This chewing is drinving me nuts

[mrsdrummer]

Bull has chewed everything from socks to the corner out of my box springs. He's only 7 months old and I know from past experience this is the norm but it's making me and DH crazy. Last night he chewed up a rug. I also worry that he'll chew up something and it won't go through ya know and he'll get sick. Some days he won't chew up a single thing other days he'll try to eat the pants off your body. I'm willing to invest in the chew spray as long as it works and won't make the cat sick. I guess i just need a sympathetic ear to listen to my tales of whoa. give me your remedy to get through this.

[Sarah051504]

Bones, chew toys, Kongs, and one eye on him all the time.

Our border collie was and still is a big chewer, so much so that we named him Chewy :D We got him from a co-worker of DH when he was 6 months old. Chewy had chewed up their brand new carpet and they wanted to get rid of him. We already had two cats and a dog but DH can't resist a dog in need, especially border collies. (His Co-worker was just going to drive out in the country and let him go!)

I noticed that he chewed when he was bored so we made sure he never got bored. We do have to crate him when we aren't around and at night casue one night he chewed the corner off of two of our dressers! He's also chewed a couple of sandles, any paper on the floor, clothes on the floor, actaully anything on the floor.

I do have good news, he's now almost 2 years old and he doesn't chew anything but his toys and bones now. It took some time, but he learned what was ok to chew and what wasn't. Just be patient. If you catch him "in the act" scold him and then give him somthing that's ok to chew on, He'll learn.

[Kristen78]

My remedy would be to crate him when you aren't around to watch him. He shouldn't be able to eat a rug if you are right there, you know? If you aren't able to keep an eye on him why not put him in a crate? Or you could buy some baby gates and keep him gated in a "safe" room.

I have a 3 year old black lab and he was a mild chewer as a puppy. He didnt eat the couch or furniture thank god, but he did chew up our glass door to the deck, and he also managed to knaw a few holes into the walls! I kept him in the kitchen with baby gates and it really helped keep the destruction to a minimum.

Bitter Apple worked wonders too! Its safe to use for any animal. It really just tastes bad.

[Lanapoo]

He's still a puppy, and puppies do like to chew, especially when they're bored. Really puppies should not be given free reign on a house when you can't watch them every second. That's why x-pens are great. You can put the toys in there and they still have a little room to play but can't get to your other stuff and destroy them. A warning though, putting an x-pen on carpet can be potentially dangerous to the carpet :p I remember some shredded carpet on one occasion. But you can take an x-pen everywhere, although the taller ones can be heavy, and they can have their own little fenced in area where they can't get into trouble.

Good luck with the chewing :)

[maxandmolly]

Honestly, the only that helped with my incredibly destructive beagle mix was when she went to live with my mom and had other animals to keep her occupied! But I think hers was an anxiety thing, not a puppy teething thing.

[mrsdrummer]

He chewed the rug up over night and he stays in our room with us with the door closed. We tried that free roam thing for about 2 nights when I finally said NO MORE. Generally he sleeps all night but the last couple nights have been like having a new baby honestly. Thanks for all your responses, We've had puppies before so this really isn't anything new but frustrating all the same.

[Vegastrtle]

I know your pain....our dog chewed up the WALL...luckily DH is very patient and tolerant...waited until she was out of her puppy stage and fixed the wall (she also chewed the couch...which got her day times in the crate..but that's another story). I mention them always...but Kongs stuffed with wet food and frozen are WONDERFUL....takes her most of the day to empty one!

[mrsdrummer]

What are these Kongs I've heard so much about?

[~Lucy]

Kongs are great dog toys for chewing. You hide a treat inside and the dog chews on the Kong to get the treat out. You can buy them at any pet store, Target, etc. There are a variety of sizes for big and little dogs. Kong makes hard, crunchy treats that fit in the holes as well as cans that can squirt inside similar to cheese in a can. If you don't want to buy their stuff, you can simply use peanut butter.

http://www.petsmart.com/media/ps/images/products/detail/standard/June05/50525_47fc5.jpg

I know you can't use it on rugs and stuff, but if your dog chews on walls you can rub a little ammonia in the spots and it should stop him. I caught our puppy chewing on a door, yelled "NO!", spanked his bottom and sent him to his crate. He hasn't tried chewing anything again.

Do you crate your dog? I know you said he sleeps in your room, but does he have his own space?

[jaeger]

I agree, Kongs are great. Just give him a lot of dog toys to chew on and if you catch him chewing on anything else just take it out of his mouth and replace it w/a kong or chew toy that he can have. Ahh puppyhood! :)

[mb1197]

I just bought a puppy Kong with the squirt treat stuff for my 9 week old puppy last night. She LOVED it! She is definitely a chewer and has thus far destroyed 3 pair of flip flops, my favorite pair of sandals, numerous socks etc. I also buy her the edible Nylabones which she loves as well.

[mimieliza]

We got through the chew phase (which seems to last about a year) by keeping Miles (our Austalian Shepherd) crated wheneer we weren't watching him. This includes at night while we were sleeping (we kept the crate in our bedroom) and when we were out of the house. We were eventually (when he was about nine months old) able to leave him in the kitchen with a baby gate. We had to pick up all the rugs, dishtowels, etc. but at least he didn't start in on the cabinets. He would also chew up any bedding or anything in the crate with him, so we just used old towels and blankets after he chewed up two fancy dog beds we had gotten for him.

He can now stay alone in the house sometimes. He's fine all night when we're sleeping, but during the day, I think he gets anxious sometimes, so he's mostly crated when we're out still. He's about a year and a half now.

Chew toys didn't work for us. I mean, he loves to chew on them, but won't when we're not home. I was not pleased to come home from work and find three untouched rawhides and a couch cushion torn to shreads and strewn all over the living room. After that, we started using the crate again.

[Scooter]

Kong is the brand and they have a lot of different chew toys. Our puppy loves those and her nylabones. She's got 3 different kongs. She only likes the lumpy one above if she's running around (becuase when you throw it it bounces all over really unpredictably & that's very exciting for a puppy!). The thing is, after she's gotten used to chewing on them for the treats, she started just enjoying chewing on them for no reason. It can take HOURS for the treat to come out, though, so it's really useful.

For chewing, she likes these better:

dental kong (it's straight tube, with a hole through the tube for sticking treats like peanut butter, and has tons of ridges along the side that she just loves chewing on. Plus it flosses their teeth)
http://store1.yimg.com/I/willie_1864_6521901

Goodie bone (you can see the openings on the two sides, that's where you can stuff biscuits or whatever treats)
http://www.todaysdog.com/shop/ProdImages/PlanetKongGoodieBoneLG.jpg

Remember, your puppy's going to chew no matter what, and chew even MORE when you're not home, because of anxiety. Put chew toys all over the house, and every time the dog walks up to the toy and even gives it a second glance, PRAISE the dog. And when he chews on the toy, make a big deal about what a good puppy he is! Instead of saying "No" if he goes for a carpet or sock, just stick a chew toy in his mouth instead and when he starts chewing on it, PRAISE again. He'll get the idea of what makes you happy, since all he wants to do is please you. Seeing he's making you unhappy just makes him feel bad, but it's not replacing the behavior.

We crate our Bella still everytime we leave, and put blankets in her crate that are ok to shred. Her crate shoudn't be a place where she gets in trouble. We also crated her every night until she really had the chew toy thing down. Now we don't crate her at night but we do keep in her our room, since that lowers her anxiety level (which lowers the amount of chewing!).

If you're consistent, these ideas will work, but it is definitely time consuming!