Hi Greg, A chewing or shredding dog is a bored dog. Your day is occupied with work and his isn't! The Berner is an intelligent dog that needs to be occupied with mental and physical stimulii, it will not enough to come home and power play for an hour. Try to find a local retired person who would like the opportunity to have a dog to walk, or perhaps if you have a school nearby one of the older kids could earn some pocket money and come and walk or play with your dog during lunch break. Once he is more mature he may be okay to leave alone all day but the young get restless.
Dogs do not store up the memory of what they have done and his reaction to your coming home is not one of guilt but avoidance because he senses your displeasure. He does not put the two together and if by magic the mess wasn't there when you got home he has learned that when you come in the door it's not nice to be around you. The timeframe for reaction is two to three seconds from the actual action! You have a young dynamic dog who wants more from life, you must re-evaluate your circumstances and time management and see if you can accommodate his needs more. Crating him for inordinate lengths of time will only serve to increase his frustration and perhaps damage his character. Rose Tierney
