We left our pup out of his crate and left him for 4 hours. When we returned, he tore up some papers. I corrected him for doing this but was it the right thing to do?

Hi Ed,

We purchased your puppy & obedience tapes before we even got our dog. We have followed them very closely with very good results. Our dog is crate trained and loves his crate. About 4 months ago we have been leaving him out of the crate, and he has been perfect ....until today. He tore up some boxes and papers in the basement (that he knows he is not allowed to touch). I came home to a mess and corrected him harshly. Problem is I don't know if that was the right reaction and if it will prevent him from doing it again. Even though we did not catch him in the act, will he understand why he got his correction? Should I revert him back to the crate, and if so how long?

Thanks,
Dante