Trashing my apartment while I'm gone! HELP!!!

[Kori]

Hi, I have a female german sheperd, around 18 months old. I work from 11AM to 4PM and during that time she is alone in the apartment so this is a big problem: she chews EVERYTHING she cand get hold of - shoes, notebooks, trashcan, remotes, chairs (!!!), cables... everything. And this doesn't happen only when I'm avay for hours! I go to the store to buy her food, I'm gone for less than 15minutes, come back and my apartment looks like someone robbed me! I don't even know how she manages to do that so fast!! 
Anyway, I feel very uncomfortable about crating her, chaning (someone suggested that?) or closing in separate rooms, but I would do that if there wasn't for the second problem. I have a...how do you call it...lobby, hallway, anteroom(?) in my apartment which is 12m3 big and several times i tried to leave here in there with a bunch of toys, kibble, bones and even music(!!) so that she doesn't freak out but then she pees and poops the second i go out!!!
And I read about training her by going out and coming back instantly and praising her, but as soon as I don't come back in for longer than 3 minutes she pees, poops and trashes the place! She does the same thing when I go to my bedroom to sleep and wake up and there is kaos!! Note that she will never do ANYTHING like this when I'm around... What am I to doooo?!?!?! 
I took a forthnight of my job so I can try and train her but i just don't know where to start.
Oh and the punishment theory doesn't work...yelling, papers...nothi ng. She just bows down and makes a squeeky noise and I start feeling like an abuser and the next time i go out she just goes and does it again.

[GR8DAME]

I agree with Jacksmom, crate training is a Godsend, especially for young dogs. Mine are crated from babies til about 18 months to 2 yrs, depending on the maturity level of the dog, whenever no one is home or at night. Once they are housebroken they are allowed to be free at night, and then when they are over the destructive phase and can be trusted not to eat my house the crate goes away until the next puppy. To this day I have walked into the kitchen because my pup (14 months old)is raising cain because my 5 YO dane has decided to take a nap in the crate and won't come out!
Stella
Modified to add- I would not chain an unsupervised dog for any reason. As a child I witnessed a 90 LB Lab that was chained in backyard jump over a fence and hang itself. I was about 6 YO and  all of about 50 Lbs at the time, so I couldn't do anything about it, and by the time I got back with help, Babe was dead. It is a horrible memory, and not one I would want anyone else to experience.
S

[chaos270]

I'd also go with a crate. My dogs were crated until they became potty trained and responsible enough to be left out.  Both no longer need it but our newf matured enough to go without it alot ealeir than most breeds and they're in a confined area of the house where they can't get into much while we're gone.  There are also a bunch of natural meds for seperation anxiety.  Like Rescue Remedy and a few others.

[Kori]

Than I'll go with the lobby-locking for a while so we'll se how it goes... and I'll ask for that medicine, thank you all very much.

[roxygirl]

How terrible. SOunds like some separation anxiety for sure. I personally would try a crate but also use a food stuffed king in the crate to keep the dog "busy". They say dogs don't have a sense of time so if you are away for 15 minutes or 5 hours they miss you terribly! I hope it works out for you. Please keep us posted!
Kim

[Boyle]

If you cannot/will not crate, you should try baby gating the dog in the bathroom or another room which is easily cleaned since he is creating a mess.  Make sure you remove everything worth destroying.  Definitely leave the TV or radio on for some background noise and give him a Kong, fill with delightful treats, cover with peanut butter or liverwurst and frozen for a few hours or overnight.  Then leave the house for a couple minutes.  You just need to sit outside your front door.  Then do this again for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, etc.  Give the pup a fresh Kong everytime so you might want to buy a number of them.  I suggest bringing a book/magazine and watch.  When you return, do not overly excite the dog, just greet in a calm manner.  Since you have taken time off, there is no time like the present.  This type of training helped greatly with our mastiff.  Good luck

[Gypsy Jazmine]

I also would advise crate training...We recently had to crate train our Rosie who is 2 to 3 yrs. old & we rescued Dec. 1...She was literally eating my furniture & walls...So, the crate came back up into the family room...Dogs with anxiety find the crate a safe place where they can relax...The only problem I have is that Samson, who we also crated, never wants to come out of the crate when I need to put Rosie in...lol...Goo d luck!

[Kori]

What would a "kong" be? 
Remember I'm new to the whole "dog terminology" plus english is not my mother tongue 

[Boyle]

A Kong is a dog owner's best friend apart for their pooch. 

http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.html

[marinafb]

  i have'nt had or known a dog that did'nt enjoy a kong!These are great tools for keeping puppy buy they can be filled with goodies or they can just be chewed on. On the crating thing i have done it both ways and you just have to decide what is best for you and the puppy it is a great training tool as well most of the time they will end up hanging out in there even when you are at home that's kinda like there little den area. Some dogs are just over come by 1st you walking out the door and not coming back for a while and some dogs have to many options on what they can do while your gone! In most cases pups will learn to follow your routines and stop there other bad habits maybe there is a dog day care you could leave him at acouple days a week or have someone come in and walk him these are just ideas. I have been lucky to and been able to take all my dogs to work with me !  GOOD LUCK

[Kori]

A Kong is a dog owner's best friend apart for their pooch. 

http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.html

That's a "kong"?!!?  I have that! I don't know where from, but I do! Just gonna have to wash it and fill with goodies. Thanks a lot, I'll keep you posted... 

[doggylover]

I hope that you will take the wonderful advice of all the people who responded to your question.  You don't want to crate your dog because you think it's mean...I am guessing that you feel like since you wouldn't want to be in a crate, neither would your doggy. 
Dogs see their crate as a 'den' they are HAPPY in a crate.  I would never recommend leaving a dog in a crate for too long (I wouldn't leave pookie in one for more than say 8 hours without stretch-out breaks).  Your dog is a dog, not a person...I'm not saying that to imply that the dog is 'less than' at all.  If you saw how SPOILED rotten our furbaby is, you would believe me there.  I am saying this because your dog won't be happy if you treat it like a human.  The happiest dogs are dogs whose owners understand doggy thinking and evolutionarily where their dog is coming from.  A crate is a wonderful safe place for your dog, you will find if you learn to properly crate the dog, that he goes in there when you are home, for naps, or when you are annoying him with to much lovin (my rotty grunts at me when I've given him too many kisses and he saunters over to his crate).  Please consider this, it will very likely make your life and the life of your dog TONS better.  If you decide on this option, let us know and I for one would be happy to walk you through introducing the crate to your baby. 
Ronda

[Kori]

I was thinking of crating in a bad way, but after all your explanations I started thinking and understood that she actually would consider it her safe place because she usually sleeps under my computer table.. before i thought she does that because she always wants to be near me but now i began to think it's because that "roof over her head feeling" that she can't get anywhere else in the house.
There is only one small problem that might sound silly but I couldn't find a suitable crate for her in no pet store! They all sell crates for young little puppies and she is everything but little and I would have to squeeze her in there with a stick!  Plus they are selling them at a really, and I mean really abnormaly high prices... So I was thinking if any of you have any suggestions on making my own I would really appreciate it. If not, well we'll just have to find one somewhere! 

[ZooCrew]

You may be able to find one for sale in the want ads.  You can sometimes find used crates there.  I agree they are very expensive.  I just bought one small crate (on sale,thank goodness) and need to get one smaller to mid sized one by the end of next month. 

I don't know about making your own, since they are usually made out of plastic or metal.

I agree with what everyone has said here.  My female had  separation anxiety for the first 4 or 5 years I had her.  She had to be crated whenever she started having "episodes" of destruction.  She got so much better once I moved into a bigger place, but I don't suggest you move.......... lol.

If you want to try and get her out of the anxiety mode and want to use the 5 min, 10 min ect test.......... ..it will take some time before she gets over it.  I'm talking probably months, not days.  You would need to leave for 5 min or less, until she is comfortable with that time frame, then move it up to 10 min until she's comfortable with that and so on.  It is a good way to desensitize her to your leaving, but it will take some time.

Another thing someone mentioned is not paying her much attention when you come back.  Same goes for when you leave.  You need to act like its no big deal that you're leaving, or that you're back.  I would start ignoring her when you come back for the first couple of minutes.  When you leave, just leave, don't pet her or talk to her.  If you have a certain routine you do before you leave, change your routine.  Dogs pick up on that and can start getting anxious even before you're out the door b/c they know you are leaving.  So I suggest changing your routine you do before leaving, or start doing your routine a few times a day without going anywhere so she won't associate your routine with your leaving.

Good luck.  Most dogs with severe separation anxiety don't ever get over it entirely.  But with some patience, crating, and desensitizatio n, it can lessen the effects of it.

[doggylover]

You might try the airport.  Call them and see if they have any on sale.  When people transport pets, usually they leave the crate so the airports end up with TONS of them in all doggylicious sizes!