Destructive

[Burden's Mom]

Our Ger. Shep. is 13 months old and basically the perfect dog. Started this program when we brought him home as a pup at 8 weeks old. However, we came home from work yesterday and found that he had taken the three remotes and three candles off the coffee table and totally destroyed them. He has his own chew toys, we walk him everyday at least 2 miles, and play ball with him every evening, plus he has trick/treat time every night. What is going on with that destructive behavior?

[Annie]

Hi there,
this behaviur may come and go a bit. I found that I needed to remove everything that was chewable for a while, and gave my dog a long lasting 'fake' bone to chew, or a kong stuffed with treats. This kept her busy for a long time. I also left an old jumper of mine for her to snuggle with. It´s also really important to not make a big deal of this when you get home, just remove the damaged items. It is often too late for discipline and my dog seemed to chew more often when I got home and was cross at her.

Has something changed in the family? have you been having lots of visitors etc? Your dog may be bored, but he may also be a bit nervous about something.
hope something helps,
Annie