Hi All,

To inroduce, my name is Sam, 19, from Sheffield

Im gonna cut this down because it was too long.

Basically, our whippet/border collie keeps ripping the floor up and chewing chairs etc when we are not in the house, it has got to the point as stated above in bold.

She goes 'mad' quite often i.e, running around uncontrolably until she gets bored.

I know a solution to this kind of behaviour is probably not short term, but I need some ammunition to convince them not to remove her from the family.

Any help now is appreciated greatly.

Sam

EDIT: Further Information:
- she is over 1 year old
- had her from puupy (6 weeks old)
- my mums partner takes her out in the morning with big walks at the weekend
- I want to throw ball to her etc but she will run away on hearing helicopters etc so is usually avoided by me
- She is left alone ~ 7 hours
- my mother and partner have agreed to give her 'one last chance'
- giving her commands such as 'get down' will most often spur the 'mad' moment.
- she will only damage things when she is alone
- she has been alllowed (not by myself) to chew things other than toys as a puppy
- after having to remove the laminate floor in the kitchen, she cannot run on the floor and therefore slides into the wall hurting herself each time, but is impossible to stop her when in 'mad' moment

BUMP - really need help

Sam it is very difficult to know why she is behaving like this without knowing more about her. It is almost impossible to tackle the behaviour without knowing a lot more.
How old is she? How long is she left alone? How much excercise does she get?
Tell us more about her and your/her family.

Hopefully someone will come along that can give you some good advise.

I'll list a few questions that might help others to advise

How old is your dog?
How long have you had her (from puppy or older) if older do you know if she suffered from seperation anxiety before. If from puppy when did she start doing this?
Is it only when she is left alone?
How much exercise do you give her?
What are you feeding her?

I think you will find that she does the destruction because she is bored.

The Border Collie in her is very intelligent in doggie terms and the Whippet will bring some speed to the dog's nature.

When the family comes home from being at work/school etc they seek rest and relaxation. The dog has been waiting for the family to return to provide activity and excitement, like many dogs that have problems in a domestic environment the problem is that people no longer live lifestyles that dogs are fully integrated into. This is why the Japanese invested the robot dog !

I would suggest that you talk to your local Flyball group, I would think you have the ideal dog for a champion.


Try these links:

I do not know you or your dog and you have not given us much information to go on but I agree that it sounds like your dog is bored. Having border collie in there means your dog needs something to occupy it's mind and body. The bit about your dog going 'mad' and running round and round sounds like she is understimulated. Having BC in the mix could also mean your dog has a tendency to be obssessive and her boredom manifests itself in this kind of behaviour.

Obviously, i'm making massive assumptions based on the little bit of content in your post but I agree that it sounds like you have the perfect dog for some kind of dog sport like agility or flyball.

Bumping this up for you.

__________________

Hi Sam welcome to PF

Is the dog in danger (as in of being surrendered or otherwise got rid of)?

This dog first and foremost needs a medical evaluation and most likely referral to a qualifed behaviourist (APBC or COAPE certified at the very least).

I am concerned because of the tone of the post and because of the severe destruction seen in the owner's absence.

__________________
Anne, owned by Rufus & Tripod

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Thank you greatly for the posts above!

Rather than reply to each post I have edited the opening post with some further information...hopefully this will help more!

Again, thanks in advance for any further replies

It certainly sounds as though she is bored and getting no where near enough exercise. 7 hours is a very long time for her to be left on her own and not try to create some entertainment for herself The mad moments when you are home are likely to be her clever way of getting your attention
Could you not get someone to come in and exercise her during the day for you ?? Does she not get an evening walk ??