Poodle with no R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

Question
My dog doesn't respcet me. We have a huge yard but our fence was destroyed due to a fire, our garage was set on fire by somebody. I have issues with being outside(paranoid) I have free time and I can walk him all day(that's how much free time I have) I go to school 7am-2:30 pm, and my dog will run outside all day and return late. I punish him sometimes. I blame myself for his bad behavior. I feel I am a bad owner because I don't walk him or train him because I am lazy, and I am working on that.  He hates the kennel and throw tantrums and rip up my blinds when I leave. He wiill get on the table and eat everything on it. Pee everywhere. He is not a bad dog, but I am a bad trainer and owner. Sometimes I want to give him away to somebody who will meet his needs and make him happy and balanced. He cries when I'm away and acts depressed sometimes. My mom says when I go to school, all he does is lay in my bed and won't move at all somedays..please help me!!! I can't afford a trainer!

Answer
Tasha, whenever no one is home to keep an eye on him, you need to put your dog in a crate in your room, or build a kennel for him outside until you can get your fence rebuilt. You should not let him outside off leash until the fence is done, because he could run away and get hurt or worse.

I prefer the kind of crate that is all plastic with a wire door, but if you or your dog would prefer an all-wire crate, that's fine too. Whenever you put him in there, give him something to keep him occupied while you're away. A Kong that has peanut butter, cream cheese, plain yogurt, canned dog or cat food, plain pumpkin, or liver paste smeared on the inside, and frozen overnight, is an excellent toy to give to a dog whenever you crate him.

If your mother is at home while you are at school, then she should not be allowing him to get on the table and pee everywhere. If she does not want to watch him, he should be crated then, as well.

You did not say how old he is, but his peeing inside could have something to do with his age. Is he still a puppy? He might not be able to hold it for as long as you are expecting him to.

I do feel that you need to start teaching him some manners. It is really not that difficult, and I have some videos on YouTube that should help you get started with the basics. They are located at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=465B2A6868C739BD

You also need to take him for a walk every day, and the walk should last at least 30 minutes, in addition to the training that you do with him. While on the walk, you should not let him walk out in front of you. Instead, he should walk beside or even slightly behind you. If you get the National Geographic channel, I recommend watching The Dog Whisperer to see what I mean about the walk. You don't have to keep him there for the entire 30 minutes; you can walk like that for 10 minutes, and then stop and allow him to sniff around or whatever for a couple of minutes, and then you can continue on.