[cos]

Being tired out physically every other day is not enough for an Aussie puppy. Think mental stimulation as well as physically. He's making his own game out of chewing your belongings because he's not being mentally stimulated, and on days he doesn't get out, he is still bored all day long and Aussies / BCs are known to be destructive when bored.

I would try to put in more time every day instead of every other. I'd also try not just letting him lose with other dogs, and rather take him for stimulating walks. He may be understimulated by the environment and over stimulated by the dogs when he does get out, causing him to be a bit high strung. I like to play sniffing games on my walks by tossing pieces of treats into tall grass and having him find it. I also go to places with lots of smells and sounds like the nature trail by my dog park.

creating puzzles for him may also keep his mind busy, like taking a bottle and stuffing it with hot dog pieces and making him try to get them out. Do you do any obedience work? Working breeds love to learn, and learn very quickly. Try setting aside at least 15 minutes a day to work on useless tricks like roll over, spin, shake, high five, speak, etc just to give his mind something to think about.

 

[cos]

Unfortunately with the extra time at work I really have difficulty finding more free time/time to give him for the next 3 more weeks. We have been to nature trails but it is so far away it isn't ideal for my current situation. But definitely noted for after that. We also walk about 1.25 miles every day in a highly dog populated area, so he gets to stop at all the bushes and poles.

I also got him an IQ ball and I used to put half his meals in there along with a decent amount of treats. He seemed to become disinterested after a while. I'll try using different shapes like a bottle, maybe that'll help. And yes, I do obedience work, I pretty much ran out of tricks to teach him but I'll try to think of some more now and I guess just keep practicing what he knows over and over. Thanks so much for the advice, I wasn't even thinking about mental stimulation!

Would it be possible to hire or find someone to take him out on the days you cant? It's a rare day I leave my Aussie home all day without taking him out, and he has gotten bored when I don't have time and chewed things like shoes and a pair of my glasses. It's rare he chews anymore however, because he goes out every day.

I would suggest googling some DIY puzzle toys involving treats for dogs, and making some as well as buying a variety Cosmo got bored with a kong super fast.

You can never run out of tricks! Start teaching him to pull things on doors like a towel tied to the knob, and eventually he could open the fridge. Teach to retrieve certain objects by name and have one of those be a water bottle from the fridge. Train him to put away his toys so you don't have to! Train him to jump through a hoop form of your arms. Train him to turn lights on and off. Train him to climb ladders and retrieve toys. Hang a toy on something above his head and have him jump the possibilities are endless!

Also is that in in your picture? Cute!

 

[cos]

If you have to leave him home and the pad training can be trained out when you have time and it's working for now and he's okay with roaming the house then honestly? I think he's fine. Just give him a kong and hide some snacks around the house. (Under cups, under a mat or rug or towel, on a surface he can climb like stairs or between couch cushions etc) leave a couple different puzzles out with low calorie snacks. That should keep him busy a while and puppies sleep a lot so that should account for a large portion of the time. Just make sure there's nothing dangerous he can get to or gate him in an area. We used to gate our family lab in the kitchen. A couple accidents when she was a puppy but it was an easy clean up on the tile and now she's perfectly potty trained. We were just going to school and working but it all worked out fine.

If he's getting adequate exercise between the time he's alone I see no problem.