Great Dane Menace

[RosemaryDuck]

Hey all. Just really wanted to rant somewhere because I'm super exhausted.

We've always had large breed dogs (and danes) in the house. Always trained them, never had any issues that couldn't be fixed.

About 3 years ago we got a Great Dane from a local shelter. He was a surrender. Had some deformities (on his feet) but overall seemed friendly. Adopted him after a few weeks because he seemed pretty good about everything and got along with our other dogs.

This was short lived. He has raging separation anxiety. To an extreme. If anyone in the house (even guests) leaves the room he's currently in, he goes ballistic. Destroys pillows, blankets, furniture, walls, etc. We crate trained him so that we could leave without him destroying everything.

Giving him crate pads or beds is impossible. If you leave and he's crated, it is immediately destroyed or eaten. He even goes as far as to chew on the crate.

We tried training. We got medications from the vet but nothing even touched him. Didn't calm him down at all.

Tonight I was so tired, I just wanted to make some food and go to bed. I went downstairs and the dogs went outside. Upon coming in, in about a 5 minute window, he destroyed one of my favorite trees (a large, beautiful mulberry tree kept on the porch) that was important to me. Stripped every leaf off, chewed the entire plant and left it all over.

I know it was my fault for not watching for those 5 minutes but I was exhausted. I know it was just a stupid tree but it's like everything has just built up. Anyone ever had a dog like this? What was your experience?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ugh, so sorry that you have to go through this. Honestly don't know what to suggest in such an extreme case. The newest of my dogs had severe separation anxiety and we worked with a trainer (gradual exposure to us leaving the house more frequently) but had to resort to Prozac to take the edge off, and she was on that for about a year and a half. Until the medication took enough effect to let us leave for short durations, we resorted to taking her everywhere with us and letting her sleep outside our bedroom.

It was such a relief to be able to leave for an hour to eat out and not come back to pee/poop and chew marks on the trim in the house.

 

[Weeg]

Wow, I'm so sorry. That sucks!
What if there are other dogs with him? Is he super nervous then? Have you tried pure CBD oil to clam him? I totally trust CBD/hemp oil on my dogs. I've never used it for stress, but definitely works for pain.
Amazon sells many brands of hemp oil for dogs, and Dogs Naturally sells pure CBD oil for dogs as well, though its really expensive. https://thenaturaldogstore.com/products/cbd-oil-for-dogs

 

[RosemaryDuck]

Ugh, so sorry that you have to go through this. Honestly don't know what to suggest in such an extreme case. The newest of my dogs had severe separation anxiety and we worked with a trainer (gradual exposure to us leaving the house more frequently) but had to resort to Prozac to take the edge off, and she was on that for about a year and a half. Until the medication took enough effect to let us leave for short durations, we resorted to taking her everywhere with us and letting her sleep outside our bedroom.

It was such a relief to be able to leave for an hour to eat out and not come back to pee/poop and chew marks on the trim in the house.

Thank you so much for your response. It really feels like we've tried everything. If it was a smaller dog I think it would be more manageable, but he's so large he can reach and destroy just about anything.

We literally buy a pillow or new blanket about once a week. If someone isn't watching him 24/7 or following him like a hawk something gets destroyed.

I can't even say it's boredom either. He gets new toys every other day (due to destroying them frequently), play time with us (+the other dogs) and time outside to run around like a maniac. Sometimes it feels like I'm going crazy!

 

[Weeg]

Can you use a wire crate? Something he wont chew through?
I would suggest a heartbeat puppy toy if other dogs soothed him, but it sounds like its mostly anxious because of his people leaving. That toy would probably just get torn up.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

Wow, I'm so sorry. That sucks!
What if there are other dogs with him? Is he super nervous then? Have you tried pure CBD oil to clam him? I totally trust CBD/hemp oil on my dogs. I've never used it for stress, but definitely works for pain.
Amazon sells many brands of hemp oil for dogs, and Dogs Naturally sells pure CBD oil for dogs as well, though its really expensive. https://thenaturaldogstore.com/products/cbd-oil-for-dogs

Thank you! I've never tried CBD oil as I've heard mixed messages/etc about it's use with animals. But I'll definitely look into it (and ask my vet about it as well).

He does have our other dogs to play with. He plays with our other Dane almost non stop.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Just to weigh in on the CBD oil, I did try that for my dog and had some success (it did reduce her anxiety somewhat), but having to time dosages to coincide with when we wanted to leave was tough. Whereas the Prozac left her in a bit of a daze all the time - not ideal, but better than destruction and endless crying.

I must hate myself because we have another dog that pees and/or eats fabric any time she isn't supervised (she literally ate a Thundershirt off herself, so much for reducing anxiety!), and if crated will attempt to tear her way out to the point of injury, but tolerates being tied down without any issue.

We have weird animals.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

Just to weigh in on the CBD oil, I did try that for my dog and had some success (it did reduce her anxiety somewhat), but having to time dosages to coincide with when we wanted to leave was tough. Whereas the Prozac left her in a bit of a daze all the time - not ideal, but better than destruction and endless crying.

I must hate myself because we have another dog that pees and/or eats fabric any time she isn't supervised (she literally ate a Thundershirt off herself, so much for reducing anxiety!), and if crated will attempt to tear her way out to the point of injury, but tolerates being tied down without any issue.

We have weird animals.

Wow, I don't think I've ever heard of a dog managing to tear a thundershirt off! That's kind of impressive . We definitely do have some strange dogs.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Wow, I don't think I've ever heard of a dog managing to tear a thundershirt off! That's kind of impressive . We definitely do have some strange dogs.

She didn't tear it off, that's the thing. She literally ATE it off her own body. Then she ate pajamas off herself as well, along with the trim off a floppier dog bed, and a couple of blankets. I no longer leave anything blanket-like anywhere near her, and all the beds have to be firm.

 

[tripletfeb]

How old is the dane? My weim, when he was younger, used to tear into everything when we left him alone. I was at work one day, and checked on him in his crate, through our Wyze camera we have set up. He literally chewed the plastic bin that slides into the wire crate, and had his head sticking out of the torn up door. I had to leave work to rescue him or he could have choked to death. One day I came home and the kitchen floor was torn up. The hard kitchen floor! Another time he tore up the wall, literally chewed through the drywall. He has calmed down so much now but he's only one, I still expect some disaster when I come home. And I'm only at work for three hours a day! But for your dog, they sell plug in calm down air diffusers. It emits a smell that only dogs can smell, it's supposed to mimic mama dogs calm down pharomones. Maybe try that?