CharlieO, Hoss,,
It sounds to me like the dogs have not been "gradually" introduced to this kind of enviroment, and just expected to ecept it right off, or they have been bored out of their minds during the work week. I got my dog at 8 months old and he has come from a kennel enviroment that housed two dogs per run. When I brought him home he was introduded to the house enviroment gradually and I used a vari-kennel for house training duties. I would put him in his outside kennel at half hour intervolds a few times a day and reward him for quiet good behavior. Then put him in it at much longer durations so he'd start to except this new kind of "restraint". I was also worried he'd dig his way to China if I didn't do something quick! I built a platform out of 7/16's O.S.B. board to elevate his 6*6 chainlink kennel off the ground and then worked on how to get him to stop digging the woven wire apart! I decided to "set him up" and catch him in the act! I would wait near a window I could see the kennel best and witness him in the act of doing it, then rush out of the house and humiliate and scare the livin' he(# out of him! I would also bang a riding crop on the covered roof and say no, bad dog in a very demeaning voice!!! After just a few times this seemed to get the msg. across and did the trick! I aslo built him a box in one corner and put haygrass for bedding so to keep him warmer and give him a sense of security. He's grown out of this kind of behavoir at 2.7 years old now. I also learned to give him things to keep his little mind busy, like raw beef knuck bones from the grocery store that the meat department puts out for stew making. These will keep a dog busy for hour at a time. Also Wal-Mart sells the biggest raw hide bones you've ever seen!!! You also might want to consider introducing the E~collar/bark collar to help correct these destructive habits once he knows this is not eceptable behavior including excessive, cronic, barking. If not nipped in the bud right now, you will have some serious enemies in your neighborhood!

Edited by - Lady Grouse Hunter on 01/13/2002 23:04:34