destructive, dog Options

[BURNSJ2]

Ok so heres the deal. i have a dog, hes a pitbull/chow-chow mix. when im home or when anyone is around hes an amazingly good dog. its when i leave...terror! he is about the most destructive dog i have ever seen. he tears up anything left on the table, knocks the chairs and stools over, even tears up the carpet! im at my wits end with him, hes 2 years old and i thought he would be through this by now. anyone know what i can do?

[blu94gt]

Crate training is not bad at all. Both of our dogs are crate trained, and now that I'm staying home during the days I expected them to be out playing most the day. Guess what? They don't, they mostly just sleep in their crates with the doors open or sleep in the same room. They see the crates pretty much the same way that a kid sees their bedroom, it's a safe place. If you're afraid of them getting bored go buy a Kong toy and stuff it the night before with some dog food and some applesauce or peanut butter or something, freeze it, and leave it with them in the crate while you are gone.

It definitely sounds like your dog has separation anxiety issues. But also remember it's a dog, even the best dog will want to dig and chew on stuff. The only difference is if you can teach them what's good to chew on and what's not. Go get him a pig hoof or a bully stick or big rawhide or something to chew on, that will give him hours of enjoyment.