[JohnS158]

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!!!!
I have a 9month old silver lad/ American bully (male) and he’s a good dog and listens pretty well. He’s a inside dog unless I’m outside in the yard then he follows me but here recently it’s been to cold to let him sleep in his big crate outside on my back porch so I’ve let him sleep in side with me the past week or so. And he will wake up in the middle of the night and pee and poop and destroy EVERYTHING! Even tho I put all the stuff at places he can’t reach them and still some how gets to them and destroy them. I don’t know why he will use the bathroom in the house at night but not use the bathroom in his cage? I’ve popped him and used a VERY stern voice to him and he knows what he has done because I can just look at what he has down and he will cower down before I even look his way please someone help me with this situation it’s really getting out of control. And it does him no good to be leashed up at night he has chewed threw 2 very thick dog ropes.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Crate him when he is inside.
NEVER scold him for pooping and peeing indoors. All it will do is make him afraid to poop and pee in front of you.

Waking up and being destructive is not abnormal. A dog that is bored and unsupervised will find a way to amuse himself.. it usually will not be something the owner likes. Scolding of punishment after the fact is pointless. Unlike children, Dogs do not make relationships with past behavior and current correcting.

So, buy or bring a crate indoors. Crate him at night. You COULD take him out late at night and reward him for peeing and pooping outdoors (use high value food) and then bring him back in and put him back in the crate.

 

[JohnS158]

He’s never been afraid to use the bathroom in front of me even after scolding him his behavior is like no other dog I’ve ever owned he’s not bad he’s just a confusing dog I have also use treats when he uses the bathroom outside I’ll praise him love on him and I can’t bring his crate inside because he uses the bathroom in it but he will not use the bathroom in his crate when the crate is outside I’ve never understood that and still don’t understand that. that’s why I let him sleep outside in his crate because he does not use the bathroom in it and I would like to also know Will he grow out of this stage of chewing and tearing up everything because I’ve also been considering getting him neutered but I’ve heard people say it will help and it won’t help

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Neutering won't help. Supervision will.

If he uses the crate inside as a bathroom here is a list to consider:

1. What size is the crate? If it is bigger than only room enough to stand up and turn around it is too big. Get a smaller crate.. just large enough to stand up snd turn around in.

2. If crated inside Get him out every hour. Get him out after eating or drinking. Get him out after play. Treat him like an 8 week old puppy. Reinforce going to the bathroom outside with excellent food. Do this for a week. Then go to 2 hours for a week. Then 3 hours for a week.

House breaking is a process. It can be a lot of work. Some dogs are easier than others.

It is not a matter of why. Honestly? Why does not matter. You need to up your work on the "process" to house break the dog.

 

[Kensi]

He’s never been afraid to use the bathroom in front of me even after scolding him his behavior is like no other dog I’ve ever owned he’s not bad he’s just a confusing dog I have also use treats when he uses the bathroom outside I’ll praise him love on him and I can’t bring his crate inside because he uses the bathroom in it but he will not use the bathroom in his crate when the crate is outside I’ve never understood that and still don’t understand that. that’s why I let him sleep outside in his crate because he does not use the bathroom in it and I would like to also know Will he grow out of this stage of chewing and tearing up everything because I’ve also been considering getting him neutered but I’ve heard people say it will help and it won’t help

Getting him neutered will solve a lot of behavioral problems. There isn't much reason not to neuter a pet dog. Can prevent certain health problems, improve some behavioral problems, improve behavior with other dogs... Other than that, as far as this issue, I agree with the other post. You are going to have to act like you're housebreaking him all over again, he hasn't generalised it to this situation yet.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

I disagree with Kensi on this. Never saw neutering a male dog change anything except ability to breed. Had many male dogs.. never neutered them and they never bred anything.

Back 40 years ago people spayed females because of heats and puppies. Males? Never. Males sold for higher prices because they did not need expensive surgery. Neutering males has been a relatively recent thing. Neutering too young can cause irreversible structure changes due to a lack of hormones (excessive long bone growth, inferior muscling).

Neutering stops reproduction. Your bored dog will still tear up stuff after neutering.

 

[RonE]

I disagree with Kensi on this. Never saw neutering a male dog change anything except ability to breed.

Neutering stops reproduction. Your bored dog will still tear up stuff after neutering.

This. Exactly.

 

[Kensi]

I disagree with Kensi on this. Never saw neutering a male dog change anything except ability to breed. Had many male dogs.. never neutered them and they never bred anything.

Back 40 years ago people spayed females because of heats and puppies. Males? Never. Males sold for higher prices because they did not need expensive surgery. Neutering males has been a relatively recent thing. Neutering too young can cause irreversible structure changes due to a lack of hormones (excessive long bone growth, inferior muscling).

Neutering stops reproduction. Your bored dog will still tear up stuff after neutering.

I do understand what you are saying, and you are likely right. In my experience, however, male dogs that are denied the ability to breed (as most pet dogs would be) tend to end up taking out their frustration on something, like by exhibiting problem behaviors: chewing, barking, etc. They also are more inclined to "mark their territory"... inside. Also, when unfixed males meet my female, fixed dog, they tend to go a bit crazy and get too much up in her space, which just can't end well. It does reduce the risk of certain cancers though, and a few other diseases. It has also been shown to reduce aggression. (This is according to the AKC) Most vets I know recommend it, some even require it, for patients
I do agree about how doing it too young is dangerous though.
And it is, I'm sure, a very individual thing. As you said, you had unfixed males with no problem whatsoever

 

[RonE]

Every marking, humping or destructive dog I've known has been neutered. I'm not saying that neutering CAUSES those things, but there's no evidence that it prevents or diminishes them.

 

[Kensi]

Every marking, humping or destructive dog I've known has been neutered. I'm not saying that neutering CAUSES those things, but there's no evidence that it prevents or diminishes them.

Interesting. I had the exact opposite experience with our puppy Opie. He did a LOT of humping before getting fixed, and it stopped within 2 weeks of being neutered. (Not saying you're wrong, just stating my experience) That is interesting though, good to know.

Anyway, sorry to OP, this has gotten a bit off-topic

 

[DaySleepers]

So he pees in the crate when it's inside, but not in the same crate when it's outside, do I have that right?

I do agree that he should be confined at night to prevent the destructive behaviors. It'll help to know how much exercise and mental stimulation he's getting daily - what does his typical routine look like?

I also strongly agree that you need to stop hitting and scolding him. He's cowering because you're scaring him and that's what a dog naturally does to try to get you to stop, not because he understands what he's done wrong. All this kind of punishment does is damage your relationship and makes him stressed. Stress can actually increase destructive behaviors and inappropriate pottying so this approach may well be making his behavior worse. As mentioned earlier, dogs cannot understand that they're being punished for something they did hours - or even minutes - ago, they will only connect it to what they were doing immediately before you hit or scolded them.

Neutering will only impact behavior that's driven by high hormones. Unfortunately, it's pretty darn hard to tell what's hormonal behavior and what's boredom, stress, or just lack of training. It should never be treated as a magic bullet that will definitely solve behavior problems, even if it worked for another dog. For example: my pediatric neuter male (he was snipped at 8 weeks) humps when he's even a little overstimulated in play, but my intact adolescent only rarely does so. What I'm trying to say is don't neuter solely because you expect it to fix your dog's problems. If you were planning on neutering anyway for other reasons, then go ahead, but be prepared that nothing will change one way or another. If your dog's at all anxious or nervous, I'd even suggest avoiding it until he's fully mature.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Humping is a behavior based in excitement.

My female would hump pillows. There were no pillows safe from her doing this.. before spaying or after spaying.

Yesterday my Male did a little humping behavior with the fixed male cat which I stopped him from doing and said "Really? REALLY???" He looked at the floor... Haha!

He does not bother my spayed female.. she would kick his butt. Smartest guy I know.. NEVER argues with a female. He is intact.

Either way it does not sound like the OP has a marking problem or intact male problem. It sounds entirely like a training problem. I hope he tries some of the suggestions and he and his dog do well!!

 

[DaySleepers]

@3GSD4IPO Yup, pretty much the only behaviors I'd expect neutering to affect MOST of the time are how that dog acts around females in heat - eg if you have one of those males who won't eat, won't sleep, and screams 24/7 if the neighbor's bitch is in heat, I'd expect neutering to significantly improve that behavior. Though there's always the small chance that it won't because behavior is complicated. Anything else is pretty much anyone's guess, because most behaviors we associate with "high testosterone" can also be attributed to a number of other factors. Testosterone may be a component, but my preference is to eliminate issues like not enough physical/mental stimulation or needing more training first.

This doesn't sound like marking behavior to me, either.

 

[LeoRose]

Getting him neutered will solve a lot of behavioral problems. There isn't much reason not to neuter a pet dog. Can prevent certain health problems, improve some behavioral problems, improve behavior with other dogs... Other than that, as far as this issue, I agree with the other post. You are going to have to act like you're housebreaking him all over again, he hasn't generalised it to this situation yet.

I know lots of people with intact males who don't mark inside, don't hump other dogs, and in general behave themselves, even when they live with intact bitches. There is a growing body of science that shows either delaying altering or even leaving both genders intact is better for overall health. And the worst markers I've ever had were spayed bitches....

It sounds like this pup doesn't have a clue that inside the house at night means he still needs to behave. Going back to housetraining 101, and crating him at night will probably help with a lot of the issues.

 

[ClanWorgen]

And the worst markers I've ever had were spayed bitches....

Oof, this! My spayed female marks a TON, it is manageable inside but she still does it from time to time. Outdoors she is lifting her leg over every bit of urine from another dog she can find 🤦‍♀️

 

[mustluvdogs66]

He does not know what he’s done is wrong, unless you catch him doing it. Scolding him after it’s happened just makes you scary and unpredictable to him. If you do catch him, it should just be a firm, but not angry “eh-eh, let’s go outside”.
It sounds like his crate is a source of comfort and familiarity for him.
Neutering is certainly healthiest for him. But it probably won’t change much behavior wise.

 

[Deacon.dog]

Your dog needs a potty schedule, puppies cannot hold it for that long.

your dog needs to be out to potty every 2 hours or so.

set an alarm, take the dog out. on a schedule.

Do NOT scold the dog, Ignore the potty on the floor, pick it up. Move on. HEAVILY praise and treat when your dog goes potty outside.

You are not setting your dog up for sucess.