Help!!! Got a barrier busting Dashsie

[burt]

Hi again,

I wrote in Dec. about the tail kink in my puppy Heidi. Her tail recovered 98%. Again, thanks for your help and concern.

Our new problem has been leaving Heidi home for a hour or two. She is a mini and almost nine months old, She has a 2 year old standard size Boston as her companion.

We barricade a hallway that leads to the upstairs with a 2 foot high dog pen. It's one of those you can fold and store away. We put two very heavy bricks on one side of the gate to the gate in place and on the other side a very heavy table. Heidi is capable of moving the gate and cause chaos. Her favorite is chewing the carpet and paper.

When we first brought her home, she hated being in the pen and used to CLIMB out.

She managed one time to climb on the back of the sofa and tear apart a 5X4 laminated world map we had taped to the wall.

We don't know what to do. Someone is always home and we do take the dogs with us on trips. We do run errands every now and then and leave them alone, this is usually when Heidi does most of the damage.

Our Boston has been trained not to chew and is pretty mellow when we are gone, so we hardly think Penny is causing this trouble or helping Heidi at any point.

Any suggestions, insight, comments would help.

Thanks,
Burt

[dutchman]

Two options come to mind. First and most likely the less expensive would be to kennel her when you are gone. The second would be to invest in a good quality x-pen. Make sure you get a tall one. When I fist got Frank my then 6 monh old 12# standard now 18.5# I had a 2 foot tall one I had with my previous mini mill rescue. He of course culd leap that at will. I bought a 36" tall one and he escaped from that the first time I left the house. I was able to excahnage the 36" tall one for a 48" tall one. When I first set it up I put his kennel in one corner and observer him jump onto the top of the kennel and then start studying the top edge of the pen. Needless to say when I used it for him I dind't leave a kennel but instead a cuddler bed. Since I've had a multiple dog household everone is in their individual kennels when I'm not home.

Good luck,

Tom and the Boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

[Mark]

Have you tried crate-training? It's a whole nuther avenue to go.

Have either or both puppers been to obed training? It really does help as far as the pupper's confidence in themselves and their hoomans.

I suspect there is some anxiety caused by being left and the *escaping* and destructiveness is Heidi's outlet for it.

Please keep us posted on what you do and how it works. :)

[Mel n Gooey]

How much exercise does she normally get? Often, dogs engage in destructive behavior because they're bored. If you take 20 mins before you leave to take her running or play with her to tire her out, she'll probably be so tired she'll just sleep while you're gone. Of course, she may need more than 20 mins of exercise to tire her out, but you get the idea ;) . You can also crate her, get a taller expen, or "turn in" the sides so she can't climb out anymore. To do this, just go out and buy some flimsy fencing, and run it around the edges, at a slant in. In other words, if she climbs up, she won't be able to climb out because she would hav eto climb as she was upside down, which (as far as I know) dogs can't do. It might be easier to just just use the fencing to cover the entire top, and that will also keep her in.