Ellie is just over a year old now and she’s never had a problem with chewing, even when she was teething. Suddenly, she’s tearing everything apart when I’m gone. Okay, I’m exaggerating. She’s tearing up the mail, my socks, and a wooden baby gate separating her from the mail and my shoe rack. But the fact remains that my sweet Corgi who has never so much as put her mouth on anything but her toys after the first “No!” is now destroying things. 

I think she’s doing it because she’s not getting as much attention as she wants. I pet and play with her when I’m home, and we go on several walks a day. Nothing has changed in our routine, except that my mom stayed with us for 2 weeks earlier this month and showered Ellie with affection and walks all day. I think Ellie is having some trouble going back to our usual routine.

Any advice on how to help her transition back to spending all day alone? I thought about doggie daycare once a week to break up the monotony of being alone. I’ve also made an effort to cuddle and play with her in the morning before I leave for work. She also gets a walk before I go, and I leave the TV on for her.

And in the meantime, how do I get her to stop shredding things while I’m gone? She doesn’t chew anything she shouldn’t when I’m home, so I can’t catch her and tell her “No!” unless I bait her by leaving mail and socks laying around. I feel bad trapping her into a scolding, but should I try it?