Zero Getting Into Things When Home Alone - Help

[greydad92]

Hi All,

 

Zero's daddy here. Well, I've had Zero now for ten months and he's been very well behaved, until now. I live in a ranch-style house by myself and he has run of the house during the day. I'm gone for ten hours a day Monday - Friday. He has a Kong that I wash daily & leave out filled with a small amount of peanut butter and dog food. I also swap out two toys and a rope every day with other toys that are hidden in a cabinet in the kitchen. I leave the TV on during the day so it's not silent in the house. We walk 1 mile in the morning and one mile when I get home in the evening. Again, he's been greyt except for the night guard thing a month ago an just recently.

 

Yesterday I got home and found that the two bananas on my kitchen counter were gone. I found a small amount of banana peel on his bed.

 

Tonight I got home and found 1/2 my kitchen cabinets open (where I hide his other toys). The toys were all taken out and spread around the house. More concerning, I have a closet in my bathroom that was also opened. He got into the bathroom garbage and ate the top 1/4 of an old tube of tooth paste. He also completely ate an empty very small container of Gold Bond talcum powder. There was Kleenex all over the place from the garbage can. Thank got he didn't get into any of my medications like Vicodin, Advil, cough syrup, etc., etc. It could have easily killed him. I put all those medications on the top shelf of the closet that he cannot get to. I plan on closing the bathroom door when I leave now.

 

Again, I've never had an issue with Zero before about this. The fact that it's happening after ten months of very good behavior really concerns me. So what do I do?

-I plan on putting his unused dog toys on the top of a closet so he can get to them. I guess it was the smell of them that sparked his interest.

-I plan on putting new magnets on my kitchen cabinets so they're not easy to open.

-Again, I plan on closing my bathroom door

 

There is only so much I can hide though. The sky is the limit at this point. What if he gets into electrical cords? Couches? Chairs? Tables? Phones? Remote controls?

 

You all have been there for me in the past and I appreciate this forum so much because of that.

 

Help!! :-(

Edited December 24, 2009 by aryon92

[Guest mcsheltie]

I see this as normal behavior. I think he has been settling in and now he feels comfortable there. He is checking out the next "layer" of the house. He may be bored being left alone for 10 hours a day.

 

My house is animal proofed. I have double latches on all of my cabinets and the garbage is kept behind a latched door. I don't leave any food on the counters and all medication is in a high cabinet. Remotes go in the drawer (I have already lost too many of them) Cords are covered with protectors I found at Lowes.

 

I would suggest giving him some exercise at noon. Either come home or hire a dog walker. To make things more interesting for him, hide some toys & kongs each day. Think of a way he has to first find them and then work to get them out. There are also dispensers that will spit out a kong at set intervals. And puzzle box toys.

 

And there is always the muzzle!

[greg1229]

one simple answer....

 

Adopt a friend..

 

When I first got my grey 9 years ago, I treated her like a little child and got those child-proof zip ties for the lower cabinets. The top of my fridge is like a king of the hill pile of stuff. They haven't figured how to use a step ladder.......yet.

 

I got one of the heavy lid steel kitchen trash cans and the bathroom waste basket gets emptied every night into that one.

 

I've gotten accustumed to have "confetti" in the house on almost a daily basis.

 

All my remotes are put in a drawer in my desk. Luckily, any power cords I have care behind desks and chairs and entertainement centers that they can't get too.

 

I'm usre there will be a load of helpful suggestions from the folks here.

 

Hang in there

 

Greg

[Guest Greytluv]

one simple answer....

 

Adopt a friend..

Perfect solution

[JAJ2010]

LOL Well even with a friend Sunshine took a bottle of yellow mustard into her crate today. Can't figure out where she got it from... She a 2 yr old puppy so we just try to puppy proof anything dangerous and keep a sense of humor about it. Opening cabinets... now that is a talent we haven't started yet in this house. My parent's dogs (non greys) figured out how to open the deep freezer and got into venison!

[TheFullHouse]

Oops, time to puppy proof! I'd keep all the doors to other rooms closed so he can't get into places like the bathroom. I keep nothing on the kitchen cabinets because mine would clean off the counters for sure. You might consider locks for the kitchen cabinets and definitely hide the remote controls (this from someone who's pup chewed up 6 in a row). If he still continues to get in things you can always muzzle during the day when you're gone.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Muzzle as Jilly says. I have a female that will get into things. We gate her out from the kitchen, close the bathroom door, and muzzle. With all of this, she still sometimes finds something to get into. What you may have is a hound with too much energy, and not enough exercise. If you have to leave your hound alone for long periods of time, you may consider investing in some baby gates and keeping Zero in certain areas of the house where he cant get hurt by ingesting something that could cause harm.

[greydad92]

one simple answer....

 

Adopt a friend..

Perfect solution

Easier said than done for me. I don't want two dogs chewing up my house either. I have considered getting a second dog, but it's a very big decision for me. I don't believe it's the only answer either though.

 

LOL Well even with a friend Sunshine took a bottle of yellow mustard into her crate today. Can't figure out where she got it from... She a 2 yr old puppy so we just try to puppy proof anything dangerous and keep a sense of humor about it. Opening cabinets... now that is a talent we haven't started yet in this house. My parent's dogs (non greys) figured out how to open the deep freezer and got into venison!

Yikes!!

 

Great suggestions all. Luckily we're driving to Pennsylvania for Xmas and back home shortly after. I'm off until January 4th so that will give me time to puppy-proof my home and work with Zero.

[Trudy]

Puppy proof and take him on a longer walk in the morning or play with him in the house before leaving. 15-20 mins may not be long enough for him and he's now letting you know.

 

When I lived in Salem, MA, I used to walk J&R for an hour before work, come home, feed them, shower, get ready for work and then walk them another 10-15 mins before I would leave for work.

When I got home, they got another hour long walk, then dinner and before bed, another 10-15 mins.

[rallyp]

Yeah, I agree, I think this is pretty normal stuff. He's getting comfortable and he's exploring and more importantly, getting rewarded for his exploring. In my place, almost all of my low level cabinets are all baby locked. And most of all of Lima's treats are on top of the fridge. I've just taken the responsibility of knowing that anything that Lima is going to want (aka, food), needs to be out of reach or behind a locked door. I wouldn't be as concerned about things like the cords, phones, stuff like that, because he's probably not going to want them (they don't taste good).

 

He might be getting a little bored too. Lima tends to get more ornery when our walks aren't as long or I haven't been doing anything interesting with her like training or mixing up our walks or even our routine. One of the best things I've found is to work on training with her. Keeps her mind exercised and she's much less likely to get into stuff when she's on her own. If you read up on 'clicker training', you'll find lots of great stuff. It doesn't even really take that much time - 10 minutes a shot seems to be plenty.

Edited December 24, 2009 by rallyp

[moofie]

Sounds like Zero's bored if he is looking to get more toys out to play with and eating stuff. Does he get any running in the yard on top of the walks as a mile each doesn't sound that far?

The best solution is probably a dog walker mid-day which would relieve Zero's bordom and spare energy and also allow you to stick with the short walks for your schedule but i know this often expensive so not always a option. We have a treat ball that i used to stick Throp's kibble meals in to make him eat slower as he has to roll it around to get the food to trickle out, something like that might keep him occupied a bit longer in the morning.

 

For dog proofing I read that it was good to get on all fours to help you spot what might cause a hazard or look tempting from your dogs perspective when i was adopting and it did help. Hector is a bit of naughty hound and will take advantage of items that are left within his reach, remote controls, phones, hairbrush, leather items, books/newspapers, shoes, well most things really he's happy to chew up for you. Throp's lazy so rarely initiates it but joins in if it looks fun, he likes shredding so paper and plastic are his vices. My boys get babygated into the kitchen, with some toys when we go out. We make use of baby locks for the fridge (found it open and emptied) and some lower cupboards, keep the worktops clear and shut the bin out of the room. It has made us much tidier (well except some of the high up surfaces)and we do it without thinking now. I do have to make sure i have properly locked the babygate and flipped the bottom latch securely as i've seen Hector open it using his mouth hmm he's much smarter than he likes to make out

[RobinM]

one simple answer....

 

Adopt a friend..

Perfect solution

 

Althought it sounds, cliche'- it really does work.

[BootsyCollins]

If there is any way to extend your morning and evening walks, that might do the trick. A tired greyhound is a good greyhound.

 

We walk a minimum of 30 minutes in the morning, and that's a brisk walk that covers about 2-3 miles with some running time on a ball field. If we can't run, we walk for 45 minutes to an hour. Then repeat in the evening.

 

Our grey is alone for 10 hours during the day also. No dog walker or anything else to break up his day.

[Guest KennelMom]

one simple answer....

 

Adopt a friend..

 

And then they can double the trouble!

 

 

seriously though...you are probably looking at a management issue. A buddy might help if you wanted to add as second...but this doesn't sound like separation anxiety. This sounds like a curious and slightly bored dog. I'd muzzle him. Line the part of the muzzle that sits on the bridge of his nose with moleskin or any other soft/fuzzy material (easy to find in the footcare section of any pharmacy). This will make it more comfy for him and prevent a muzzle rub scar. I suspect, though, that he may figure out how to get his muzzle off in time. If he's opening cabinet doors, that's one smart and determined hound you have there.

 

We keep our bathroom closed and meds are in closets with door handles they can't turn. Just a habit we got into...there's nothing in that room they need to ever be a part of anyway. You can also try baby gating rooms you don't want him in. Some will go over a baby gate, but most won't. One thing I would NOT do is to actually close him into a room.

 

Also, get in the habit of keeping food off counters and in upper cabinets or on top of the fridge. 10 months is just out of the honeymoon phase and he's probably just starting to get really curious about things...often this is just a phase and when they've explored for a while they tend to settle back down and not get into as much.

 

And I would be remiss if I didn't add in that you might want to increase the duration or intensity of his exercise if possible. Not sure how old he is, but a 2-3 year old greyhound can be quite active.

Edited December 24, 2009 by KennelMom

[Trihounds]

We muzzle Bruce when leaving him even for an hour. He isn't destructive but has hauled out inappropriate things before and we do it for his protection now. Solved the problem instantly.

[Batmom]

Pretty much what others said: Dogproofing and exercise/entertainment. If the weather isn't conducive to longer walks, try adding a play session or "obedience" session. For obedience, you don't need to teach him to do traditional stuff -- teach him to shake hands, back up on command, take a bow, find the cookie hidden under one of 3 cups, etc. Just something to get his mind working a little and wear it out .

 

Sounds like cabinet locks would be your friends at this point. Once they find something, it's a rewarding behavior. Although some of these things turn out to be passing fancies.

 

Having another dog in the house hasn't deterred Joseph from getting into things.

[September]

Cookie started settling in- and showing me what a smart girl she is at about the same time frame you're describing!

 

I have a refrigerator lock, and cupboard locks and the counters are cleared off of food. Her newest little trick- she broke my crockpot. I keep doors closed that she's not supposed to be in and she does ok. I do muzzle her when I'm gone most of the time (thank you, Kennelmom for the moleskin suggestion).

Edited December 24, 2009 by September

[greydad92]

one simple answer....

 

Adopt a friend..

 

And then they can double the trouble!

 

 

seriously though...you are probably looking at a management issue. A buddy might help if you wanted to add as second...but this doesn't sound like separation anxiety. This sounds like a curious and slightly bored dog. I'd muzzle him. Line the part of the muzzle that sits on the bridge of his nose with moleskin or any other soft/fuzzy material (easy to find in the footcare section of any pharmacy). This will make it more comfy for him and prevent a muzzle rub scar. I suspect, though, that he may figure out how to get his muzzle off in time. If he's opening cabinet doors, that's one smart and determined hound you have there.

 

We keep our bathroom closed and meds are in closets with door handles they can't turn. Just a habit we got into...there's nothing in that room they need to ever be a part of anyway. You can also try baby gating rooms you don't want him in. Some will go over a baby gate, but most won't. One thing I would NOT do is to actually close him into a room.

 

Also, get in the habit of keeping food off counters and in upper cabinets or on top of the fridge. 10 months is just out of the honeymoon phase and he's probably just starting to get really curious about things...often this is just a phase and when they've explored for a while they tend to settle back down and not get into as much.

 

And I would be remiss if I didn't add in that you might want to increase the duration or intensity of his exercise if possible. Not sure how old he is, but a 2-3 year old greyhound can be quite active.

 

Hi All,

 

Thank you so much. Great emails everyone. This one is very helpful too

In answer to your question: Zero is 5 & 1/2 years old.

I have this week off so I'm going to child-proof my cabinets and somewhat dog-proof my small ranch-style house. I say "somewhat" because I can't hide everything.....furniture (tables, leather couches, computer (mouse). The sky is the limit right?

Also this week after I "dog proof" my house I'm going to leave him alone for couple hours, come back and see how he's doing. I'll do that several times.

We're also going to go for longer walks.

As far as the dog walker thing goes, I can't really afford it for 5 days a week. I'm considering sacrificing some things, rearranging finances and maybe getting a walker 2 - 3 days per week if I feel he really needs it.

 

Funny, I got him a heavy duty Nylabone for Christmas. He chewed it for a couple minutes and now doesn't seem interested in it anymore. .......it figures

 

Thanks again for the suggestions all. I'll keep u posted. I'll put some pix up soon. Lost my digital cam, so I may buy another soon as a Xmas present to myself.

 

I love my baby

 

Aryon92

 

Pretty much what others said: Dogproofing and exercise/entertainment. If the weather isn't conducive to longer walks, try adding a play session or "obedience" session. For obedience, you don't need to teach him to do traditional stuff -- teach him to shake hands, back up on command, take a bow, find the cookie hidden under one of 3 cups, etc. Just something to get his mind working a little and wear it out .

 

Sounds like cabinet locks would be your friends at this point. Once they find something, it's a rewarding behavior. Although some of these things turn out to be passing fancies.

 

Having another dog in the house hasn't deterred Joseph from getting into things.

 

wow, great suggestion....thanks

[Guest Sandy]

I have Sandy a year and a half now and she is 6; I have had Fallon just over 6 months and he is 4. Sandy goes through spurts of getting into things; last week she chewed an electric toothbrush head; a manual toothbrush head, an orange and a tube of toothpaste! She does not touch remote controls, furniture etc and it doesn't sound as if Zero is that way inclined either...my advice is to dog proof all the way!

[Guest pwsopk]

I will probably invest in a few things...

1. an additional Kong- Leave both kongs overnight in the freezer and let Zero work on the kongs when you are away. Try to switch flavors frequently. You can google recipes for Kongs if you like. I stuff cream cheese, pumpkins....etc.

2. Rawhides, pigs ears and chewing bones

3. Stimulating toys like this one http://www.dogtoys.com/tugajugtreattoymedlg.html

4. Lots of squaeky toys

[Guest ishapespace]

I would limit his access to only certain areas of the house. Your floor plan will dictate how you do that. For example, our house has an open plan with the kitchen, dining and living rooms being one large room, so our pups are limited to there when we are not home. I would suggest some puppy proofing of where he is during the day. We muzzle, and you should consider that as well. Anna was a chewer. Muzzles have worked for us. I agree with others that it does not sound like SA, but just curious and maybe a little bored. Good luck!

[Guest Shermanator]

Video cam!

When we were allowed Sherman run of the house, we videoed him to look for bad behavior.

Fortunately it was 2-3 hours of various stages of lounging throughout the house.

 

DH works from home all day, so they are rarely alone. However, on occcasions when they are left alone all day, I open a web cam on them all day, and peek in on them throughout the day.

[EnzaFerrari]

Yep sounds about time for the pup to begin exploring more, breaking the rules, etc. Enza did that by jumping over the baby gate and chewing apart my living room. For about two weeks, nothing was safe from her and then she got bored with it all. I did walk her more and I did add a dog walker a few days a week. I did have to make some financial sacrifices myself, but it was worth it. I also recommend the treat ball as it can take a long time for things to roll out of it and I've seen how it tires Enza out - esp if one piece just won't fall out.

 

 

I think everyone has given the advice I would, but I will say that Enza did grow out of it and I've learned that she is not a "routine" dog and likes to mix it up when it comes to walks, etc. If I don't, she gets antsy and whiny. If I do different routes, different toys, different wet food in the frozen kong - she's sleeps longer as she is just that more tired from various stimulations.