:( please help

Hi all

I'm new - I'm Vikki and my gorgeous staffy is Knox.

We rehomed him a couple of years ago now and he's gorgeous - so placid and always loving.

However - he's started being a little bit destructive. He's around 5 years old and all of a sudden he's started scraping at my sofa when we're out. So we stopped him going on the sofa altogether and he is know shut in the kitchen (which is nice and big) when we go out. We both work full time and he goes out for a walk in the morning before work, I come home every lunch and walk him and when we're home from work and before bed so he's getting plenty of exercise.

However...today my other half has gone home and found that he's chewed our new work surface and scratched a bit piece out of one of our cupboard doors (our kitchen is brand new - only got put in at Christmas) so we're not too pleased. Just worried there's something wrong with him as he's never done this sort of thing before. The only thing he normally chewes are little rubber bones and his kongs and kong wubbas.

Does anyone have any ideas at all? I can't live with the hell of going home at lunchtimes to find he's done something bad it's making me really upset and I don't want to pass him onto someone else and his forever home is with us!

Please please help

Try to make sure he has a good long walk before he is left alone for any length of time so he is really well tired out, do you use a crate for him when you are not there ?

Try putting bitter apple spray on any surfaces you do not want him to chew. Does he have plenty of chew toys ?

We would love to hear about you:
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he has a walk before any time of being left on his own. he's difficult to wear out bless him. I've never used a crate. he's a nervous wreck around anything he has to go in but he likes to bury himself under his blankets. he's never ever chewed anything he shouldn't have until today. I just don't know what's gotten into him

and he had his own box of toys so he can help himself whenever he wants

Could he have heard something outside that scared him ?? this would have made him anxious perhaps

Has there been a sudden change to the routine or is there perhaps construction or something else going on that is scaring him? A good long walk and a radio left on should help as well

I'd say that something has upset him. Maybe some loud noises outside - is there any building work going on near you?

Have you thought about getting him a quick health check at the vets? Sometimes there can be something small that we overlook that could be affecting his peace of mind. Maybe his teeth/gums are sore?

Hmm there's no construction and he's not normally bothered by contructions style sounds. He is however absolutely petrified of pigeon scarers and loud bangs such as fireworks. There have been a few pigeon scarers going off every now and then near me but you can't hear them in the house AND he's not done this before and they've been going off for a while now.

He always has the radio left on for him whenever we are out. We don't leave him for any more than 4 hours at a time (I know it's a long time but we work full time). We make sure he has plenty of exercise. Even when he's not being walked he is playing ball in the house with us.

He's always been so well behaved. He's well trained and never been a chewer of anything other than his own toys.

I just dread going home each and every day and we'd finally thought we'd cracked it by putting him in the kitchen but now he's ruined that too. New worktop to be got, another new door for the cupboard and a new side panel for it too. I don't mind these little things but I'm more concerned that he's not feeling happy

I'd check his teeth and gums. If they're at all sore he'd chew to relieve the soreness.

He has just had a full mot at the vets - around a month ago.

I will check his teeth again tonight when I get home.

I'm thinking he could just be getting stressed.

Considering getting him a crate but I don't want to stress him out further by putting him in there. I know I have to crate train him and in the meantime I guess he's gonna have to go in the leanto

Stress would definitely make him chew to relieve it. Crates are a very good idea but never to be used as a punishment, make it nice and cosy for him with his bedding and blankets, he will see it as his bedroom/safe haven if you like. Maybe cover it with an old blanket to make it more secure looking for him.

I'll be buying a crate I think and try and teach him to go into it as his bed as he's very nervous. He's scared of plastic washing baskets. He was mistreated at his last home and I don't know much about the circumstances as he was dumped on a friend who couldn't keep him my poor baby.

Have you thought about getting some Adaptil Diffusers? They'll often help to calm an anxious dog.

I bought one of these in 2011 for when it got to firework season (I say season as round here they seem to be going off from Sept to Jan) and I got him the spray stuff for his covers but it didn't have any affect on him at all

If I bought a crate - would this one be big enough? or do you think a bigger one would be better for him to scrabble around in?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8705455.htm