Dog Problem - Tearing stuff up

My sister adopted a 1 year old Jack Russle Terrier / Beagle mix in October and we are trying to figure out how to get him to stop tearing things up.
He was in a shelter his entire young life until my sister adopted him and they have bonded beautifully. My sister works a lot and is gone for long stretches during the day but he has a big yard to play in and a doggie door so he can go in and out when he wants. There are two cats in the home, one of them is his best buddy. There is also a Sheltie, but she doesn't want to play with him. He has lots of toys and he likes to play with them.
He likes to take things he finds in the house and leave them outside or in the basement, sometimes he chews them up but not always. Things like shoes, TV remotes or anything you might put down for a moment like keys. Or my iPad. He took that and dropped it down the stairs and broke the screen. Recently he shredded a whole piece of furniture, an ottoman . Since then he has been crated while his mom is working and that makes her sad. I'm going to the U.S. Tomorrow and I'm going to try to work with him while I'm there but I'm not sure what can be done.

All suggestions are welcome!

He may simply grow out of it. My pitbull was bad for that until recently. She is now 2 1/2 and has been "shoe free" for about 6 months.

What a combination - hyper and hard to train. Prolonged crating can cause mental and physical illness - not a good idea. Better to keep him and his toys in a doggy proof room. A dog walker coming midday for a 30 minute walk would be great if she can afford it. A doggy Daycare once a week can also help tire to dog out for a day or two. Dog parks after work can also be good for releasing energy.

The dog needs mental and physical exercise - lots and lots of both. I'd start with a basic group obedience class. Best if your sister goes, still good if you go instead. Practice the obedience commands several times every day. Toys such as Kongs, puzzle toys or treat balls can be good mental exercise as well.

Time also helps some but I have seen elderly Jack Russels who were still bouncing off walls.

Is it not possible to close the doggie door while she is away and cannot supervise his behavior? He's going to be a handful. Agree with Flamingo, spot on, exercise, discipline, training, and 'busy' toys.

Suerte.

Trailrunner wrote:Is it not possible to close the doggie door while she is away and cannot supervise his behavior? He's going to be a handful. Agree with Flamingo, spot on, exercise, discipline, training, and 'busy' toys.

Suerte.

I'd think a simple latch on the inside, keeping doggie outside when nobody is there to supervise, would do the trick. There is a "Free Spirit" animal park on the street behind Walmart where, for a fee, dogs can go nuts for a while getting exercised.

gringal wrote:

Trailrunner wrote:Is it not possible to close the doggie door while she is away and cannot supervise his behavior? He's going to be a handful. Agree with Flamingo, spot on, exercise, discipline, training, and 'busy' toys.

Suerte.

I'd think a simple latch on the inside, keeping doggie outside when nobody is there to supervise, would do the trick.  There is a "Free Spirit" animal park on the street behind Walmart where, for a fee, dogs can go nuts for a while getting exercised.

I think the dog in  question is in the US, unless you are speaking of dogs generally, here.

Re-reading the OP, it looks like a U.S. location, but the latch ought to work anywhere. Seems too simple a solution, si?

Yes, In the U.S....She doesn't want to shut the dog door because the Sheltie is elderly and it does get pretty cold there. There is no way she would do an obedience class . I play with him a lot when I'm there, take him to the dog park and stuff but he still freaks out when all the hoomans leave, that's when he destroyed my I pad. He had to get on the bed and walk across some other furniture to get to it.
It's encouraging to hear that Bob's dog grew out of it, really encouraging.
I don't know what they are but I'm going to check out the Kongs, treat balls and puzzle toys that Flamingo mentioned. That sounds like just what he needs, he's very cerebral. . Thanks for the great suggestions!

Flamingo wrote:What a combination - hyper and hard to train. Prolonged crating can cause mental and physical illness - not a good idea. Better to keep him and his toys in a doggy proof room. A dog walker coming midday for a 30 minute walk would be great if she can afford it. A doggy Daycare once a week can also help tire to dog out for a day or two. Dog parks after work can also be good for releasing energy.

The dog needs mental and physical exercise - lots and lots of both. I'd start with a basic group obedience class. Best if your sister goes, still good if you go instead. Practice the obedience commands several times every day. Toys such as Kongs, puzzle toys or treat balls can be good mental exercise as well.

Time also helps some but I have seen elderly Jack Russels who were still bouncing off walls.

He is kinda hyper. He has been to camp a couple of times and now that I think about it he did do better the first couple of days after he got home. The Sheltie just goes to a friends house when mom goes away but he wasn't invited, so he went to camp. Can't wait to check out these toys.

Unfortunately Obedience class would be the best thing for him. Dogs need to know what is expected of them. Since they don't speak a lot of Human, teaching them what all the sounds mean can be a real break through.

I remember how absolutely delighted my Corgi was when he found out sounds related to a specific action and that he was a "good dog" when he put the two together. He came from Corgi Rescue. His previous owners had yelled at him and then over corrected when he didn't know what they wanted. He would do what he was told, and then do a happy dance because he was finally a good dog.

Here is what you need to understand. The dog is doing all of the damage within minutes of being left alone as he is very upset. First thing you have to do is try to get the emotion out of the entrances and exits of the human. This is not easy to do as it requires you to totally ignore him when you enter the house. The idea is for it to become a non-event. Also, leave a radio on for him with voices while you are gone.

Obedience school is a good idea, however, it won't fix this problem of him having an anxiety attack when you leave. Whatever you do, do not scold him for damage done when you come home. He will certainly act upset by this, but he will NOT associate your being upset with the damage. This only works when he is caught in the act itself.