My husband is going to poop a brick.

[Krystal_00]

Literally.

Decker has eaten/chewed/pawed/clawed 3 holes in the walls of our new house. Anyone ever had a dog do this?! I dont know what to do about it?! Him and Mack get run of the house when I am away....and I know for a fact it is Decker doing it because I checked his mouth and Macks mouth and Decker had drywall in his. My husband comes home on the 2nd and he is going to flip. I'm afraid he will tell me I have to get rid of Decker. Does anyone have any tips on dealing with this? I think he gets seperation anxiety but  I dont know what to do because I cant be home 24/7.....Heres some pics of 2 of the 3 holes (the third one is about twice the size of the one on the green wall....its in my bootroom and the light burnt out in there so i cant take a pic)

[Krystal_00]

Thats what I was thinking. But should I put him and Mack in a "enclosure" together? I was thinking of making something like the "puppy palace" that (i believe) a lucky puppy named Rucky has. Mack has never ever done anything like this, so is it wrong to crate him up to?


I think I can fix the drywall tho, so thats good...cause handymen cost lots of money lol

[GoldenPyrs]

I think I can fix the drywall tho, so thats good...cause handymen cost lots of money lol

Speaking for my husband, bricks are usually only expelled when it's something that *he* has to fix.        If the problem is resolved ahead of time, then it's more like a minor annoyance and good for a joke later.  So it's great that you think that you can fix it before your hubby gets home, that should help a lot!

Regarding the crating....sin ce you have about a week until your hubby gets home, I'd try crating just Decker first and see if Mack does anything naughty on his own.  Then if everything is ok, you don't have to crate Mack.  If not, then you hopefully have time to fix anything that Mack damages and get him a crate, too.
 
Cara, my first Pyr, was a total pill until she was 3 or so.  Before that she dug up and ate the sprinkler system wiring 3 or 4 times, dug around the fence line, climbed up and sat on the top of a 6 1/2 foot privacy fence, chewed up a corner of the carpet...you get the picture!  We didn't know to crate back then (you know, back when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth), so we just Cara-proofed everything bit-by-bit until she stopped showing us what she could do, so I truly sympathize!  LOL     (P.S.  From Daisy on, all off our puppies have been crate trained and it's worked great!)  Let us know how it goes.   

[aggghgmom]

I totally agree, crate him.  I would say only crate the one and see if the other does anything.  Get the walls fixed and then tell hubby about the issue and how you have handled it so it doesn't happen again.  I was never a fan of crate training but I am a convert and believe it is truly a blessing for the animal, it gives them a safe place to hang out, keeps them out of trouble making there life so much more pleasant.

Our springer Stoli had never been crate trained and when we moved to our new house we put her in the basement (finished with a special  chair tv and stereo) for the closing - we got home walked into our new home and the brand new carpet (never stepped on) was shredded; she clawed at the basement door where the carpet came under and unraveled the berber carpet - thought hubby was going to kill her (he actually handled it ok).  She continued to have seperation anxiety at the new house so we got her a crate; she continued the anxiety drooling and biting at the crate (now hubby is mad wet, smelly gross dog whenever we come home) but I talked him into making a stand for the crate so she could look out the window - much better - she stayed in the crate about a year - until some nasty boys teased her thru the window and the crate fell over, she was ok but we left her out and she was finally able to handle the pressure (ok except a few shoes but thats my fault for not putting them away).

So for the pups health, your sanity and your hubby crate training in probably the way to go.

Randy & Harley

[Nina]

LOL sorry I feel your pain. Harley did that to a wall too. We fixed it and then got a crate for her. After 2 years we tried leaving her out of the crate and she proved herself. I would crate Decker but not Mack.
Nina

[Scootergirl]

Ah YES!  I've been there, too. Oasis actually ate THROUGH doors and the wooden fence when we left him outside. Kentucky and Derby (mostly Kentucky I think) have pulled siding off the new house.  The most important thing to remember, and what I keep telling Aaron, is that 1) these are just THINGS and 2) everything is fixable.

Luckily for you, drywall is super easy to fix - and if you don't know someone who can do it for you, it should be relatively inexpensive to get a handyman to do it. So, like everyone else said, get it fixed before hubby comes home, start Crate-training Dexter and instead of pooping a brick, hubby is going to be so proud of you for fixing the problem yourself and finding a solution so it doesn't happen again!!

[Krystal_00]

thanks everyone.

Well I am going to (for now) put Decker in the basement bedroom (the one that needs new drywall anyway) until my husband gets home....I forgot that lifting heavy things is a no-no after my surgery, so I'll need him to lift all the wood and stuff inside.

[mynameislola]

Ditto the crate.  It is the best way to keep a dog safe and a home intact.  Gates between rooms also help.  We have four, but it a big house.

Zita went through a stage last fall where she was trying to eat the plaster off the walls in the bathroom.  Turning on the shower while she was doing it cured her of that one fast.

Drywall is not easy to do well.  That is why so many new buildings have that textured coating under the paint--it is to hide the defects.  I would hire someone who does that for a living.

I am happy the dog did not get into the wiring.