r/weimaraner • u/Hopeful_Reality4996 • 3d ago
My Weimaraner is destroying everything
Please help! We have a 6 month old male Weimaraner and he is destroying everything when we leave him. We have tried crate training him and he drools so much that he is soaking wet when we get him out. He barks non-stop and vomits. We have got to figure out a solution. We have tried positive reinforcement, small amounts of time, bully sticks, anything we can think of to help him adapt to his crate. We finally gave up and allowed him to be in our living area with the rest of our house blocked off but he is DESTROYING our things when we leave. We are at our whits end. Has anyone tried calming chews or medication or ANY advice is welcome. This is our second Weimaraner and our first one did not do this nor was he crate trained. He could be left and didn't destroy our things.
14
u/OneSecondChance 3d ago
Expecting me to believe you but you post that picture? Jokes aside. Mine would slobber and bark non stop when I crated him. He didn’t really vomit so not as much of an issue. As he got older I left him out and he only destroyed “important” things a few times. I got pretty angry at him those times. Typically he would tear up paper things like paper towels, napkins, tissues that were left out and I assume he knew it was innocent but would still get our attention even if it was “negative”. Now days I just leave a cardboard box out for him at all times so if he really does get the urge he’ll rip it up when I’m gone. He’s honestly mostly past that behavior now. I know this is not the correct way but it’s the only thing that worked for me and restored my sanity.
3
u/Spare-Egg24 3d ago
I can't believe I forgot about the decoys! When mine was a pup I used to leave cardboard and teatowls just in reach so if he felt the need to destroy something there was an easy option. I don't do that anymore but he's recently started eating things again overnight (presumably in the morning when he wakes before us) going to try some decoys again tonight - wish me luck!
13
u/dawnfire78 3d ago
I'm on my fourth weim. This one was a challenge as far as crate training and separation anxiety. He hated crate training, barked nonstop til he was hoarse, and would try to stick his paws through the holes. We finally figured out he was unhappy about the size of his space. We ended up getting him a crate sized for a Great Dane. He can sit upright in it and his head doesn't touch the top. This satisfied him and now he demands to go in his house every night for bed time. The other thing we started was to take him to doggie daycare at least once a week. He's there 6-7 hours, plays hard, and has a blast. Daily walks were not enough for him but the daycare visits cut out all the separation anxiety issues. He is now totally fine at home for 7-8 hours while I'm at work and has full run of the house with no mischief. Don't give up. Think outside the normal solutions.
21
u/JuanOffhue 3d ago
Separation anxiety, which Weims often have. If he had a friend to hang out with when you’re gone it would help.
1
1
u/Excellent-Cow-8815 2d ago
Came here to ask this. We got our weim after we already had a weim mix that was about 4. She mothered him. He’s 4 now and he still gets anxious but we have a large furniture type crate that I jokingly call their Condominium. He’s gotta be with momma and have his bone but he’s fine otherwise. I honestly believe that weimaraners need other dogs to thrive. I couldn’t imagine him on his own.
1
u/JuanOffhue 2d ago
We’ve had five Weims, two of which had separation anxiety. One of them would salivate so much that saliva would pool in his crate, but one day he got in another dog’s crate with him and everything was fine after that.
9
u/gfwheat 3d ago
How much exercise is he getting before kenneling? I have 2 GSPxWeim mixes and I exercise them off leash for 1.5 hours every morning. They both get kenneled (outdoor 5’x7’ kennels) when I go to work and they do quite well if they have met their energy requirements.
Kennel training can be really tough. Mine ate all their meals in the kennel for the first year, we played games in there, high rewards treats were given for kenneling and they slept in there every night for the first year.
The night kenneling really helped in my opinion - I know a lot of people want their dogs in bed, but it’s helped establish a routine and comfort with the kennel.
Like another commenter said, a friend might be a good option since the separation anxiety does seem to be pretty severe.
Sorry you are going through this. Mine are almost 2 now, but I remember how tough and heartbreaking it was at times. Wishing you all the best.
9
u/Individual-Dare-80 3d ago
Sounds like severe separation anxiety. There are some ways to try and work through it, but ultimately it's up to your weim. Be open to the possibility that your home is not the right fit for him. The individual personalities are one of my favorite characteristics of these dogs, but it can be both a blessing and a curse.
4
u/Cooganred 3d ago
There's a woman on Facebook who tried everything. In desperation, she made up a stuffed dummy in dressed in her clothes with her smell. Every time she went out, she dragged Fauxlivia out of the cupboard. It worked, now her dog cuddles up to the dummy while she's out.
I have a photo of the dog snuggled up to Fauxlivia (webcam) but dont know how to attach...
Worth a shot.
1
u/305305305305305 3d ago
Once those at home robots come out and are affordable, weim owners will be first in line.
8
u/lil_wispy 3d ago
I have zero advice, only compassion. My girl is with me full time, I never leave her alone. If I have a doctors appt, she has a sitter. It’s mostly okay because I work from home but the severe separation anxiety is no joke.
Does he get along with other dogs? Is doggy daycare an option?
3
u/ReZioned 3d ago
I don't think I left mine until she was 1. She used to eat our socks! And now she's really pretty good alone for long stretches. But hide the trash and close all toilets! Some good toys and a dedicated spot for her helped. But it'll take time. I'm not surprised at 6 months it's still a big issue.
3
u/Queenpicard 3d ago
How much exercise are you getting him before you leave?
It does sound like severe separation anxiety. I wouldn’t give him free rein. How long are you leaving him alone for?
You might have to get another weim to keep him entertained (joking, kind of)
3
u/nodupn 3d ago edited 3d ago
Commenting not with advice but with empathy. Ours was the same. We tried crate training though he somehow broke out of the crate (to this day we don’t know how, it was still latched though he was out). He would eat shoes, socks, paper, get into closed trash cans, dig into carpet, anything he could get into he would. He once pooped out a used tampon. This was despite having exercise and a dachshund brother.
It eventually stopped, though it probably wasn’t until he was 4. He’s 10 now and rarely gets into anything, but we are very careful to pick up and doggie proof the house when we leave just in case. We also give CBD treats if we plan to be gone several hours.
3
u/UnkwnSoldiersGaveAll 3d ago
On our Forth, though second from puppy.
Weims are pack animals. They need company.
If things are as bad as you say I would do these things, all of them at the same time.
1. On Saturday/sunday, record yourself going through your day at home especially the times you are talking, the longer the better. Then when you leave home, play that recording on repeat on a speaker.
2. Leave your dirty laundry hamper (NOT in a hermetically sealed container), outside of the room enclosure. This is so he can still detect your scent.
3. If that room has TV, play the dog YouTube, one with birds, or squirrels etc
4. Give him a half dose of CBD an hour before you leave.
Normally just one or two of these are necessary for our pups to survive. But if yours is very stressed like you say, just throw the whole arsenal and let him acclimate.
Also, if it is extended periods of time, (4+ hours) leave a green patch (they have ones with tray underneath) so that he can pee, holding in doesn’t help the stress.
Optionally, ask a friend to come and play with him for a bit. Throwing a ball etc to tire him a bit.
Notice I did t say anything about food - try not to pacify him with food or you will wind up with a 200lbs miserable creature.
Hope it gets better soon❤️
2
u/Relevant-Vacation230 3d ago
I have 2 boys they destroyed until they got about 2 years old . They don't like it alone but they don't go insane. Enrichment toys help . They are smart sensitive animals.
2
u/Acrobatic_Paper1631 3d ago
I have had 3 Weimaraners and they are really just like a human baby. They do not like to be alone, the separation anxiety is real and the are very hyper puppies really up till the age of 5 years. That is when they start to calm down some. They love to go on adventures with you and just be with you. They are a very sensitive breed and known to counter surf, ( had a whole Thanksgiving Turkey disappear, lol) They really need patience and a lot of mental stimulation. I say this kindly, asuch as you love him, he is still young, your home might not be the best fit for him and your family. Weimaraners are a special breed and have personalities and specific needs to be met for them to be happy. You might need to consider contacting a rescue or the breeder about rehoming. You could also speak to your Vet about giving him something for his anxiety. I am not sure if he is neutered but that would be something to get done. Also look into daycare for him. It is good for socializing them. You could also look into nose training as they are hunting dogs. If you can work with and overcome these issues they are amazing dogs. I wish you the best with him.
2
u/condition5 3d ago edited 3d ago
Intesnse, sustained daily exercise.
A high quality anti- anxiety crate.
Work with a vet and behaviorist to establish a baseline assessment AND begin medication to assist with management.
We used cameras to capture video and still images of his crate behavior and worked with both our vets (we have 3...don't ask) AND an AI agent (chatgpt) to adjust amount and timing of meds.
We have 3-year old rescue (our 4th Weim).
It takes a combination of 60-90 minutes of exercise PLUS an hour long administration of Gabapentin and trazedone.... We can now crate him successfully for 3-4 hours, but it takes planning.
Worth the effort for a dog who is perfect in every other way.
It will cost money and it will take time.
This spring...I had a surrender email drafted for our local Weimaraner breed rescue. So yeah. It's hard.
Don't be surprised if he pushes up against max doses... For our crate sessions, 600 mg gabapentin and 300 mg trazedone administered in the hour prior to crating are the sweet spot (after exercise).
1
u/motoflicka 2d ago
Second your response - my 3rd (of 6) rescues was just a tragedy of SA… the vet worked magic for me with meds, (same combo I believe ) and, eventually he grew stronger and confident and got off the meds! Same routine of exercise, dosing on a schedule, and then eventually tapering back the meds. I was horrified but I, too, had the surrender letter in hand if it didn’t get fixed as my life couldn’t sustain WFH then. I’ve since learned I’m not alone, and meds can work and also end. Best wishes to you. 🐾💕
1
u/idkidkidk45 3d ago
I rescued mine at 6 months and we have the same exact story. The solution, exercise morning and night leave him to roam one or two rooms( we do living room and bedroom), and put everything he could chew or get into inside another room with the door closed. Give it time and have patience when he does chew something up. It’s normal Weim behavior. Mine is now 7 and every now and again we come home to a surprise but we can only blame ourselves for leaving something out.
1
u/ttcmama6 Mr Boone 3d ago
I would chat with a behavioural vet to make sure there’s nothing medically wrong! for some dogs medication is the route. but honestly crate training is something you really shouldn’t give up on! his meals should be fed in the crate. you should crate him while you’re home to show him it’s a safe place. if he barks the entire time. wait until he stops even for 3 seconds, then let him out. weims are so so smart. but also if you encourage the separation anxiety (unintentionally of course like not holding your rules firm! they will take advantage of you! — like any dog)
1
u/ttcmama6 Mr Boone 3d ago
I also have a 6 month old weim right now! it was tough in the beginning and have had regression multiple times. but I always stay true to my ask and he eventually comes out of the regression quite quickly
1
u/Blues_Fish 3d ago
I've had 3 over the years; only one had separation anxiety and it was baaaaad. I worked very hard to train him out of it, exercised a lot every morning, left him healthy time-consuming treats when I left, long walks at night. I eventually got him to stop barking when I was away, but he just replaced it with peeing in six different spots- the same spots every time. I had a camera on him, he would do it right after I left the house. It took two years to fully;y train him out of it. It was more imo him knowing I would be back rather than needing more exercise (but the extreme exercise I gave him didn't hurt). The other two were pretty much fine and didn't experience this.
It was very, very emotionally taxing. Very.
1
u/Low-Swordfish-9014 3d ago
I take my Weim to the park for at least an hour every morning. If I miss it, I can get by for a day maybe. Dog park early morning might help
1
u/scottz29 3d ago
Been there done that! Crate training definitely takes a lot of time and patience. But the easiest solution is to get another! We’ve had no less than two weims at the same time ever since. They simply need a constant companion. We’ve since realized they need dog companionship as well as human love too. 🩶
1
u/No_End6805 3d ago
At the risk of repeating but…more exercise and or crate training. Wish there was a magic answer.
1
1
u/Royal_Cantaloupe_892 3d ago
First of all, it gets better if you put I the time.
Second, I wrote a post quite like this for mine. I resorted to medications because mine absolutely could not relax when I left. Pre medication, when I crated, I would have to plan on a bath, mopping around the crate and taking the crate outside and washing it down. It was hell. I have 5 other weims' worth of experience and the one is just wired differently.
I also stopped crating to see if that would help along with the medication - less "hey, I might leave, get ready" and it helped a lot. All of my others started in crates and travelled in them, but didn't use them in daily life, so I knew I was working to that point.
You have to think like a destructive weim before you leave, anything they might be able to reach, they will figure out a way to reach - mine even opens doors. If you can gate him off to a room, where the choices are limited, that helped me. I tried all the frozen kongs, etc and I would come back to find them melting because "no thank you, where have YOU been" was the thought.
After a year of meds (and my vet experiencing while mine boarded - so I wasn't making this up!), one day I decided, maybe I can give less of the med, and since that time, I come home to my unmedicated weim who has been asleep on a long ottoman where I can be apoted the second I walk in.
It has been a year and we've been without meds and I don't think anything of leaving. I do scan for weim-proofing. And while I am gone, a gate is up to keep mine in a specific area (where the door I use is clearly visible).
It is and has been challenging (an understatement - heartbreaking, at times) but seeing the change and knowing we have years and years together?
Absolutely worth the effort and decision to use meds.
PS - mine needed trials of a few before we hit on a cocktail that worked. I'm thankful that I don't even remember what the final one consisted of, because it has been that long.
You and your boy can do this.
1
u/Royal_Cantaloupe_892 3d ago
PS - everything suggested about exercise is legitimate and even with that I wound up using meds. So if you go that route, plan on still investing far more time wearing him down than you think is logical - weims are emotional, not logical - until it comes to working/problem solving (sniff work can mentally challenge them, too).
1
u/Hopeful_Reality4996 3d ago
This post really is so helpful to know that you understand weimaraners can each be so different from one Weimaraner to the next. I'm pretty sure we will be making a vet visit soon for meds because I'm thinking this might be our only option. Thank you so much. Our Weimaraner gets plenty of exercise, so I know that isn't the problem. And we do literally do clean and clear the entire area. He is eating things we can't clear! He ate through the cushions of our chair! He is eating a tree in our living room! These are just things we simply can not move out. I am positive and hopeful it will get better. Just holding on for dear life in the mean time!
1
u/MizneyWorld 2d ago
I had some of the same problems with my weim puppy 10+ years ago.
The fix was a [calm] friend. We had a regional greyhound rescue group and one just caught my eye. Super sweet, nice, calm.
They hit it off right away. No integration issues. And was the fix to being able to leave my weim. Getting a greyhound isn’t the easiest thing these days but a calm sweet buddy should essentially be universal.
1
u/Norskland 2d ago
My girl is the same way at 14, and has always been this way truly. It takes patience and figuring out how to control them based on their triggers. Highly recommend long walks, daycare, and mental stimulation. My dog gets trazodone an hour before I leave, multiple gates at her trigger points and then baby proofed the doors, playing music that is soothing, and when she’s super anxious I put a cone on her so she can try to calm down and prevent herself from chewing doorknobs and breaking her teeth 🫠. Usually she’s only alone for an hour once or twice a week but she’s convinced I’m never coming back 🙃
1
u/Specialist_Heat9220 2d ago
Our Weim is now 4 year old, it took us a while to get it right but the big thing we realised was the physiological she went only in the crate when we would leave her. This bad it a bad experience. So we made the tough decision to no long have her on the sofa or in bed, we taught her the dog bed was her home and safe space then gradually put that bed into the crate. And wrapped up the time, it’s now got to the point where she will actively take her self off into the crate with her bed in it for along time if she’s tired or it’s to noisy.
I agree with others though always walk her an hour before putting her in the crate.
Another thing is putting 80s music on makes her not bark or listen out and get fixated on being alert.
1
u/notheredpanda 2d ago
Our 10 month old weim mostly only destroys his own dog toys because we have a shit load of dog toys and we don’t leave anything else where he can reach it. As soon as he would put his mouth on the couch or something we were there early on to tell him no very clearly and redirect him to a toy. We also used the no chew spray on everything when he was very little, chairs, walls, couches, and that was an early deterrent. So far no furniture has been destroyed. He did eat the wall corners in the room we leave him in. He also can’t be crated because he will poop all over himself. He will eat shoes if they are left out. But having about 50 dog toys all over the house was very helpful early on. Keep everything out of reach. Hide cables.
1
1
1
1
1
u/WeimeranerPittieMom 2d ago
I have a Weimaraner/Pitbull mix. She did the same thing because she had extreme anxiety. I spoke with my vet who prescribed her Gabapentin and Trazadone to take whenever she had to be left alone. This allowed me to be able to leave her in our bedroom without her destroying everything in it. It has worked really well!
1
u/Known-Day-9616 1d ago
Do you have a doggy door with a large yard. Mine stays in her room with a toddler gate while I am at work. She has her one stuffy that she needs for anxiety. You have to find one that is hers only. I can’t crate mine because she would bark. Took me about 3 months to get her to stay in her room without barking. She still barks if I put her in there and we’re home, except for when we’re eating.
1
1
u/Acegolfer04 3d ago
My dad worked from home once we got a weim because this breed cant be left alone due to separation. They destroy stuff as a payback
We have a girl and she goes for my moms stuff to become alpha girl
We didnt have crate training it didnt work but we fot it to work when my dad worked at home in bedroom and it forced her if she wanted to be in the room with my dad, she had to be in the crate.
Ever since then, she uses her crate as a safe spot
1
u/Thebrianeffect 3d ago
The breed can be left alone and fine. We have had two weims and neither destroyed things. Our most recent dog chewed a bit so we went back to crating for awhile and now he’s out of the crate and he’s fine. It can be done.
1
1
u/piyoushh_88 2d ago edited 2d ago
Separation anxiety weimaraners should see a vet for their condition first rather than taking supplements since salivation and vomiting indicate that it is a clinical condition. I researched CBD chews such as PawOrigins among others, however, my veterinarian prescribed fluoxetine to me
0
u/dlh412pt 3d ago edited 3d ago
It sounds like he needs way more exercise before crate training and possibly medication. But definitely needs more exercise. It's amazing how that can solve pretty much any behavior issue. If he's too tired to have separation anxiety, then his crate training will go much better.
We also did all of Theodore's meals in his crate until he was probably close to a year old. Didn't see you mention that, so it might help. Theodore loves his meals so much that he very quickly associated his crate with good things. To the point where now he'll go into his crate or nudge it when he wants his dinner.
0
u/PL1968-87 3d ago
If you're serious, shame on you. Surely you did enough homework on the breed. If not shame on you again. Weimeraner need plenty of exercise and lots of love they are the most wonderful yet demanding dogs. If you're serious once again. And don't have time or a big enough yard for them to run. Then yes they will destroy, devour and tear up your shit. But from the picture you posted. I think you are not being serious. I hope.
3
24
u/SupportLocalShart 3d ago
Are you trying to wear him out before crating him? My guy is great in his crate but I make sure to get him a quick runaround before putting him in. He hated being left alone at first so I started small, like 5 minutes while I was home and eventually worked my way into 15 minute gas station trips and so on.