[willowagon]

Hello, Im not sure if this belongs in 'trianing' or 'behavior', but here goes. I adopted a golden retriever at 12 weeks of age. She is a wonderful dog, very sweet and smart. She is now at 26 weeks.

I trained her to go both outside and be able to use training pads since i am gone for 6-8 hrs a day and cant leave her outside. She took to both very well, and only uses the pad to go #1 (never #2s inside at all anymore) on occasion now that she has gotten a little older.

Issue: When she is left alone for the day, I put her in the kitchen because there is nothing that she could possibly destroy, nothing to hurt her and it is vinyl floor. Every time i return, her training pad has been destroyed! I thought she was chewing, so i put down bitter apple training spray on each pad. Now, she just digs at them rather than chewing.

I leave her with plenty of toys to occupy her time. I have never caught her in the act, so it is hard to dicipline her after so much time has passed.

Any ideas on how to stop this behavior? I would like to get rid of the pad eventually, but 6-8 hrs seems too long to go without a place to pee

[CorkyMax]

The problem is boredom. I had a Golden/Cocker mix who did the same thing. This was about 12 years ago. I quit the training pads. Lol, one day I came home from work and he had strung out the whole roll of toilet paper through the entire house! I got another dog (puppy) for companionship and also when I put in a chain link fence and a doggy door---It made a difference. I realize not everyone can do either of those things. You need to tire your Golden out before you go to work and take her for long walks or runs. Don't know if this would help too--leaving a radio on---fill a kong with treats. But please do not discipline her----She needs something to stop the boredom. A Golden is a breed that wants to be with you--They are a family dog--She is probably lonely as well as bored.

I will also quote from my breeds book: Goldens like nothing better than to work---if they have regular strenuous duties, so much the better. At the very least they need a long daily walk and preferably an opportunity to run freely. Golden Retrievers love to swim and should be allowed to do so whenever possible. Me 'talking' here: Just don't let her be in harm's way if you let her run freely or swim. She needs to be trained to come when you want her to, etc.

I love Goldens. I have a rescued stray right now that is another Golden/Cocker mix. I love that combination even more than the pure breeds of either of these breeds. Goldens are so smiley all the time with a tail that is wagging happily most of the time too. And I agree about the sweetness of them too. I like the mix also though because it makes for a little smaller dog--generally. I had always favored Cocker Spaniels before I got the mix--I also think the mix has a nicer personality. I have a pure Cocker now too so I can see the difference in the personalities----At least that has been my experience.

Being as you have a Golden, I am giving you a link to an important thing to know: Dilated Cardiomyopathy (Heart Disease) I wish someone had told me about this problem before my Corky died because of it. I now supplement my dogs with (human) capsules of Taurine. I do not feed commercial dog food but if I did, I would definitely make sure that taurine was listed in the ingredients!!!! Some companies have started putting taurine in their dog food but many still do not!

[dogs rule]

I agree with CorkyMax, it sounds like boredom and lots of extra energy to let lose.
All the points Corkymax said, try them. Kongs are great, haven't had a dog yet that didn't like one, especially filled with peanut butter.
Long walk before you leave and for sure the radio. I leave one on in the kitchen for my two.

All the best.

[Lunareclipse]

We have a Buster Cube. Works great for our aussie.

[Lara's mom]

I don't have any ideas for you but, I know a lot of people who have tried puppy pads and have had exactly the same thing happen. I don't know why but some pups just would rather shred them than pee on them...

[Lunareclipse]

Seriously, if he's tearing up the puppy pads, try a littler box. If your dog is too big for a cat box, go buy a rubbermaid tote and turn it into a littlerbox for your dog.

[willowagon]

Thanks for the tips everyone!

I will try the rubbermaid litterpan idea, seems like a good one.

I do run her for 45 minutes-1 hr every weekday during my morning jog, then she goes to the dog park after i get home and plays for an hour. I think the exercize is enough for her.

She has a kong with the special stuffing that she also loves. I guess removal of the pad for a couple of days is worth a try to see if she focuses her energy on her toys instead

[dogs rule]

Sounds like you have a calm & cool approach to this. Thats great, keep it.
All the best.