wanted to do some serious damage, she could.

Mom keeps saying she's going to crate the dog, but she never does it. We have a crate. Who knows where it is.


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## Wandering Man (Jul 9, 2006)

She's bored, lonely.

How often do you walk her? Walking her twice a day may help, in addition to the crating.

Get Cesar Millan's book: Cesar's Way.

http://cesarmillaninc.com/cesar/

WM


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

We used to have a Golden Retriever that would destroy the house if we left him alone inside. He would eat the couch and also literally go through the dry wall so you could see the studs. We brought in a doggy psychologist who ran some tests. She determined the the dog felt his place in the house was beneath me (I guess I was the alpha) but ahead of my wife; so when my wife left the house, he felt it was his duty to escape and protect her. Needless to say, whenever we left the house, he was outside by the pool.


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## SuckLead (Jul 4, 2006)

Wandering Man said:


> She's bored, lonely.
> 
> How often do you walk her? Walking her twice a day may help, in addition to the crating.
> 
> ...


Oh, she walks a lot. She goes on at least four good distance walks a day. Mom takes her out every morning to sit at the school bus stop with the kids. She gets another to do her business. Then she has to wait for the kids at the bus stop at 3:00. Then another walk after dinner. And a short one before bed. The bus stop walks are a must for her, she'll drive my mom crazy as soon as the sun starts to go up because the kids start hitting the bus stop by that time.


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## SuckLead (Jul 4, 2006)

Todd said:


> We used to have a Golden Retriever that would destroy the house if we left him alone inside. He would eat the couch and also literally go through the dry wall so you could see the studs. We brought in a doggy psychologist who ran some tests. She determined the the dog felt his place in the house was beneath me (I guess I was the alpha) but ahead of my wife; so when my wife left the house, he felt it was his duty to escape and protect her. Needless to say, whenever we left the house, he was outside by the pool.


Mom was thinking along the same line, but we (we meaning myself and dad, mom doesn't think it is so) think the dog views my mom as below her. Apparently, I'm the alpha for some reason. This is what the teacher at her obedience school said. Probably because I'm the only one who disaplines her. But she comes to me when she's scared, and when I come home from work at night she has to sit by me while I eat dinner then she'll sit on my foot in the living room while I rest before going to bed. Occasionally, but not always, she won't go to the bathroom on her last walk of the night unless I come outside with my dad.


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## rfawcs (Feb 11, 2006)

It sounds like dog separation anxiety. One of my dogs had it bad, even chewed up a window sill. Do a search on that subject and you'll find some possible solutions. Your vet can also offer advice.


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## PKO220 (May 8, 2007)

SuckLead said:


> Lily has gone into a new phase, but piled on top of everything else, my mom is getting really frustrated. The dog hides all day long. The only time she comes out is for meal time and walk time. The rest of the day, she is nowhere to be found. However, she has taken to destroying entire rooms when no one is home. We don't get it. But my mom is really upset that the dog hides all the time. She's lonely. So is this a phase? She was never like this before. Is there a way to break her of hiding all the time?


Sounds like the dog is starving for attention, but feels like no one cares, so she goes and hides.


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## Wandering Man (Jul 9, 2006)

Here's another Forum site that may be useful:

http://chatevo.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=30

WM


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