2 yr. old female - destroying/eating weird objects

[MNboxergrl]

our baby has all of a sudden developed a destructive habit that she hasn't had before. in the span of a few days she destroyed a pair of sunglasses, a plastic contact case, an aluminum soda can, a bar of soap, and a good sized block of cheese. this has all happened when we are not around...usually during the day while we are at work. is this separation anxiety? any suggestions on what we can do (other than being extremely careful about what's left within her reach..)?? is this normal??

 

[Jan]

I would think that she is just bored. Give her things to do while you are gone. Try stuffing a Kong and freezing it, as then it will last her longer. Get her a Buster Ball or something and fill it with treats or her breakfast and that will take while for her to get all the kibble out. Hide treats around the house for her to find. Use your imagination.

A little more exercise in the morning would help. A tired dog is a good dog.

Good luck!

 

[Makk20]

our baby has all of a sudden developed a destructive habit that she hasn't had before. in the span of a few days she destroyed a pair of sunglasses, a plastic contact case, an aluminum soda can, a bar of soap, and a good sized block of cheese. this has all happened when we are not around...usually during the day while we are at work. is this separation anxiety? any suggestions on what we can do (other than being extremely careful about what's left within her reach..)?? is this normal??

I have male boxer named Rocky. He's a year and a half old now. We got him from the SPCA. They told us that the dog's previous owners neglected him alot. The first two weeks home he was an angel, then he took a turn for the worst. Everytime we would leave he would chew and destroy something. First was the remote, then phone, sunglasses, lots of shoes, hockey skates, hockey sticks... anything he could get ahold of he would chew. So finally, everytime we would leave, we would puppy proof the house... thinking this would make him stop and focus only on his toys that we left out for him... that didn't work either... he ate our couch. so we purchased a kennel, and it seems to have stopped the chewing. We used the kennel for 2 weeks, and then tried leaving him out again. He seems to be getting better, but he's hard to trust. Just wanted you to know, you are not alone with this.

Have a good one!

 

[tesster]

Yes, when you've got a bored chewer, taking things away doesn't always help. Tess has a vivid imagination. She got my couch too when I tried the same thing.

I warn you, Makk20, not to leave him alone too long until he's 100% reliable or he'll get something else. Carpet, linoleum - like I said, they are very imaginative and creative when they're bored.

A frozen kong will keep the dog busy for a good while.

It seems kind of strange that these behaviors are just now coming out at 2 yrs old, though. Has anything about your lifestyle changed? Tess regressed when I changed jobs and wasn't working at home as much. It took her a while to get into the new groove.

 

[courtney323]

Makk20 -

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[MNboxergrl]

thanks everyone. by way of background, we just got our baby about a month and a half ago so she was almost 2 when she came to live with us. her lifestyle definitely changed. she was crated a lot with her previous owners and was one of 5 dogs. her only exercise was running around in a small area of the yard. she wasn't walked at all or played with much from what I can tell. she always slept in a crate and now she sleeps with us. so I think it might be a case of newly-found independence translating into boredem...I think it's time to purchase a Kong great idea.

 

[MNboxergrl]

just got home and there was no destruction today. yeah!! thank goodness for small miracles...

 

[tesster]

Poor baby. It sounds like the previous owners never even paid enough attention to her to teach her what was appropriate and inappropriate to chew on. :( I'm so glad she found you!

Congrats on your successful day!
Julie