# Bella's eating the furniture



## Solas Goldens (Nov 10, 2007)

Hi... I'm really upset right now.I went away for two weeks to NY. MY husband and took separate vacations so we would have to board the dogs or have someome come in.He is home all day,and everything was fine. Half way through my vacation, and on a night when he decided to go out Bella ate the arm of the couch. It has been over a year since she has chewed anything.He tried to cover it, but a day later while he was out mowing the lawn she destroyed the arm of the couch.I got home repaired it the best I could, thinking she must have been upset I was gone. I figured now that I was back she would be fine. The day after I got home she chewed the other arm on the couch.I also repaied that I put chairs up on it to keep her away. That would have been okay, but then she decided to eat the arm on the living room chair. I fixed that and started to put her in the kitchen when I can't watch her. Well this morning I got up with the dogs fed them took them out played for awhile. When we cam back in, I decide to go back to bed because my husband is away and I haven't been sleeping well due to the dogs creeping up on the bed and squishing me. I put them all out of the bedroom, and I forgot to put Bella in the kitchen. When I got up she had destroyed the arm of the chair in the living room. So I'm thinking she was pissed I put her out of the bedroom. 
I"m not sure what to do about this. Your probably all thinking, crate her, but she has never been able to be crated. Until we moved 6 months ago she and the other dogs were locked in the kitchen together at night.In the new house they all sleep on the floor by the bed. I don't know what has gotten into her other than she is just pissed off that we have both been away .I would like to try crating her, but I"m afraid she will just be more spiteful when she gets out. I feel bad having to restrict the other dogs to the kitchen at bed when they behave well.Bella is a very driven busy girl. This girl was unable to be contained by invisible fence because she sniffed out the wire and dug it out of the ground. So I'm looking for suggestion. I don't want to make her behavior worse, but I obviously can't leave her unattended right now.Please Help me!!!!


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

Oh my...sounds like Bella is a very busy girl! Sorry about all your furniture....I can only imagine how incredibly upsetting it must be. I would start by increasing her excerise, maybe take her to the park. Then I would start by introducing the crate to her slowly, so for future time away from home, you can feel more secure. I would get a really sturdyone though, soundsl ike she may try to break out of it too.


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## Solas Goldens (Nov 10, 2007)

I thought that the exercise maybe an issue while I was away, because although my husband took very good care of the dogs, he doesn't exercise & train them like I do.But I resumed our normal activities as soon as I got home.I will start to introduce her to the crate again. but for now I guess I will have to put everyone in the kitchen at night.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Getting her back into a routine might help too. There has been alot of changes in the last year for her and maybe she is feeling alittle insecure right now. Maybe some melatonin might help or one of those mood infusers that you plug in will help. My friend has one for her dog when she leaves, he feels alittle stressed. I can remember when Shebly was young she was a chewer until she was over 2 years old. Just when I would think she was ok, she would do it again. Finally one day she just stopped.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

You named her wrong, my dog Belle ate furniture too.... 

Sorry you are going through this. My dog completely destroyed a BRAND NEW couch. Thank HEAVEN for fabric protection, if she pee'd on it we were not covered but because she ate it... we got it replaced. 

Exercise, crates, and mouse traps helped us get past this stage. She was destructive when she was not exercised enough to 'her' liking. She did grow out of it, we did keep her crated when we couldn't watch after that for several months.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

She SHOULD be trained to be crated, in case there is ever an emergency or situation where confinement is necessary.

Separately, do some searches for "Separation anxiety" or "separation distress." 

If she can be confined safely when not supervised...do so. Give her plenty of appropriate and exciiting toys/chews at those times.

This may be a good resource:Welcome to Dogwise.com Work through the exercises and hopefully things will soon be back to normal.

She is not angry at you. She is stressed/distressed.... and chewing can relieve stress. Unfortunately for you...her item of choice is the couch.


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## Solas Goldens (Nov 10, 2007)

I definitely think she is stressed, and I hadn't thought of separation anxiety because my husband was home with the dogs. I am definitely going to introduce her the the crate again, just slowly because I don't want to stress her more.


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