destruction

Question
Honestly, can you suggest something that will help me with this dog?  Marco is a male standard almost 2 years old.  I got him from a rescue organization about 1.5 years ago.  I also have an older standard rescue female, Bella.

Marco is a happy, bouncy guy who is good most of the time, but when he is not with me he can be so destructive.  We live together, Bella and Marco and me, in a  1000 sq. ft. loft open space.   So we are together a lot.

But I do leave them and they are fine when I do -- I put them both in the bathroom with their bed, toys, water, etc. and just put the gate up without closing the door, and they are fine when I get home.  Nothing torn up.  We get out for at least one walk every day and I throw the ball for them at home 3 or 4 times a day, so he should be getting enough exercise . . . so I don't understand what's going on.

Today a workman came and I left he and Bella on the outside patio (with water, with bones) but apparently he wanted to be inside, because after the workman had left I saw that M. had destroyed $60 worth of new plants I had sitting in the shade.  Turned the containers upside-down and just ripped the plants and the containers apart.  Yesterday when I left him in the car, with Bella and bones, he destroyed some other containers which were the only thing he could reach.

Part of it is his age, I guess . . . my neighbor says he does it to get attention.

I don't hit Marco when he's bad -- they say the worst punishment is to ignore them, and I  try that.  I do yell at him in frustration sometimes.  I am tempted to put him in the bathroom (after removing anything he could destroy) to spend some time by himself.

He is very much loved and the next morning after one of these times, I'm always affectionate and he comes and snuggles.  But right now he knows he's really in trouble and he won't come near me.   I expect he'll come in when he's hungry.

Anyway, if you have any ideas, I'd appreciate them.

Answer
Hello Ann,
Well, your neighbor hit it on the head and so did you when you mentioned that he is still Puppy, and that he wants attention.  Dogs will do almost anything to get attention (whether its good or bad attention) just so that you will say something to them.  That is why ignoring them works so well.  They realize that if they do something wrong, that they won't get the attention that they really want, and will go back to doing what you want out of them.  At least this works with some dogs.  Others will continue their actions just to see what kind of reaction they can get out of you.  In your case, you need to ignore the bad behavior but praise the good behavior.  Better yet, show him what the good behavior is, then praise him.  
You might also think about getting him into an Obedience class which will help with his behavior and will exercise him at the same time.  
Check with your local Vets, Pet Stores and in your Yellow Pages to see if there are Obedience classes offered in your area.

You said that you walk him once a day and play fetch with him several times a day, but apparently that isn't enough for him.  You may want to increase the distance you walk him, or walk him twice a day to help ware him out.  When you walk him, make him do things to distract him such as sitting at a corner or heeling down a straight stretch of sidewalk.  It will give him something else to think about other than just walking and will expend a little more energy.  

When you know you are going to be out of his sight for more than just a few minutes, put him in a secure place where he can't distroy anything of value.  You might try sleeping in an old tee shirt for a few days, then giving it to him when you leave him alone.  This way, he will have something that has your scent on it and it may comfort him some.  

Give this a try and if you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask me.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim