# Out of spite? Just curious if anybody else has had this problem. Sometimes when I disappear, whether it be to take a shower, or to put laundry away upstairs... Mylie has begun to do things which I believe to be out of spite, in anger or frustration that I'm gone and she can hear me but can't get to me. A few exa… ## Thread In Behavior · started by LoveMyMylie · 8 replies - **Category:** [Behavior](https://nihonken.org/community/c/behavior) - **Forum:** [Nihon Ken Forum](https://nihonken.org/community/) ## LoveMyMylie · 2008-07-08T01:21:02.000Z Just curious if anybody else has had this problem. Sometimes when I disappear, whether it be to take a shower, or to put laundry away upstairs... Mylie has begun to do things which I believe to be out of spite, in anger or frustration that I'm gone and she can hear me but can't get to me. A few examples: If I am upstairs, she will chew on the stairs, or while in the shower, she will chew on the wall outside the bathroom door. If I leave the bathroom door open, she finds something in there to steal and destroy. Tonight she did something that really bothered me. I am remodeling the spare bedroom upstairs, I spent maybe an hour tonight touching up pain. I made sure I let her outside and played with her plenty before I disappeared. I watched her pee outside, I made sure she went, then I put the gate in the living room so she wouldn't chew up the stairs. When I was finished & came back to her, I found the she had deliberately peed on the couch! She's spending some alone time in her crate right now. Surprisingly, this is her first time being locked in, and she's not whining. She only behaves this way when I disappear within the house, when she knows I'm here, she's fine all day long while I'm at work and all night while I sleep... Any suggestions on how to deal with this? I'd hate to keep her locked in her crate while I'm home! Thanks so much! ## StaticNfuzz · 2008-07-08T01:45:28.000Z Melissa, IMHO I don't think it is because of spite. Many people think dogs are spiteful and in most case, specifically with shibas it is stress. She is stressing that she can not be with you. She has to practice being alone and when you can not watch her she needs to be in an x-pen or crate until she learns some self control. I know many folks have a rule a dog is not left free run until up to 2 yrs of age. That means she goes in the crate when you can not watch the dog no matter what or for how short of time you may be gone, be it in another room, or short convenience store trip etc. The best way for now is to limit any possibility for making poor choices that are destructive. Place a kong or bone in with her so she vents frustration on those items when alone in her limited/confined space. Snf ## Romi (admin) · 2008-07-08T02:16:41.000Z Sounds like separation anxiety to me. The fact that she is being destructive to things where you are - signaling that she is trying to get to you. A lot of dogs with separation anxiety will be destructive towards items/objects that keep them away from you. Mostly the bottom of doors and windows. It's kind of odd that she behaves well while you're out of the house, but only becomes destructive when you are in the home where she cannot see you. I agree with SNF, crating her will guarantee that she is safe as well as your belongings. I have recommended this book to a few other people on the forum, its a little pamphlet and has a lot of information. Its called "I'll Be Home Soon" by Patricia McConnell. She specifies signs of separation anxiety and lets you be the judge if you think your dog has it or not. Lots of great different training techniques to practice with your dog if she does indeed have a little anxiety. ## LoveMyMylie · 2008-07-08T11:39:53.000Z Looks like I can always count on you two to respond! Thanks for the opinions, I read up a bit on separation anxiety. I think it's a combination of what both of you said. Mylie is stressed when she can hear me but can't get to me and this may trigger her anxiety. Poor thing, I'm working on how to fix this and she will be spending more time in her crate when I'm home but not around to be with her. ## brandon_w (admin) · 2008-07-08T11:47:40.000Z A crate is your best friend. As the others mentioned, it's' not spite. It's boredom, frustration, and anxiety. Dogs don't have the mental capacity for spite. ## tsukitsune (moderator) · 2008-07-08T11:49:26.000Z She might just be bored, if she isn't getting enough exercise or stimulation. That in combination with stress or anxiety will create a destructive dog, left to their own devices. I, too, learned this the hard way with a foster dog. He loved to be right there with me 24/7, and I had to just remind myself to keep crating him if he couldn't be right next to me. When he started barking and soiling in his crate, we looked into natural ways to soothe a separation anxiety and started pushing his exercise regimen. He was a basset hound and didn't really like to run but we started taking him on morning jogs and I think all he had left to do in his crate was sleep after that. ## diggah · 2008-07-08T15:30:33.000Z With kids it's called "negative attention seeking"; but it isn't quite the same. If you've ever taken a toddler out of the bath tub you'll notice that they'll lead you on a merry chase if they manage to bolt off before you get a diaper on them. Why do they do it? Because they know you'll chase them and its fun. Same thing happens when fluffy decides to treat your remote like a chew toy. Best bet is to take away as many opportunities to misbehave as you can. ## ddowdemers · 2008-07-08T17:19:15.000Z Brandon said it all... ## sujewel · 2008-07-09T10:28:32.000Z I'm with Romi. Sounds like separation anxiety. For Mika it was excessive chewing and excessive whining. Crating Mylie is a good idea. However, you should also train her to be sound with your absence. It's repetitive, but go out the door, count to 5 and then go back in. Have a treat in hand if she's been good. Continue to repeat this exercise giving yourself more time outside with every go around. So the next time, count to 30, then go in. The next time, walk around the block, etc. Each training session should be 15 to 20 minutes in length so you don't bore her. But you have to repeat every day! --- **Navigate:** [Forum home](https://nihonken.org/community/?format=md) · [Sitemap](https://nihonken.org/community/sitemap.xml)