behavior.

Question
I have a 18 month old German Shepard/Rottweiler mix.  She is a good dog, but when my husband and I go to work, we leave her and she tears up our things in our bedroom (shoes, tissue boxes). This really started 4 months ago when we brought home our son that we are adopting.  She loves him, but I think she is a little jealous. We show her alot of affection. How can we stop her from destroying our things.

Answer
There are 2 approaches you can take, crate her or give her stronger leadership.  

Other dogs may not be as bad as the young Labs I am plagued with.  Still your house and dog will be much safer with the dog in a crate when you are away.  The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house.  It relaxes, it feels safe in its den.  It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self.  Dogs that have been crated all along do very well.  Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open.  I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling.  They are harder for dogs to open too.    Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew.  Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in. Leave it some toys.  Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter.  Don't leave anything in the crate the dog might chew up.  It will do fine without even any bedding.  You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate.  Praise it for going in.  If you have been able to trust it with any bedding, put that in the crate. Feed it in the crate.  This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.

It is best to never leave a dog more than 4-5 hours at a time.  If you can't make it back for a mid day break, see if a neighbor or professional dog walker can give her a break.  

The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm  Be sure and follow their link to their page on dogs and children.