"I use two fingers to nip at the child's neck. It's doesn't hurt the child, it just lets him know I am dominating." /Cesar Millan via South Park

Tsst!

I hate inside dogs Maverick so I am with you on this. Cats, birds, fish all ok inside pets, dogs out doors only. My parents have this over weight chihuahua/Pomeranian
mix and I hate that fat pile of garbage to no end. But our kittens can do no wrong.

Despite what some people say, spanking a dog or cat is no different than spanking a child, if done correctly it is good discipline and not abuse. Don't kick them though cuz that always gets cops in involved and you never want that.

Well I read that you should only spank them if you catch them in the act.  'Cause they don't know why you're punishing them if you do it after the fact.  I've only caught them tearing up the yard a few times.  Most of the time they wait until I go to sleep.  :(

I'm planning on installing a fence/gate this weekend from the side of my house to the side fence, and I'm going to keep them in there when I can't supervise them.  Unfortunately that area is all concrete, so I'll have to buy a shade for them so they don't get too hot.

It depends on how you treat them.  Dogs are highly social animals.  I hardly ever go in my backyard, so if I kept a dog back there I think it would be pretty cruel (though I also think keeping a dog cooped up indoors all the time is cruel).  If you spend time with them every day, then I don't see a problem with it.

Yeah, I'm an outdoor only smoker (trying to quit, failing miserably), so I'm always out there with them.  I also try to make sure I take them for walks regularly.

Recently I've been so angry with them over tearing up everything that I've probably been less excited to see them though.  I'm hoping once I get the fence installed and they CAN'T tear up my stuff, our relationships will become more healthy.  Now I'm just worried they're going to attack the stucko on the side of my house out of boredom while I'm at work.  :-P

Maverick, sounds like your doing fine.

Maybe they've realized that you spend more time outside (repairing the damage) if they tear things up.  Or maybe they're just bored.  Or, if they're young, going through a phase.  Adolescent dogs often become terrible chewers as their jaws develop.

Oh yes, anything they can get their mouths around, they will chew.  I hope I don't have dogs with "separation anxiety" or whatever.  I've heard some dogs are just impossible to keep under control when not supervised, 'cause they can't handle their owner not being around to give them attention or something.

What kind of dogs are they?

One is a year old German Sheppard mix I got from the SPCA.  The other is some cute little mutt that ran into my yard one day while I was out front doing something.  Her and my dog liked each other a bunch and played for a good 3 hours straight, so when I didn't see any missing dog posters for her around the neighborhood, I kept her.

I will try to upload some picture tonight once I get home.  Maybe someone can tell me what the hell she is.

1. Just be careful of what fence you choose.  Make sure its not one the dogs can jump over or get caught on because dogs will see something on the other side of the fence and charge it. 

2.  Try bitter spray, located at pet stores everywhere, you can spray the the stuff the dogs usually chew on.  It has a horrible bitter taste that should keep the dogs at bay.  I have also heard making a hot pepper solution and spraying it on objects as well.  The whole idea is to get the dogs associating the bad flavor with the object they aren't supposed to chew.

3.  I am not a outdoor dog person because I feel the midwest really isnt the best place to do it.  The winters can get too bad and the summers can get too hot.  I just like my dogs to spend time with me at all times even when I am stuck at the computer.  I think my dogs have always enjoyed keeping me company even if it means no play time and just hanging around me.  I just think it keeps them calmer knowing they are near me instead of being separated.  I have had outdoor dogs in the past and the most common problems I always run into is bad chewing problems, barking incessantly, and trying to get into trouble.  I think the outdoors are filled with too many temptations.  Theres always animals running around, people walking by on the sidewalk, neighbor  kids laughing playing in their yards, other dogs outside.  Dogs get bored and try to have fun so its hard to keep them entertained. 

A 5-6 foot tall rod iron fence.  21 feet long.  That's what I'm shooting for anyways.  I know if it was wood they would chew right through it. 

Yes, I have heard of this but haven't actually seen it yet.  I just need to do a good search next time I stop at PetSmart/PetsMart I guess.  I also heard that grinding up peppers and putting the remains into the holes that they dig is effective.

This is true.  I am woken up at a daily basis due to barking at about 7:30 am no matter what day it is.  I'm in California, and it does get pretty hot, but as long as they have shade and their dog houses I think they will be okay.  "It's a dry heat."  And all that jazz.

Pro Tip: If a dog is digging somewhere it shouldn't (like, near a fence), put some of the dog's excrement there. Its basically the "don't play where you shit" principle. I learned this from my cousin who has a "Houdini dog" apparently.

I really don't get how people can tolerate dogs barking in their own backyard when it keeps me up from three blocks away.

I can't, I get up and open the window and tell them to shut up.  But at the same time, I have roommates and am too tired and lazy to put clothes on so I can go outside and punish them.  So I hope they listen to me and then I go back to bed for an hour before I have to get up before work.

Sorry.  I meant that as a general complaint.  There's someone in my neighborhood with a dog that likes to bark at night.  Given how long he typically keeps it up, I can only assume his owner doesn't care.

Oh, yeah I hate it too.  But now I feel kind of bad 'cause sometimes I can't get them to shut up without walking outside in my underwear in the middle of the night.  I think my dogs have started sleeping during the day 'cause it's getting warmer, and now are up all night to terrorize my yard and bark at nothing.

That was a very ignorant remark by that poster.  Given that there are far more dogs in shelters awaiting extinction than there are people willing to take care of them, I think that you're doing fine as long as you treat them well and spend time with them. 

As you know, dogs simply take a lot of patience.  As Darkheart suggested, try the bitter spray.  In addition, make sure to give them something to do, like a rawhide bone chewy or something. 

If you have the time and money, enrolling them in some kind of obedience class might be beneficial.  Dogs like German Shepherds also flourish if they have a job to do; if they don't have one, they'll make one up like digging bushes. 

I'd suggest getting them into a local Flyball organization or a disc dog team...local obedience schools usually have class for this.  Again, this is only if you have time or money, but you might find it to be a worthy investment if it strengthens the relationship between you and your dogs.  If dogs get a good workout during the day, they are less likely to be destructive at night. 

Thanks for the advice!

Ugh... so I ended up settling for a 4 foot high white picket fence/gate instead of the rod iron, which I really wanted.  But this was cheaper and easier to adjust for the weird length it has to cover.  Hopefully my big dog doesn't decide to jump it.  I know she COULD if she got a little speed going, but I've never seen her jump over anything before, so I don't know if she WOULD or not.