Hey guys, So, I travel and work for a Renaissance festival, which means I live in a tent long term. I got my first dog, and I adore him. Things were going smoothly for the first month, but lately, he’s started tearing up my tent while I’m away working on weekends.
At first, I had a nice tent that cost around $300 and even had a weatherproof porch for him to hang out in while I was gone. It was working great until last weekend when he destroyed the front half. I replaced it with a cheaper tent (since ren faire pay isn’t exactly stellar) and thought I’d set things up so he couldn’t reach it, but today he managed to tear a huge hole in the side.
He’s got a big pork bone and other toys to keep him occupied, and my friend and I check on him a few times a day, but I’m worried this is becoming a habit. I’m not sure how to train him to stop since it’s happening while I’m away, and I really can’t afford to replace a tent every week. Plus, it feels so wasteful and bad for the environment.
My current plan is to wake up early and take him for a run to tire him out as much as possible (though he’s still a puppy, so I doubt I can fully exhaust him). I’m also planning to restrict his lead even more so he still has room to play with his toys and access his food and water. A friend suggested spraying the edges of the tent with vinegar and cayenne mixture as a deterrent, but I’m not sure if it’s a good idea or if it could be harmful to him.
Any thoughts on whether this is safe? And if anyone has advice on how to communicate to him that this behavior isn’t okay (considering I only find out long after he’s done it), that would be super helpful.
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Get a crate and keep him in the tent while you work. Crate training your new puppy is essential! Particularly a puppy! Vinegar and cayenne may also stop him, but he will most likely continue to attack other parts of the tent. Crating is a far better option than replacing an expensive tent each week.
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Puppies destroy things when left alone, whether in a house or in a tent. Grab a crate. Be careful not to leave anything near or on top of the crate.
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The only solution is a crate. Also, what is the temperature inside the tent throughout the day? In the summer, sleeping in a tent is almost as uncomfortable as being trapped in a car.
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As an alternative to a crate, depending on the size of the puppy, you may place him in an X-pen with his toys, food, and water. It sounds like he’s still too young to have progressed past the destructive chewing period, so the only alternative is to limit his access to everything he can destroy. In general, a crate or X-pen is safer for him if he is completely unsupervised while you are away. When dogs are left alone for extended periods, they can become tangled and seriously wounded when on leads.
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Your dog doesn’t like being confined all day without you. A crate is more difficult to dismantle, but it won’t benefit your dog.
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Can’t you take him with you at least occasionally? I’ve been taking my dog(s) with me for years, and companies have been much more receptive since the introduction of emotional support animals. How often does he receive play breaks while you are away? Your pet is lonely and bored. Another option is to get a second puppy so he has a friend, or you might swap petsitting time with a dog-owning friend whose hours differ from yours.
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@Ill_Opportunity_4642 Emotional support animals are not assistance dogs, and companies have no legal obligation to accept them in the workplace. Any animal can be an emotional support animal. They’re basically an animal that gives the owner comfort with no training required.