Adolescence?

[cblond1121]

My 16 month old intact male is driving me bonkers!

Since November, he has scratched/chewed two separate holes in our drywall, ripped/chewed a hole on our mattress, and now his new thing is to move the couches by gripping the corner with his teeth. This is causing tears in the couch. Also he takes all the cushions off and picks at the foam/cushioning that is (was) attached to the couch frame.

He only does this when we are not around. Usually when we are at work; however, this morning he did it while I was in the basement exercising.

PLEASE tell me this is just his adolescence?

 

[fdchampion]

Do you have any Kongs or puzzle toys to keep him occupied or is he just not interested in them? JMO but maybe you should start putting him in a crate when you leave home until he understands that this is not acceptable behavior...before you run out of furniture! lol It's probably just a phase he's going through.

 

[DalCielo CC]

Some dogs will grow out of it, some will get better and some can never be trusted. When you can't watch him he should be in his crate until he earns your trust. At 16 months he's still a pup and will make mistakes. Most Corsi will learn what's expected of them very quickly, but not all.

 

[mountainfila]

Thats his way of telling you he is not getting enough exercise, dogs chew out of boredom, instead of exercising by yourself you should be doing it with him, these are working dogs, they need jobs to do and he has taken it upon himself to remodel your house lol. Your not meeting his needs and im pretty sure once he starts getting to burn off some steam he will stop eating your house and rearanging the furniture hahahaha .

 

[NYDDB]

Thats his way of telling you he is not getting enough exercise, dogs chew out of boredom, instead of exercising by yourself you should be doing it with him, these are working dogs, they need jobs to do and he has taken it upon himself to remodel your house lol. Your not meeting his needs and im pretty sure once he starts getting to burn off some steam he will stop eating your house and rearanging the furniture hahahaha .

I could not agree more.

Really, a tired dog is a happy dog...which makes for a happy owner.

 

[DennasMom]

I'd get the condo-sized crate (54"). That's what we had to do when Denna was in this phase. We have a dog walker for days when she's in the crate all day - so she gets a potty break and a good, long walk in the middle of day... that definitely helps.

Denna graduated from the crate when she was about 18 months old.
We always leave her with a kong or busy buddy toy with something that will take her more than 5 minutes to consume. She LOVES it when we leave!
We also leave the front window blinds open for her, so she can keep an eye on the neighborhood. Although... most times, she just makes a nest in the master bed and naps.

 

[musicdeb]

Thats his way of telling you he is not getting enough exercise, dogs chew out of boredom, instead of exercising by yourself you should be doing it with him, these are working dogs, they need jobs to do and he has taken it upon himself to remodel your house lol. Your not meeting his needs and im pretty sure once he starts getting to burn off some steam he will stop eating your house and rearanging the furniture hahahaha .

Right on!

 

[season]

You've got some great advice. After I read your post it didn't take long to figure out that it wasn't the "adolescent phase" that way too many owners use as an excuse for behaviors because it lets them off the hook (in their mind). Instead 99% of the time the problem will be looking back at you when you look in the mirror. There are no "perfect" dogs or perfect "owners". But I know who to blame first when my dog has a problem or causes one. Me. I am the leader. It starts and ends with me.