All for the love of Dogs...or Husbands

So, Elijah has been a trying dog since the time that he was a pup so I am told.

Elijah is very much a dog that desires to be with people and does not like to be left alone. He used to destroy Torrey's apartment when he was younger...and not just a little bit. He used to tear up and eat Torrey's furniture, curtains, books, games, plastic, etc...

We knew he still liked to have Torrey around when Torrey's mom lived with him because he would still get upset and pee on things, but that was not too bad.

When Elijah moved in last year with Torrey, he did the marking of his territory but otherwise it wasn't too bad.

We did try to figure out what we needed to do when we left the home. Saidee has stayed in one room when I would leave and it has worked for her, so we tried that with both of them. It worked for a time and then Elijah started to dig at the carpet. I wasn't going to keep him there as I had spent thousands of dollars the year before putting in new carpet in hopes of having it for years and hopefully a family.

From there we tried a bathroom with music and his bed and kong, but that didn't work either as he chewed up the bottom of the door. (I forgot to get picture of this one fore you, will try to catch that here soon.)

After this we tried just letting him be in the garage. Well, he was able to chew and claw up the bottom of the garage door and take off the weather strip.

So, now what? ...well we figured we would put them outside together as about 3 years ago I had extended the fence and put in an all wood fence. Well, Elijah found a way to break some boards and get him and Saidee out.

Now we proceed to get a doghouse to block him from that area and provide him with a place to den. That seems to work well for a while and then he starts to dig in the yard and next the garden. We found that putting his poop there would stop him for a time or putting pepper down.

We have him stopped and content again until one day we come home and he has started to dig under the fence...okay...bricks are in front of it.

Now we come home to a dog that is opening the fence gates...okay, now we have padlocks on the gate.

Next is a doozy...we come home to have a big hole through the fence as if a lion escaped in a cartoon and we hear Elijah but can't see him. We find him next to the fence, on the neighbors side, caught in a bush because someone put him on the tie down we have for him when we are in the front yard. So, he got out, someone found him, he let them touch him and hook him up but no note, no call, nothing...AHHHH.

Well, now what? We have tried everything and are running out of options.

In the winter when it was too cold we would put the dogs in the garage in their cages with a fan and music and that seemed to work, so we try that again.

I come home to find a dog that somehow opened the cage and was wandering around the garage. AHHHH

So, While I am home I attempt to work with Elijah and put him in the cage and come back to him so he knows he isn't in trouble and that I am coming back. I also put a master lock on it thinking there is no way now. Well, it seemed to be successful so we put him in it for a night out and we come home to a dog standing at our sliding glass door. We go out and see that he has somehow bent the cage and squeezed through the smallest opening and we have no idea how.

We are completely at a loss as to what to do next as nothing is working. We are currently thinking of Wrought Iron fences that have bricks underneath so the dogs can't dig, an underground fence/boundary system, behavior training, a doggie sedative when we have to leave....we are at a loss. Anyone else have a persistent dog that you can't get rid of because it would kill your spouse? I need some ideas on what else to try. I don't want to risk his life, have more things ruined and with the upcoming baby, I am afraid of what else he is able to do.

All the while, Saidee is being inflicted to the same solutions because I am trying to be fair, but am getting frustrated that Saidee, who is manageable, is getting the consequences and adjusting appropriately.

ADVICE????