My female toy poodle is 18 months old. She was crate-trained. Everytime I leave the house, she chews up stuff--shoes, decorations, pillows, anything! I began keeping her confined to the kitchen using a baby gate...she climbs it! I then reinforced the gate, she could no longer climb it, but she chewed up the kitchen baseboards and the gate itself! I always have to revert to confining her the entire workday in the training crate and I hate doing that. Any suggestions? This is the only discipline problem with her.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2002

Answers

Hi Valerie, Depending on how long you are working, you should put your dog back into the crate to prevent the destructive behaviours. If your time away is more than 8 hours or so, maybe you could pay someone to let your dog out, find a doggie day care, or come home (if that is possible) and exercise your dog. Your dog's crate is like a den or home. Dogs LIKE their dens. This destructive behaviors will become habits and maybe, just maybe, you will come home to a dog in distress because of something she has injested. Good luck,

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2002