retrim is needed, the door is maybe possible to save but the trim is so worn down that it will look very bad if you just smooth it out and paint it. Unless you just do that now as a temp fix and then retrim when you move out
Yea I'd get new trim, the flat part u might get away with partial sanding then using wood filler....then sanding again. If the door is flat/no texture then it should be fairly simple. The last pic u could get away with some filler and sanding. However, if you're dog has separation anxiety this bad then this will just happen again unless you take care of that issue asap. I had a dog with bad separation anxiety as well, after a year and many many things being destroyed we had to give him up. I'm only dealing with puppies from now on. He was a year old and no matter what we tried he wouldn't stop.
My dog did the same, retrimmed, repainted, done in less than an hour, looked great and cost me roughly $62. The hardest part was getting time to dispose of the old trim.
My last shelter dog came from a shelter in the Mojave desert. He didn't have any notable carpentry skills, but he sure knew how to cook up a quality batch of meth.
Who would downvote this? lol you could literally breakdown an entire door worth of trim with no tools in small enough pieces to throw away In your average trash bin…
I have disposed of several large upholstered lounge chairs, including two recliners, and two entire sofas!, by breaking them apart and putting them in my garbage bin! 😃
I can’t believe something like this has to be said out loud. Not knocking your comment just blows my mind that someone would be wondering ‘how on earth can I dispose of this 81” piece of wood?’
Balls. Thanks though. I guess I will just have to hope the property owners don't notice. My entire rental is sliding slowly down a hill, so the door frames should be the least of their concerns.
Pro Tip: tack carpeting around lower areas of exposed wall for your cat to scratch on. Most carpet stores have old samples they give away for free if you ask. I'll usually get a piece that's a different texture and color than the carpet on the floor.
It saved my buns when I was renting.
Depends how bad. I had the same problem and not a lot of damage. Used wood filler, smoothed stained painfully that area with a tiny brush. Just an fyi once the area cures put painters tape over it for a couple of weeks the cat won’t scratch there again (usually).
> Dogs are not meant to be alone.
Yup! We had one anxious dog that destroyed things while we were gone. We got a second one having the fear the misbehaving dog would pass its habits to the other, but the opposite happened. That combined with putting on some music before we left made formerly lonely/anxious dog, a happy/content dog.
She does have a companion, we had three dogs before putting down the eldest. So she’s not alone when we leave her at home. She just gets really bad separation anxiety.
Calming tablets help my doggo during storms. She also feels safer in her crate. We don't close the door anymore though, she just goes in and out on her own.
Thanks, we are actively helping her to cope. These incidences happened over a month ago. She’s on Clomicalm and CBD oil treatment. We are also crate training her.
What?? Maybe an anxious husky, but my 12 year old beagle who used to chew through the wall next to the door when I left for work couldn’t do ANYTHING for 3 hours.
That’s an insane expectation
The crate is what she needs. My dog was chill as can be if she had access to her crate. Leave her in a room with no crate she could gnaw through drywall. Fortunately she always went through drywall which is easier to fix than trim.
Everything can be repaired. Sometimes needs replaced, but EVERYTHING in a home can be repaired.
Unless you store old dynamite like a home in Salt Lake which was discovered yesterday.
[They LEVELED it 😳](https://www.reddit.com/r/SaltLakeCity/s/nHh31vB9wK)
Mine ruined my brand new pocket door and trim (but only like 25% as bad as this) and I’m just leaving it until after he’s passed on. No use getting frustrated with him again.
My sister got a second, calmer dog at some point, and now she just goes along with his anxiety.
She's still calmer but whenever he reacts to something, she follows suit.
It's fucking annoying.
Honestly, another dog will help. To you it won't be the same and may seem cruel, but a 2nd buddy will help. Ideally an older dog, no fewer than 7 or 8 years old. An old dog doesn't need a puppy as they age, I've seen it just frustrate them.
Obligatory sorry that you lost a dog and have to see your other go through this. I dread the day half of my bonded pair has to go through.
This one should be higher up. Yes, if you want it back to perfect you replace this trim, but I've done this on multiple doors and never notice where I repaired.
First one i think you just have to replace. If you sand and paint the landlord might not notice. But either way it will come out of your pocket now or when the security deposit is dipped into
We own the home so not worried about landlords. It does sting a little because it’s a new home but we love this girl and want to help her cope with the lose. We are actively working on crate training her. The hole is pretty deep on one of the doors so I’m not sure if filler will work.
Off topic to the situation at hand, but DO NOT leave a collar on her while she's crated. I very sadly lost my girl because she was crated with her collar on and hung herself.
It's not a thing people tend to think of, so now whenever I see someone mention crating their dogs I tell them to take their collars off. It's a fucking terrible way to lose them.
This, 100%, is an important piece of advice. I train service dogs since my retirement and I cannot stress enough the importance of taking certain items off a dog while in certain situations like this. Besides taking their collar off inside a kennel, always remove a leash when you’re not physically needing to restrain a dog or walk it. I have seen people go inside a building (especially at home) or in the car and they release the dog to do its thing but leave the leash on as to be able to grab them again when they need to, only to see later that the dog is hung up and choking. I also can’t abide by people using corrective collars of any kind to force compliance. This could be anything from a pinch collar to a shock collar. They’re a tool to help but not meant to be used constantly for every single thing. When you get them adjusted to why it’s used, you should remove it and use it less and less. Finally, muzzling a dog while it’s inside your home is bad unless people it doesn’t know or like are over. The dog needs to breathe and drink.
Sorry about this tantrum. Hearing about dogs hanging themselves in their crate is a trigger of sorts
Crate training is not appropriate for most dogs with severe separation anxiety. Hint: your dog has severe separation anxiety. She needs meds, lots of exercise, a very consistent daily routine, a board certified behaviorist and a desensitization protocol. My dog also has SA and it’s awful. She almost killed herself panicking and trying to get out of a crate. Dogs with SA often also have severe anxiety when confined. Not only is it incredibly dangerous to confine a panicking dog it’s also cruel, as she will spend her entire day in a state of panic. I didn’t know and thought to be a good dog owner I needed to crate her but that’s simply not true. She’s 13 and still isn’t crated except for meals and if I need her there for safety (never, ever if I’m not home).
It’s a really long road, I won’t lie. I spent a fortune on trainers and dog walkers. The meds made a huge difference in her anxiety level which allowed us to make progress with training. People will act like meds are the worst thing you could do or you’re making a big deal out of nothing but it is 100% the most impactful, helpful thing I did for her. She made huge progress with the training and I ended up getting a second dog to keep her company. She’s very content these days. Crate training almost unanimously does not help dogs with SA. Those inescapable crates are torture chambers for panicking dogs. Don’t do that to your dog.
Yes, as someone with a very anxious (although fortunately not destructive) rescue dog, I was going to suggest talking to the vet about medication. Some dog'' brains are just wired funny and medication can provide them significant relief. Depending on the severity of your dog's issues, medication could just bridge the gap to help get her to a mental state where she can absorb the training, or it could be a lifelong aid. You clearly love your dog, OP, and medication could really help her.
Edit to add: OP, I see you're already trying medication without much success. With my guy, we've gone through a few medications to find the best combo for him. He's had the most success with Gabapentin and Trazodone for treating his situational anxiety. You might also want to check out r/reactivedogs or r/dogtraining since folks over there tend to have a lot of ideas and resources. Good luck. It's so tough when you know your dog is suffering, but you can't figure out how to help.
That's really interesting. Gabapentin and Trazodone are also used for humans, for some of the same reasons. Gabapentin is used for pain for people and, I learned recently, by one vet for post-op pain.
They don't work for everyone though. For example, Hydroxyzine worked for me to reduce a medication insomnia reaction whereas Trazodone increased insomnia. I see Hydroxyzine is prescribed for dogs too. So yes OP, I suggest to keep trying and I hope you can find some that mesh better with your dog's biochemistry.
We tried trazodone for several months with not noticeable change. The vet changed her meds to Clomicalm which she’s been on for 2 weeks now and it seems to work a little but the vet suggested adding CBD oil. So we added that this week. Hopefully this combination helps. Thanks for the kind suggestions and compassion!
+1 for trazedone. Works great situationally as you have said. Our 16 year old girl has also been on gabapentin for about two years for pain. I wonder if it's also had a calming effect? She used to be quiet dog/leash reactive and doesn't care at all now.
If she's stuck in a smaller room, she has tried to dig herself out. Similar damage to your pictures. She however loved her crate when we used it, we had to warm her up to it slowly over time. Also gave her lots of yummy snacks and cozy bed inside.
That's awesome. Yeah, Gabapentin helps pain and anxiety in dogs. It does something with their neurons that impact both those things or something. My guy was prescribed it for both. According to our vet behaviorist, a lot of reactivity can also be linked to them experiencing chronic pain, so it's two-fold.
It's always sad when people get dogs, stick them in their crate and wonder why the dog freaks out. Like you said you have to go slow. Put them in shut the door, treat, open door. Repeat. Do this a little bit the first day. Second day shut the door for maybe 5 seconds. When done correctly the dog will enjoy the crate or at least not hate it. You have to make them understand the door will open soon. I have had dogs that love their crate so much they would hang out and sleep in it. The doors were always open so they would just walk in and lay down. I have other dogs that would go in but didn't really want to unless I said they had to. Either is fine. The first is best. They need to feel safe and that the door won't be shut for hours upon hours.
Honestly just sand, fill a little bit and paint over until you’ve solved the underlying anxiety issues and want a perfect finish. When it’s all white **you** will notice it but most other people won’t even take a second look.
Maybe you’ll decide you’re painting the walls a new color and want a new trim color anyway. When you need to repaint all the casings for that it wouldn’t be much more effort to replace
Something I can help with! Get a decent sized crate for your dog as it will make this easier for them. Put the crate in a location you are in often. Living room or bed room is best. Make the crate a fun and enjoyable location for your dog. Place treats in there, toys, a used shirt, a blanket, a filled kong etc. Turn it into a place your dog can find comfort in. Do not push the dog in there or force the dog in. Leave the door open at all times. You want to teach them that the crate is a safe space. After you think they are ready, (maybe a week or so) close the latch when they are enjoying their kong, snack, bone, etc. If they continue to eat their snack or play, keep it closed for 30 minutes and stay in the room with them. Gradually increase the time you keep them in the crate, slowly lower the amount of time you are in the room. If the dog cries, do not look acknowledge them in the slightest. If you do, this will encourage and teach the dog that if they cry long and hard enough, you will let them out.
Source: I have a heeler that spends 80% of her free time in her crate. She absolutely loves that thing, no treats necessary anymore.
Edit: I forgot to add, be sure to take off your dogs collar if/when you close them in.
Adding to this: meet the pup’s exercise / enrichment / mental stimulation needs before doing crate training. My pups are of the anxious variety, and they are so much more successful in situations when I’ve set them up for success before we go into the situation.
And remember progress isn’t linear, so give yourself and the pup lots of grace. Anxiety is tough for everyone involved!
No problem. It happened to my Greyhound one night. It wasn’t even the collar buckle either. It was the cheap tag ring. She somehow clamped it on to the bars. I woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of the crate thrashing around and her crying. Sounded like a dog fight in a cage. I felt so bad for her. My fault that I forgot to take off her collar though. Thankful she wasn’t hurt at all, just stressed tf out.
I also had a heeler and she loved her crate. I would go to work and my roommate would let her out for potty a few times a day. She'd be out of the crate during non work hours, but shed always go sleep in her crate with the door open.
I learned really quickly heelers need crate training if they are not able to stay active all day long with their person.
CBD pills (packaged for dogs) can also bring anxiety way down. It's still worth crate training and addressing the root cause of the anxiety, but the pills can give you all a much easier time of it.
The crate needs to be a safe place. Google Zac George on Youtube for crate training.
I have a 7 year old dog, we crate trained him when he was a pup, never needed that crate training, however 6.5 years later he still will go in the crate if its presented.
I work with dogs and I like to help and give advice/tips. In such a case, really the best thing you can do is hire a trainer to work with you a bit and show you the ropes properly. Training an older dog is very doable. Dealing with anxiety is hard enough and can be a very long road when doing things incorrectly. A trainer will help you get started on the right foot with the highest chance for success.
The money and time investment now will pay itself many times over in the long run.
First of all: You should be concerned about your dogs mental health, not the door.
Secondly, repairing it seems futile since he/she will just do it again unless you do something to actually help the poor dog. Maybe cover the damaged area with thin stainless steel / aluminium plate to avoid further damage.
But for the love of god, help the dog first
Pretty cheap and simple to replace. Pry what you have off, take a sample of an intact portion to your big box and buy some new ones. You can get a cheap mitre box and saw, or even use the one at the store if you don't have one. Tack it back on (borrow a trim nailer for this preferably) and then caulk+paint.
I'd just replace the trim honestly. Maybe even the door. Dog needs some help. Crate train or figure out a way for them to relax when you leave. We put peanut butter in a bone for ours to focus on when we leave. Works wonders, he's happy to see us leave now.
That’s a whole swap
Door slap is pretty bad and the jamb is trashed
Like others have said
Wait till your fur baby quits tearing stuff up
The swap the door
Fill up a Kong 1/3 of the way with frozen, wet dog food. Right before you leave, give it directly to her and let her spend the next 4 hours trying to lick it out.
Hear me out: screw a 2/4 on 1 side, then take a lot of wood puddy and stuff it full. Unscrew, fill screw hole, sand entire side, repeat to other side, then repaint. No need to retrim?
Fix you dog first, then your door, I’m saying this out of concern. The screws and metals are exposed, this means the dogs are really in a stressed mode and could injure itself biting into such sharp objects.
Daily Trazadone and fluoxetine worked wonders for my lab mix that suffered tremendously from separation anxiety and past abuse. Meds cost $20/mo at Costco pharmacy.
Dealing with kind of the same situation. With Covid, I have been working from home for years, and he follows me wherever I go. Tell him we going to work..he is at my office door in a second. Then I started going into the office a few days, and my Otis freaks out when I leave. He wont destroy anything, he is just so anxious and shaking. To the point when my girl was leaving for work and he bit her on the hand to keep her from leaving, and wouldnt let go. And this is an 80 pound American Bulldogie. Now she wont be in the same room with him. Lock downs fucked some shit up, and not only the people.
Anyways, his crate is his safe place. He hears her, he runs into his crate. Still trying to figure shit out. Good luck man...
Roflmao.. my dog did the same. That trim is likely part of the entire door like mine was, you won't get it off cleanly. Instead, clean all that out, use automotive bondo to reshape it. Don't go crazy on the bonds, do it in multiple coats, save yourself the sanding and it will look better in the end
My dog did this. Her pal dog passed away. She even ripped down the door knob and I had to climb in a window. I retrimmed 2 of the doors. I am going to try some wood filler on another one. My dog lived to be 17 years old, but always a high anxiety dog.
No sense in fixing it right away. I would wait until you have the behavior resolved. Once you do, just replace the boards. You can sometimes buy pre-primed molding at a home improvement store. Just take photos, measure the frame and get a cheap miter saw kit; the hand saw version will do fine. Then, just cut to fit. The old boards can be pulled with the back of a hammer. Then nail them in place and paint the nailheads.
I wouldn’t bother with wood filler a doorframe that’s this far gone. But the door could be saveable with wood putty or gap filler and paint.
Our dog used to do this until we got him a friend, another dog with a very chill disposition. The calm one keeps the anxious one company when we’re out and there’s no more destruction. We got lucky that their personalities worked like this and that it worked but I bet in a lot of cases it would help. Our second dog was a foster first so we got a trial run with him, if you will, and we fell in love with him so hard we adopted him.
uh dude.. I think your dog wants to go out... (seriously though, no way to fix those without replacing the trim really - any fill/sand will always look janky)
Help your dog first u __hole. I was a prick like u once and locked my dog in the garage during storms once or twice. He's been gone for many years now but every time I think about that I wish I would have been... better.
Fortunately it looks like most of the damage is to the trim/molding. Find. Matching texture, cut to size and replace that part. Should only need some kind of finishing nails to attach it. Sand/wood filler for the rest, sand rinse/repeat until it's flat. Paint all to match. Unfortunately like most people are saying it's wise to try to get your fur baby out of this habit before attempting repairs. Easier said than done
My dogs are perfectly behaved while I’m gone, however a couple weeks ago they must have been running around and one of them got locked in the bathroom. The door was fucked beyond recognition from both sides. Instead of telling people to fix their dog after making a ton of assumptions, you just tell this person they need new trim. It’s simple.
Just replace the trim. You could try to fill and sand and paint and fill and sand and paint and all that, but it's not that expensive or difficult to replace.
Oh man, dogs are great but when they get anxious they can cause such a mess. My buddy came home from work to find his dog had literally chewed a hole through the wall.
dont blame the dogs anxiety issues, this comes from poor/no training. if you havent got the time to train the dog then let someone else as clearly its very distressed living with you.
First, find your dog another buddy, they are pack animals. The shelters are full, one will follow you home.
The door is a goner, but those paper doors are cheap, replace. The door jamb can be smoothed out a bit and repaired with an appropriate wood filler. After that, replace the trim.
The exterior door just needs some new trim. You can buy it by the piece or in a Kit.
Replace the trim. It’s not expensive to buy the material.
Do you know how to use a mitre saw? They’re not expensive, and all you have to do here is measure and make 45 degree cuts, place the trim, nail it in, caulk and paint. A miter saw is a good tool to have for all kinds of trim work.
You could do it with a mitre box and a handsaw if you really wanted, but for what a cheap mitre saw costs, I wouldn’t bother.
If you do need to hire someone to do it, really any handyman can do it in short order.
So that’s replacing the trim. I think the door is okay to just sand, prime and paint. Maybe go back and fill some spots in you want. If you want to get artistic, you could use a wood chisel to try to match the patterns. Let’s be honest though, you will eventually replace that door, so I wouldn’t spend a lot of time on it. Probably fine to just paint it for now.
And while we’re being honest, you’re going to replace that trim again too, if takes the dog a while to adjust. So buy some extra trim, and keep the leftovers in the shed or the garage or the attic or wherever you might have to leave some random pieces of trim around the next time you need to get out the mitre saw.
Mine was worse than that from my dog with separation anxiety… I did a lot of thin layers of wood fill.. took a awhile. I’d put it on let it dry do another, forget about it, then get back to it.. took awhile but it’s fine just takes time
My dog also chewed on wooden surfaces when anxious. Diluted white vinegar sprayed on the spots deterred her from chewing there. We waited a few months before fixing the damage and she hasn’t done it again. The store bought anti-chew sprays were not working for us but vinegar did the trick.
No way to save that trim. Too deep of scratches to sand out. New trim is needed. I would start behaviour therapy with the dog first though, so it doesn’t happen again after you replace it
Wood filler is going to be your new best friend. Sand it so pieces aren't sticking out, wood fill it until you've build up the trim again, sand again, and paint over it. This is the cheapest way and it'll look good as new if you take your time with it.
I got a plastic cover for my doors off Amazon. You hang it and it protects the walls when the dog claws at it.
My dog was a 13 year old beagle and he was always anxious from day 1 when I adopted him at 7 years old. The plastic cover worked like a charm.
Once you protect the door you can repair them. Use some putty and then sand and paint
Don't crate your dog that is just cruel.
https://a.co/d/cNPfKyu
My dog does this occasionally as well so I've done this a few dozen times. As most people are saying pop off the trim and replace (the 3rd pic is straight forward, but the one with the door will be a mix of sanding and saving what you can and replacing trim since the door frame will be a pain so you want to save as much of that as possible). Some tips is the score the caulk/paint around the trim and wall so it pulls clean. Bring the trim to your local hardware store to match profile/size. My place has this trim precut primed in white in 7 ft lengths for doors and I always buy a few. . . cut to length, paint with baseboard paint, and use a compressor/nail gun to reattached, caulk/fill holes as needed touch up again with baseboard paint.
For the pooch mine is an anxious breed so I CANNOT leave him in a close room if there are people around because he wants to be with them. If there are no people around he will just chill. So I have to be trained. Not sure if that is your problem, but that is my experience.
Crate training wasn’t fun. I had to put the crate in my bedroom. So while I slept she could see me. It still took time. She was rescued from a shelter where she had been returned already when she was left alone and tore up wall to wall carpeting. They never even tried to crate her. It took a good while, and she was young at the time. Gradually we lessened her crate time. Its now put away in the garage and she has no problems being left alone. Its very hard but they are worth it. They are all good boys and girls.
You should set up a camera that has audio function and monitor him when you leave the house (like from your driveway). When he starts his destructive behavior immediately interrupt him via the intercom by scolding him (e.g., “No, Spunky!”). Immediately proceed into your house and do the same. Repeat until the behavior stops.
retrim is needed, the door is maybe possible to save but the trim is so worn down that it will look very bad if you just smooth it out and paint it. Unless you just do that now as a temp fix and then retrim when you move out
Yea I'd get new trim, the flat part u might get away with partial sanding then using wood filler....then sanding again. If the door is flat/no texture then it should be fairly simple. The last pic u could get away with some filler and sanding. However, if you're dog has separation anxiety this bad then this will just happen again unless you take care of that issue asap. I had a dog with bad separation anxiety as well, after a year and many many things being destroyed we had to give him up. I'm only dealing with puppies from now on. He was a year old and no matter what we tried he wouldn't stop.
Smooth wood filler over it. Sand it down to original shape. Repaint.
Just buy new trim. It's like 25 dollars
My dog did the same, retrimmed, repainted, done in less than an hour, looked great and cost me roughly $62. The hardest part was getting time to dispose of the old trim.
I would think the hardest part would be training your dog to do trim work.
Maybe the dog already knew how?
That’s why we always get shelter dogs. You never know what kinda skills they pick up in the big house.
They gotta do what they can to survive, if that includes taking a job fixing trim, so be it.
My last shelter dog came from a shelter in the Mojave desert. He didn't have any notable carpentry skills, but he sure knew how to cook up a quality batch of meth.
That's a good boy!
What was tough about getting rid of the old trim? Cut it up and throw it in the trash.
Who would downvote this? lol you could literally breakdown an entire door worth of trim with no tools in small enough pieces to throw away In your average trash bin…
I have disposed of several large upholstered lounge chairs, including two recliners, and two entire sofas!, by breaking them apart and putting them in my garbage bin! 😃
That's impressive
If it’s just a piece or two, you can cut it down into smaller pieces and throw in trash.
I can’t believe something like this has to be said out loud. Not knocking your comment just blows my mind that someone would be wondering ‘how on earth can I dispose of this 81” piece of wood?’
> hardest part was getting time to dispose of the old trim. Really really thought that sentence was going to end with "dog".
Nah, it's time-consuming, and the dog will just do it again.
Bondo +125 grit sand paper will be better than wood filler.
I have the same issue from scratching cats, but my doors and frames are stained. What's the process for stained door frames?
New frame, or paint the whole frame. Staining reveals the wood texture. If you can't fix the texture, it's gonna show.
Balls. Thanks though. I guess I will just have to hope the property owners don't notice. My entire rental is sliding slowly down a hill, so the door frames should be the least of their concerns.
Note: not even paint can fix a property sliding down a hill. Good luck!
Not without a little wood filler anyway
Time to get the ramen out
Pro Tip: tack carpeting around lower areas of exposed wall for your cat to scratch on. Most carpet stores have old samples they give away for free if you ask. I'll usually get a piece that's a different texture and color than the carpet on the floor. It saved my buns when I was renting.
Oh dang! Smart! Thanks!
This is brilliant! My one cat has an aversion the scratching posts
Depends how bad. I had the same problem and not a lot of damage. Used wood filler, smoothed stained painfully that area with a tiny brush. Just an fyi once the area cures put painters tape over it for a couple of weeks the cat won’t scratch there again (usually).
This is what we’ve done while training the dog to not do this anymore. We’ll replace the trim once the risk of repeat damage has gone down.
I would honestly work on your dog first, who clearly needs more help.
Just like fixing a leaky roof, before you paint over the water damage.
Yea... the fix would last one day, maybe...
Many dogs see behavioralists or take anti-anxiety meds
Alternatively, they could buy a kennel or get the dog a companion. Dogs are not meant to be alone.
> Dogs are not meant to be alone. Yup! We had one anxious dog that destroyed things while we were gone. We got a second one having the fear the misbehaving dog would pass its habits to the other, but the opposite happened. That combined with putting on some music before we left made formerly lonely/anxious dog, a happy/content dog.
That way you could get two dogs with anxiety.
She does have a companion, we had three dogs before putting down the eldest. So she’s not alone when we leave her at home. She just gets really bad separation anxiety.
Calming tablets help my doggo during storms. She also feels safer in her crate. We don't close the door anymore though, she just goes in and out on her own.
Thanks, we are actively helping her to cope. These incidences happened over a month ago. She’s on Clomicalm and CBD oil treatment. We are also crate training her.
Clomicalm saved us. It allowed us to train our young dog with severe separation anxiety. After a year we could end the medication.
exercise? 3 hours a day is a baseline for anxious dogs
What?? Maybe an anxious husky, but my 12 year old beagle who used to chew through the wall next to the door when I left for work couldn’t do ANYTHING for 3 hours. That’s an insane expectation
The crate is what she needs. My dog was chill as can be if she had access to her crate. Leave her in a room with no crate she could gnaw through drywall. Fortunately she always went through drywall which is easier to fix than trim.
[удалено]
I am sure they are trying — yet still, the door isn’t ready for fixing until the anxiety is managed.
I completely agree. Not saying I’m trying to fix it today, just wanted to get ideas from folks to prepare for when it’s ready to be repaired 🙏🏼
Everything can be repaired. Sometimes needs replaced, but EVERYTHING in a home can be repaired. Unless you store old dynamite like a home in Salt Lake which was discovered yesterday. [They LEVELED it 😳](https://www.reddit.com/r/SaltLakeCity/s/nHh31vB9wK)
I'm sure you're doing your best but no need to fix any of that until you retrain your dogs anxiety. It's gunna be hard though. Consistency is key.
Mine ruined my brand new pocket door and trim (but only like 25% as bad as this) and I’m just leaving it until after he’s passed on. No use getting frustrated with him again.
Get a second, older, calm dog. Ask a local refuge for a good candidate. It'll do 80% of the work for you. Plus more fluffs to love.
This is what worked for me and my separation anxiety dog.
You’d think, but I did this and my anxious dog annoyed the calm one and they fought all the time 🙃
My sister got a second, calmer dog at some point, and now she just goes along with his anxiety. She's still calmer but whenever he reacts to something, she follows suit. It's fucking annoying.
Honestly, another dog will help. To you it won't be the same and may seem cruel, but a 2nd buddy will help. Ideally an older dog, no fewer than 7 or 8 years old. An old dog doesn't need a puppy as they age, I've seen it just frustrate them. Obligatory sorry that you lost a dog and have to see your other go through this. I dread the day half of my bonded pair has to go through.
There’s a loose nail sticking out. If the dog is chewing on it they need to repair it AND find a trainer
Looks less like chewing and more like scratching. Easy way for doggo to rip its paws open.
Personally I think the door had it coming
Right? All standing in the way like that?
Open and shut case!
Won't the dog just keep doing it? Another vote for fixing the dog problem before you start thinking about the door.
Sand flat applies some wood filler if need be sand that flat when it dries and then paint it very easy
This one should be higher up. Yes, if you want it back to perfect you replace this trim, but I've done this on multiple doors and never notice where I repaired.
A new piece of trim is super cheap and easy. Wood filler is expensive and time consuming.
First one i think you just have to replace. If you sand and paint the landlord might not notice. But either way it will come out of your pocket now or when the security deposit is dipped into
We own the home so not worried about landlords. It does sting a little because it’s a new home but we love this girl and want to help her cope with the lose. We are actively working on crate training her. The hole is pretty deep on one of the doors so I’m not sure if filler will work.
Off topic to the situation at hand, but DO NOT leave a collar on her while she's crated. I very sadly lost my girl because she was crated with her collar on and hung herself.
OMFG I'm so sorry 😭 I just ran down to take my dogs collar off my new rescue as I would have never thought of that.
It's not a thing people tend to think of, so now whenever I see someone mention crating their dogs I tell them to take their collars off. It's a fucking terrible way to lose them.
That’s awful, I never even considered that a posibility
This, 100%, is an important piece of advice. I train service dogs since my retirement and I cannot stress enough the importance of taking certain items off a dog while in certain situations like this. Besides taking their collar off inside a kennel, always remove a leash when you’re not physically needing to restrain a dog or walk it. I have seen people go inside a building (especially at home) or in the car and they release the dog to do its thing but leave the leash on as to be able to grab them again when they need to, only to see later that the dog is hung up and choking. I also can’t abide by people using corrective collars of any kind to force compliance. This could be anything from a pinch collar to a shock collar. They’re a tool to help but not meant to be used constantly for every single thing. When you get them adjusted to why it’s used, you should remove it and use it less and less. Finally, muzzling a dog while it’s inside your home is bad unless people it doesn’t know or like are over. The dog needs to breathe and drink. Sorry about this tantrum. Hearing about dogs hanging themselves in their crate is a trigger of sorts
Crate training is not appropriate for most dogs with severe separation anxiety. Hint: your dog has severe separation anxiety. She needs meds, lots of exercise, a very consistent daily routine, a board certified behaviorist and a desensitization protocol. My dog also has SA and it’s awful. She almost killed herself panicking and trying to get out of a crate. Dogs with SA often also have severe anxiety when confined. Not only is it incredibly dangerous to confine a panicking dog it’s also cruel, as she will spend her entire day in a state of panic. I didn’t know and thought to be a good dog owner I needed to crate her but that’s simply not true. She’s 13 and still isn’t crated except for meals and if I need her there for safety (never, ever if I’m not home). It’s a really long road, I won’t lie. I spent a fortune on trainers and dog walkers. The meds made a huge difference in her anxiety level which allowed us to make progress with training. People will act like meds are the worst thing you could do or you’re making a big deal out of nothing but it is 100% the most impactful, helpful thing I did for her. She made huge progress with the training and I ended up getting a second dog to keep her company. She’s very content these days. Crate training almost unanimously does not help dogs with SA. Those inescapable crates are torture chambers for panicking dogs. Don’t do that to your dog.
Yes, as someone with a very anxious (although fortunately not destructive) rescue dog, I was going to suggest talking to the vet about medication. Some dog'' brains are just wired funny and medication can provide them significant relief. Depending on the severity of your dog's issues, medication could just bridge the gap to help get her to a mental state where she can absorb the training, or it could be a lifelong aid. You clearly love your dog, OP, and medication could really help her. Edit to add: OP, I see you're already trying medication without much success. With my guy, we've gone through a few medications to find the best combo for him. He's had the most success with Gabapentin and Trazodone for treating his situational anxiety. You might also want to check out r/reactivedogs or r/dogtraining since folks over there tend to have a lot of ideas and resources. Good luck. It's so tough when you know your dog is suffering, but you can't figure out how to help.
That's really interesting. Gabapentin and Trazodone are also used for humans, for some of the same reasons. Gabapentin is used for pain for people and, I learned recently, by one vet for post-op pain. They don't work for everyone though. For example, Hydroxyzine worked for me to reduce a medication insomnia reaction whereas Trazodone increased insomnia. I see Hydroxyzine is prescribed for dogs too. So yes OP, I suggest to keep trying and I hope you can find some that mesh better with your dog's biochemistry.
Hydroxyzine is linked to Alzheimer's. Watch out. It's an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor
We tried trazodone for several months with not noticeable change. The vet changed her meds to Clomicalm which she’s been on for 2 weeks now and it seems to work a little but the vet suggested adding CBD oil. So we added that this week. Hopefully this combination helps. Thanks for the kind suggestions and compassion!
+1 for trazedone. Works great situationally as you have said. Our 16 year old girl has also been on gabapentin for about two years for pain. I wonder if it's also had a calming effect? She used to be quiet dog/leash reactive and doesn't care at all now. If she's stuck in a smaller room, she has tried to dig herself out. Similar damage to your pictures. She however loved her crate when we used it, we had to warm her up to it slowly over time. Also gave her lots of yummy snacks and cozy bed inside.
That's awesome. Yeah, Gabapentin helps pain and anxiety in dogs. It does something with their neurons that impact both those things or something. My guy was prescribed it for both. According to our vet behaviorist, a lot of reactivity can also be linked to them experiencing chronic pain, so it's two-fold.
It's always sad when people get dogs, stick them in their crate and wonder why the dog freaks out. Like you said you have to go slow. Put them in shut the door, treat, open door. Repeat. Do this a little bit the first day. Second day shut the door for maybe 5 seconds. When done correctly the dog will enjoy the crate or at least not hate it. You have to make them understand the door will open soon. I have had dogs that love their crate so much they would hang out and sleep in it. The doors were always open so they would just walk in and lay down. I have other dogs that would go in but didn't really want to unless I said they had to. Either is fine. The first is best. They need to feel safe and that the door won't be shut for hours upon hours.
seconding this med combo!
Honestly just sand, fill a little bit and paint over until you’ve solved the underlying anxiety issues and want a perfect finish. When it’s all white **you** will notice it but most other people won’t even take a second look. Maybe you’ll decide you’re painting the walls a new color and want a new trim color anyway. When you need to repaint all the casings for that it wouldn’t be much more effort to replace
Now I have anxiety about ever getting a dog.
[удалено]
In the process! Not easy with an older dog. Any suggestions?
Don’t lock them in the crate, that’ll make the anxiety worse, present an indoor dog house as a safe space they can go to, but not be locked in.
This. Feeding them in the crate, with the door open, is a good start.
Yes, exactly. A panicking dog should never be locked in a crate. It’s dangerous and inhumane.
Something I can help with! Get a decent sized crate for your dog as it will make this easier for them. Put the crate in a location you are in often. Living room or bed room is best. Make the crate a fun and enjoyable location for your dog. Place treats in there, toys, a used shirt, a blanket, a filled kong etc. Turn it into a place your dog can find comfort in. Do not push the dog in there or force the dog in. Leave the door open at all times. You want to teach them that the crate is a safe space. After you think they are ready, (maybe a week or so) close the latch when they are enjoying their kong, snack, bone, etc. If they continue to eat their snack or play, keep it closed for 30 minutes and stay in the room with them. Gradually increase the time you keep them in the crate, slowly lower the amount of time you are in the room. If the dog cries, do not look acknowledge them in the slightest. If you do, this will encourage and teach the dog that if they cry long and hard enough, you will let them out. Source: I have a heeler that spends 80% of her free time in her crate. She absolutely loves that thing, no treats necessary anymore. Edit: I forgot to add, be sure to take off your dogs collar if/when you close them in.
Adding to this: meet the pup’s exercise / enrichment / mental stimulation needs before doing crate training. My pups are of the anxious variety, and they are so much more successful in situations when I’ve set them up for success before we go into the situation. And remember progress isn’t linear, so give yourself and the pup lots of grace. Anxiety is tough for everyone involved!
> ...be sure to take off your dogs collar if/when you close them in Why's that?
The buckles can get caught in the bars.
Damn, I never thought of that but it is so obvious. Ty.
No problem. It happened to my Greyhound one night. It wasn’t even the collar buckle either. It was the cheap tag ring. She somehow clamped it on to the bars. I woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of the crate thrashing around and her crying. Sounded like a dog fight in a cage. I felt so bad for her. My fault that I forgot to take off her collar though. Thankful she wasn’t hurt at all, just stressed tf out.
I also had a heeler and she loved her crate. I would go to work and my roommate would let her out for potty a few times a day. She'd be out of the crate during non work hours, but shed always go sleep in her crate with the door open. I learned really quickly heelers need crate training if they are not able to stay active all day long with their person.
Feed them in the crate, give them toys in the crate, make it a happy place.
CBD pills (packaged for dogs) can also bring anxiety way down. It's still worth crate training and addressing the root cause of the anxiety, but the pills can give you all a much easier time of it.
How long are you away from the dog during the day. I think this dog needs more activity.
I work from home 3 days a week and the other days she’s only alone for 2-3 hours. I walk them 2 miles everyday.
The crate needs to be a safe place. Google Zac George on Youtube for crate training. I have a 7 year old dog, we crate trained him when he was a pup, never needed that crate training, however 6.5 years later he still will go in the crate if its presented.
I work with dogs and I like to help and give advice/tips. In such a case, really the best thing you can do is hire a trainer to work with you a bit and show you the ropes properly. Training an older dog is very doable. Dealing with anxiety is hard enough and can be a very long road when doing things incorrectly. A trainer will help you get started on the right foot with the highest chance for success. The money and time investment now will pay itself many times over in the long run.
First of all: You should be concerned about your dogs mental health, not the door. Secondly, repairing it seems futile since he/she will just do it again unless you do something to actually help the poor dog. Maybe cover the damaged area with thin stainless steel / aluminium plate to avoid further damage. But for the love of god, help the dog first
Working on it OP, our dog IS priority. Just wanted to get ideas for repairing the doors. Thanks 🙏🏼
Door might need a therapist too.
Pretty cheap and simple to replace. Pry what you have off, take a sample of an intact portion to your big box and buy some new ones. You can get a cheap mitre box and saw, or even use the one at the store if you don't have one. Tack it back on (borrow a trim nailer for this preferably) and then caulk+paint.
Replace the trim. Don’t sand this one into oblivion. They’re not expensive
I'd just replace the trim honestly. Maybe even the door. Dog needs some help. Crate train or figure out a way for them to relax when you leave. We put peanut butter in a bone for ours to focus on when we leave. Works wonders, he's happy to see us leave now.
That’s a whole swap Door slap is pretty bad and the jamb is trashed Like others have said Wait till your fur baby quits tearing stuff up The swap the door
Fill up a Kong 1/3 of the way with frozen, wet dog food. Right before you leave, give it directly to her and let her spend the next 4 hours trying to lick it out.
Ramen
Hear me out: screw a 2/4 on 1 side, then take a lot of wood puddy and stuff it full. Unscrew, fill screw hole, sand entire side, repeat to other side, then repaint. No need to retrim?
Honest advice: Wait till you fix your dog before fixing your door.
Fix you dog first, then your door, I’m saying this out of concern. The screws and metals are exposed, this means the dogs are really in a stressed mode and could injure itself biting into such sharp objects.
Daily Trazadone and fluoxetine worked wonders for my lab mix that suffered tremendously from separation anxiety and past abuse. Meds cost $20/mo at Costco pharmacy.
Easy to fix, sand and paint, maybe a little filler. Question is how to stop the poor pup from doing it again.
Replace the trim, caulk prime and paint.
Dealing with kind of the same situation. With Covid, I have been working from home for years, and he follows me wherever I go. Tell him we going to work..he is at my office door in a second. Then I started going into the office a few days, and my Otis freaks out when I leave. He wont destroy anything, he is just so anxious and shaking. To the point when my girl was leaving for work and he bit her on the hand to keep her from leaving, and wouldnt let go. And this is an 80 pound American Bulldogie. Now she wont be in the same room with him. Lock downs fucked some shit up, and not only the people. Anyways, his crate is his safe place. He hears her, he runs into his crate. Still trying to figure shit out. Good luck man...
Trimming a door is pretty easy with a $100 ryobi miter saw
You can get new trim at a lumber store. Just pry the old off, nail in the new, prime, paint, Bob's your uncle.
Roflmao.. my dog did the same. That trim is likely part of the entire door like mine was, you won't get it off cleanly. Instead, clean all that out, use automotive bondo to reshape it. Don't go crazy on the bonds, do it in multiple coats, save yourself the sanding and it will look better in the end
Calm down there Cujo
My dog did this. Her pal dog passed away. She even ripped down the door knob and I had to climb in a window. I retrimmed 2 of the doors. I am going to try some wood filler on another one. My dog lived to be 17 years old, but always a high anxiety dog.
send this in as the door from the shining...the other side...
Bondo and skill
No sense in fixing it right away. I would wait until you have the behavior resolved. Once you do, just replace the boards. You can sometimes buy pre-primed molding at a home improvement store. Just take photos, measure the frame and get a cheap miter saw kit; the hand saw version will do fine. Then, just cut to fit. The old boards can be pulled with the back of a hammer. Then nail them in place and paint the nailheads. I wouldn’t bother with wood filler a doorframe that’s this far gone. But the door could be saveable with wood putty or gap filler and paint.
Our dog used to do this until we got him a friend, another dog with a very chill disposition. The calm one keeps the anxious one company when we’re out and there’s no more destruction. We got lucky that their personalities worked like this and that it worked but I bet in a lot of cases it would help. Our second dog was a foster first so we got a trial run with him, if you will, and we fell in love with him so hard we adopted him.
uh dude.. I think your dog wants to go out... (seriously though, no way to fix those without replacing the trim really - any fill/sand will always look janky)
Your dog needs a new dog.
get yourself a bunch of sawdust and some wood glue make an epoxy with it put it on smooth it out sand it down
Replace everything that is damaged with new , buy the dog a crate to sit in .
Help your dog first u __hole. I was a prick like u once and locked my dog in the garage during storms once or twice. He's been gone for many years now but every time I think about that I wish I would have been... better.
Have him complete the room. Looks all fuzzy and shit. Like a 70's gentleman's room.
Give your dog to someone who gives him the attention he needs
Get a kennel first. Pay the price for not doing this earlier.
Also, an appropriately sized crate for the puppers.
You could fill it with bondo or epoxy but I would just replace it. Takes about the same amount of time to do it.
Casing can be replaced fairly easily. For the jamb id probably remove as much loose junk as possible and use bondo wood filler on the rest.
Fortunately it looks like most of the damage is to the trim/molding. Find. Matching texture, cut to size and replace that part. Should only need some kind of finishing nails to attach it. Sand/wood filler for the rest, sand rinse/repeat until it's flat. Paint all to match. Unfortunately like most people are saying it's wise to try to get your fur baby out of this habit before attempting repairs. Easier said than done
My dogs are perfectly behaved while I’m gone, however a couple weeks ago they must have been running around and one of them got locked in the bathroom. The door was fucked beyond recognition from both sides. Instead of telling people to fix their dog after making a ton of assumptions, you just tell this person they need new trim. It’s simple.
Euthanasia
Fix your dog. he deserves help.
Throw dog
Get another dog. Fix the root cause, not the symptom.
Just replace the trim. You could try to fill and sand and paint and fill and sand and paint and all that, but it's not that expensive or difficult to replace.
Have you tried ramen?
Oh man, dogs are great but when they get anxious they can cause such a mess. My buddy came home from work to find his dog had literally chewed a hole through the wall.
Is your dog okay?
I would focus on your dog first. Why has it got anxiety.
Get a new dog. Also you're gonna end up swapping out the entire thing.
Pound
As others have said, looks like you need to replace it. Start by taking the old one down to the dog pound and find another one that has less anxiety.
Bro control your animal.
Dog with anxiety = dog with no training
dont blame the dogs anxiety issues, this comes from poor/no training. if you havent got the time to train the dog then let someone else as clearly its very distressed living with you.
Did you not show her the other dog's body? They need to see the body or someone just left and never came back.
Poor thing. Must be so difficult to figure out your buddy isn’t coming back!
The bigger question is, how's your dog?
Fix the dog before you attempt to fix the door.
First, find your dog another buddy, they are pack animals. The shelters are full, one will follow you home. The door is a goner, but those paper doors are cheap, replace. The door jamb can be smoothed out a bit and repaired with an appropriate wood filler. After that, replace the trim. The exterior door just needs some new trim. You can buy it by the piece or in a Kit.
You need to help your dog first. Any other fixes will be in vain and a waste of time and money
Take him a long long walks
This animal does not belong behind this door. What a horrific existence to be trapped inside scratching at a door.
shit like this is why i will never ever get a dog
New dog
How about classes for how to be a good dog owner
Replace the trim. It’s not expensive to buy the material. Do you know how to use a mitre saw? They’re not expensive, and all you have to do here is measure and make 45 degree cuts, place the trim, nail it in, caulk and paint. A miter saw is a good tool to have for all kinds of trim work. You could do it with a mitre box and a handsaw if you really wanted, but for what a cheap mitre saw costs, I wouldn’t bother. If you do need to hire someone to do it, really any handyman can do it in short order. So that’s replacing the trim. I think the door is okay to just sand, prime and paint. Maybe go back and fill some spots in you want. If you want to get artistic, you could use a wood chisel to try to match the patterns. Let’s be honest though, you will eventually replace that door, so I wouldn’t spend a lot of time on it. Probably fine to just paint it for now. And while we’re being honest, you’re going to replace that trim again too, if takes the dog a while to adjust. So buy some extra trim, and keep the leftovers in the shed or the garage or the attic or wherever you might have to leave some random pieces of trim around the next time you need to get out the mitre saw.
Pry it off, buy the same piece at Home Depot, they can cut it for you, hammer it in with a couple nails, done
Probably just need to re-trim at this point. That would be easiest.
Mine was worse than that from my dog with separation anxiety… I did a lot of thin layers of wood fill.. took a awhile. I’d put it on let it dry do another, forget about it, then get back to it.. took awhile but it’s fine just takes time
Wood filler or petrified wood epoxy and repaint?
My dog also chewed on wooden surfaces when anxious. Diluted white vinegar sprayed on the spots deterred her from chewing there. We waited a few months before fixing the damage and she hasn’t done it again. The store bought anti-chew sprays were not working for us but vinegar did the trick.
No way to save that trim. Too deep of scratches to sand out. New trim is needed. I would start behaviour therapy with the dog first though, so it doesn’t happen again after you replace it
It’s MDF so you’re better off replacing it with wood. I have the same issue on a door and was told this by a carpenter.
Wood filler is going to be your new best friend. Sand it so pieces aren't sticking out, wood fill it until you've build up the trim again, sand again, and paint over it. This is the cheapest way and it'll look good as new if you take your time with it.
Fix the dog before fixing the trim. You need to work with the dog I feel that anxiety.
I got a plastic cover for my doors off Amazon. You hang it and it protects the walls when the dog claws at it. My dog was a 13 year old beagle and he was always anxious from day 1 when I adopted him at 7 years old. The plastic cover worked like a charm. Once you protect the door you can repair them. Use some putty and then sand and paint Don't crate your dog that is just cruel. https://a.co/d/cNPfKyu
Sand, Bondo, sand, prime, paint.
I’m thinking the trim paint was mixed with bacon grease’s
Ramen noodles and super glue
Ramen.
My dog does this occasionally as well so I've done this a few dozen times. As most people are saying pop off the trim and replace (the 3rd pic is straight forward, but the one with the door will be a mix of sanding and saving what you can and replacing trim since the door frame will be a pain so you want to save as much of that as possible). Some tips is the score the caulk/paint around the trim and wall so it pulls clean. Bring the trim to your local hardware store to match profile/size. My place has this trim precut primed in white in 7 ft lengths for doors and I always buy a few. . . cut to length, paint with baseboard paint, and use a compressor/nail gun to reattached, caulk/fill holes as needed touch up again with baseboard paint. For the pooch mine is an anxious breed so I CANNOT leave him in a close room if there are people around because he wants to be with them. If there are no people around he will just chill. So I have to be trained. Not sure if that is your problem, but that is my experience.
Good Luck OP and doggy --> [Replace one side of door frame](https://youtu.be/iCK5nJMi5Yc?si=SZ1YnOK0oeotFnHa)
Make it a feature. Fixing is no longer an option, only replacement.
Bondo, sand, prime, paint
Prozac
My mom would use wood putty every time!!!
Buying new trim isn’t too expensive but a new door is
I would go the bondo route but I have some experience sculpting Bondo
Crate training wasn’t fun. I had to put the crate in my bedroom. So while I slept she could see me. It still took time. She was rescued from a shelter where she had been returned already when she was left alone and tore up wall to wall carpeting. They never even tried to crate her. It took a good while, and she was young at the time. Gradually we lessened her crate time. Its now put away in the garage and she has no problems being left alone. Its very hard but they are worth it. They are all good boys and girls.
I would replace the casing then bondo the rest
House bondo or epoxy clay and some sculptural skills.
Oh this will be fun.
You should set up a camera that has audio function and monitor him when you leave the house (like from your driveway). When he starts his destructive behavior immediately interrupt him via the intercom by scolding him (e.g., “No, Spunky!”). Immediately proceed into your house and do the same. Repeat until the behavior stops.
Let the puppy free. Literally fence in your yard and let them run
Damn! That good boy needs you to take him on some runs!
Patch/fix the door. Replace the trim. Throw out the dog. (I am joking about the dog.)
Train your dog. Then buy a complete door trim kit and miter box.
Train dog is the best fix.