How do I get this puppy to stop......

[onebdzee]

I do now......

Did you ever find a spray that smelled like wood? Er? can I say that?

never really looked

but, I'm sure there is a spray like that out there somewhere

 

[forever jewel]

A puppy's urge to chew usually starts around teething time. Simply put, it feels good to chew. Like many other behaviors, most owners do not mind if their dog chews appropriate chew toys such as bones, rawhide, hard rubber and alike. It is inappropriate chewing, the rug, the furniture, your shoes, that is usually not appreciated. Dogs may chew when the are isolated and bored. They may also chew when they are anxious and under stress. If this chewing relieves the bordome or the stress, it will most likely be repeated again and again because it is self-reinforcing. Now you have a bad habit that is sometimes hard to break.

The best way to prevent inappropriate chewing is to exercise the dog, supervise him when he is out and about and confine him to a kennel or crate when you are not watching him. Puppy-proofing your house is also advised. Your dog needs a variety of chew toys. I recommend to my students having 16 to 20 toys. Half are out one week and the other half are put away. Rotate the group each week. In this way, your dog will not become bored and find new toys that are yours. I provide a toy box for my dogs. They take toys out when they want to chew. I don't expect them to put them back though.

If you catch your puppy chewing an inappropriate object say, "No!... Chew Toy." and redirect the dog to an appropriate toy. This "instructive reprimand" will help to shape your puppy's behavior to your liking. Remember, a puppy is a puppy for the first 12 to 18 months of life. When not supervised, puppy is in the crate with a few toys. In this way, your belongings will stay intact and puppy will not be allowed to develop bad habits. With maturity and proper reinforcement training from you, soon your dog will have freedom around your
home if you so desire.

I agree with Kwillia! Exercise, exercise, exercise- because a good dog is a tired dog!

It sounds to me that your puppy has an anxiety disorder and chews to relief her anxiety. You can't resolve this issue, by focusing on the result, which in this case is chewing. You need to address the problem: anxiety.

I suggest that you find a toy that she absolutely adores and/or a treat (Kong's work great since you can put a treat inside them and they have to work to remove it) and give it to her when you leave. Over a period of time (few weeks at least!), she will associate this favorite toy with when you leave and slowly that behavior will disipate. However, I also suggest that you DO NOT make an event out of the fact that you are leaving. Just leave. Give the dog her favorite toy/treat and then leave. Do this for very short periods of time initially and as she is successful, slowly increase the amount of time (or the behavior threshold) you are away. Remember, you want to set your dog up for success. If you are away longer than the puppy's behavior threshold, crate the dog. This does not allow the dog to chew anything and in your eyes, fail.

Lastly, I recommend that you do not provide toys for you dog that mimic inappropriate objects (i.e. stuffed animals = soft furniture/pillows; tug toys with fringe = curtains/pillows/blankets with fringe). Provide the dog with toys such as nylabones or kongs that do not imitate inappropriate objects. One way to make such toys appealing is to soak them in chicken or beef broth. It will taste much better and the likelihood of the dog chewing that object instead of the inappropriate objects is higher.

Remember, it will not be an overnight transformation. Just have patience! Good luck with your puppy!

 

[FerretRescue]

Trade it for a cat

or a ferret.....

 

[forever jewel]

Well, now that I actually looked at the date of the original post (Sept. 2006!), how did the chewing situation turn out?

 

[CableChick]

As usual, you miss the point. I have never said that I was against a dog on a chain as long as it wasn't for long periods of time and without some sort of human supervision and contact. And I don't recall where I said that a dog should be in a crate 24/7 unless you can be with him. Every situation is different. Unfortunately, I've seen the bad side of a lot of human/pet situations. The post of mine you quote about was in reference to training a puppy and I don't believe I advocated keeping the puppy locked up constantly

Maybe you should really get to know me and what I'm about regarding my opinions on animals. But you're really only in these animal forums to argue and not offer any help.

Hey Catt! I was up at 4:15 and took him outside. Brought him in and let him eat. Then took him back inside to sit in his crate until I was done. Then out again before we all left.


No accidents and no chewing .. nothing. Will continue this

 

[cattitude]

Hey Catt! I was up at 4:15 and took him outside. Brought him in and let him eat. Then took him back inside to sit in his crate until I was done. Then out again before we all left.


No accidents and no chewing .. nothing. Will continue this

Routine..routine..routine...

What about the leash thing..in the room with you? That way he wouldn't have to be in the crate. I used to take them in the bathroom with me too when I took a shower.. put up the trash can, etc. and put a bunch of his toys on the floor...and talked to him a lot.

 

[CableChick]

Routine..routine..routine...

What about the leash thing..in the room with you? That way he wouldn't have to be in the crate. I used to take them in the bathroom with me too when I took a shower.. put up the trash can, etc. and put a bunch of his toys on the floor...and talked to him a lot.

I was worried the noise and hot air from the blowdryer would irritate him.

I'll try that tomorrow!

 

[cattitude]

I was worried the noise and hot air from the blowdryer would irritate him.

I'll try that tomorrow!

He may be scared but you can get him used to the dryer. After all, he's going to be getting groomed when he gets to be a bigger buy...and the groomers have dryers. I didn't use the leash in the bathroom...just toys and talking to hold their attention. Yeah...you'll sound nutty but you won't have any messes.

 

[kwillia]

I was worried the noise and hot air from the blowdryer would irritate him.

Remember that your little guy is going to require grooming every couple of months. You to get him used to being around noisy machines and being handled now... don't wait for him to hit his doggie "teenage years" to begin fooling with him (ears, toenails, combing, etc.) or else all you will face is teen attitude...

 

[CableChick]

Remember that your little guy is going to require grooming every couple of months. You to get him used to being around noisy machines and being handled now... don't wait for him to hit his doggie "teenage years" to begin fooling with him (ears, toenails, combing, etc.) or else all you will face is teen attitude...

Very true! And he does very well w/ the puppy pass around at classes too! He's just a loveable dog! He'll be even better when he stops biting!

 

[forever jewel]

CableChick, what kind of puppy do you have?

Don't feel too bad about crating your dog if you have to. A dog should enjoy his crate because it ideally provides security to him (confined space). As long as you don't put your dog in the crate as a punishment, he will go in willingly and happily. Dogs get a sense of security in smaller, confined spaces.

Catt, you're absolutely right! Because he is a puppy, you need to constantly keep an eye on him. When he's not in his crate, he's on a leash (and vice versa). By doing that, you're setting him up to succeed because you do not allow him to get into any trouble if you're in control.

Good luck with your puppy Keep us posted on his progress!

 

[unixpirate]

chewing up EVERYTHING in the house other than pulling her teeth?

All day long, if I'm here, she won't chew up anything....I leave for more than 3 seconds and when I get home, EVERYTHING has teeth marks in it

Last night I left for half an hour and my daughters homework ended up in peices along with half the wicker basket that is sitting by the front door(for the shoes)

I give her "chew toys" and and such and they also end up in peices

Give 'em to Ellen Degeneres's hair dresser.

 

[clevalley]

My .02 - from my experience it is either teething, boredom or anxiety...

Usually, you can confine them if you cannot devote 100% of eye time to them... when you crate them, or even confine them to a safe room, put all of THERE toys in there with chew toys.

If you catch them chewing on something they are not suppose to be chewing on - correct them (swat - not beat) and then immediately substitute with one of there toys or chew toys.

I have NEVER had a dog that chewed up our stuff.

Hope it helps...