[Cavalry]

My 11 month old dane has been supervised all day for as long as we have had her. Due to unforeseen changes we now must leave her alone for the workday. Before this we had only left her for a few hours and she would occasionally get into some mischief but not too bad. We have confined her to 2 rooms to keep the destruction to a minimum.

I understand the reasons she is doing this, but what can be done to curb it? She has tons of toys and bones that she plays with while we are home, but they are untouched during the day.

[LeRoymydog]

1 word... crate.

[pamperedpups]

Crate, plus daily physical and mental exercise.

[Cavalry]

I crated this dog in its early months. I have the largest crate I could find but it seems small to keep such a large dog in.
I dont want to have the dog living in the crate for the rest of its life. Would this be a temporary adjustment thing? How would I know when she is ready to be uncrated?
The dog still receives plenty of exercise and stimulation so thats not an issue.

[LeRoymydog]

Yes, it would be a temporary issue. My dog is almost 2 and just got the priviledge of being out of the crate when we are gone.

[chul3l3ies1126]

http://www.midwestpetproducts.com/xx...FQmdnAodz12sRA

You need the biggest size... this is it... it is not too small for any dane... at 45 inches tall it will work. 54"L x 35"W x 45"H

Look into it...
Nessa

[Cavalry]

Mine is that size or close to it. I guess tonight when I dig it out I can measure.

[chul3l3ies1126]

Originally Posted by Cavalry

Mine is that size or close to it. I guess tonight when I dig it out I can measure.

While you are at it measure your dane... as far as I know, the biggest great dane in the world, is 42.2 inches tall... he would still fit in this crate... very snug but he would fit.

Crates should only be big enough for the dog to stand up turn around and lay down. I have 2 Great Danes... and my male is the only one that I can trust out of a crate, his sister needs to be confined.

I'm pretty sure that you will find that sized crate is big enough for your Dane. Now... if the reason is that you do not want to crate her... then you need to find another way to confine your girl before she destroys something and severely hurts herself. Destruction to your material items should definitely not be at the top of your worries. Great Danes are the most known to chew and swallow anything they can and most times will not pass the item and can die a painful death. The crate will be your very best option. Another thing... when you do find the crate, try not to put anything in there with her until she gets used to it, this is to prevent her from chewing up whatever you put in with her. Not even a blanket or cushion, just give her time to get used to it.
Nessa

[French Ring]

Originally Posted by Cavalry

I dont want to have the dog living in the crate for the rest of its life. Would this be a temporary adjustment thing? How would I know when she is ready to be uncrated? /

If your dog has earned his way out of crate, you start with a small room where he won't be destructive like kitchen. Also, when you are home, you keep him in the kitchen by himself while you are doing errands inside your home. You can always check on him when you are on your break from doing errands to check on him.

The dog still receives plenty of exercise and stimulation so thats not an issue.

We don't know what you have done with your great dane. If he is being destructive in a room all the time, it is possible that he is not getting enough mental and physical exercises.

[Cavalry]

Originally Posted by French Ring

We don't know what you have done with your great dane. If he is being destructive in a room all the time, it is possible that he is not getting enough mental and physical exercises.

The dog walks 4-5 miles every morning then 3-4 every evening before bed. (lets say her rear nails never need to be clipped) Before the evening walk we work on obedience training for 20-30 mins (her attention span)

I left her alone again yesterday and she was much better. No destruction but she did move some things around. Today again alone out of crate. She played with her toys and did not touch anything she was not suppose to touch. I really do not want to crate her if at all possible. If she stays at this level I can happily deal with that. It may have just been a few days to adjust?

[French Ring]

Originally Posted by Cavalry

I left her alone again yesterday and she was much better. No destruction but she did move some things around. Today again alone out of crate. She played with her toys and did not touch anything she was not suppose to touch. I really do not want to crate her if at all possible. If she stays at this level I can happily deal with that. It may have just been a few days to adjust?

That's great! It looks like your dog is learning how to behave when he's alone.
It does take time to adjust and you might want to leave some chew toys like everlasting toys and Buster food cube or twist n treat where you can put foo din there. It will keep your dog's mind busy while you are gone.

I don't really like using kongs because they can be dangerous. They only have one hole which can drag the dog's tongue in and there's no way to get it out. I prefer a toy that has two holes where air can comes in and out. (its safer) A dog's tongue can get stuck in there and I have seen dogs being sent to E.R for almost ripping it out.

[Squeeker]

I don't really like using kongs because they can be dangerous. They only have one hole which can drag the dog's tongue in and there's no way to get it out. I prefer a toy that has two holes where air can comes in and out. (its safer) A dog's tongue can get stuck in there and I have seen dogs being sent to E.R for almost ripping it out.

Kongs most certainly have two holes.

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgur...CA261%26sa%3DX