7 month old english mastiff

[bosnm8eric]

Ty my 7 month old english mastiff has officially lost his mind. I just recently started leaving him home alone not crated.........MISTAKE!!!.......It really hasnt been that bad, he doesnt eat anything "of importance" but today I crated him and lets just say, he didnt appreciate it at all. He chewed through his crate and met me at the back door when I got home. What should I do? I was thinking about trying to block him into just 2 rooms of the house. Thoughts???

 

[Smart_Family]

What kind of crate did he chew thru? It's really not the best idea to put a dog in a crate for long periods of time if they aren't used to it. You need to put him in there for five minutes, then ten minutes and keep building up. Leaving him loose if he's that stressed that he chews thru a crate isn't the best idea either though. He could destroy whatever room you leave him in whether it's the carpet or the door or the shades. Also he could ingest something and you'd have no idea until he started getting sick.

 

[bosnm8eric]

It was a canvas crate with steel frame. He was going to work with me everyday for the first 6 months but now my boss is having a fit so I started leaving him home. I dont like the idea of crating him but I cant have him destroying the house. My entire house is hardwood and some days are better than others today was the first day I crated him. Maybe I should find a dog sitter?

 

[Smart_Family]

A dog sitter would be awesome but you definitely want a more durable crate. I had a dog that had bad separation anxiety and he destroyed a canvas crate and one of the metal crates so we got one of the older style crates that are the really heavy plastic and as much as he tried he couldn't get out. You definitely want to work on the crate training though so if there is a point where he needs to be in it or you can't find a dog sitter, he won't freak out.