How do I deal with dog chewing?

MissG_2

Could you not put a crate in the car??

downshifter

MissG wrote: »

Could you not put a crate in the car??

Yes you're right, I think it's the only option. Unfortunately it would have to go on the floor (it's a campervan conversion) and that's the only place with enough space. She won't be able to look out, which she loves, but it's probably all I can do. I'm definitely going to have a go at some of the training/bribery ideas too. Thanks

sarabe

Your dog should be crated for safety when travelling if nothing else.

In the event of an accident she could be thrown through the windscreen and even if you only have a minor prang there is still the danger of her getting loose on the road should someone open the door to see if you are okay.

And as a bonus she won't be able to chew the seatbelts.

downshifter

sarabe wrote: »

Your dog should be crated for safety when travelling if nothing else.

In the event of an accident she could be thrown through the windscreen and even if you only have a minor prang there is still the danger of her getting loose on the road should someone open the door to see if you are okay.

And as a bonus she won't be able to chew the seatbelts.

I would've thought that keeping her behind a grille in the back would be ok. And for those who don't chew them, those dog seatbelts are pretty good too. If only she couldn't reach the seatbelts from behind the grille I wouldn't have aproblem.

DS

wilykit

Hi everyone,

I have 2 dogs - one is a 2 year old English Bull Terrier and the other is a 1 year old American Bulldog.

We recently laid new lino in the kitchen and my American Bulldog ripped it up, we then tried sticking it back down with duct tape, but she is still managing to get that up and has totally destroyed the floor, and now we have had to stick cardboard to fill in the gaps. :eek:

My EBT is not destructive and is relatively well behaved, but I really am at my wits end with my ABD. I have tried giving her a bone that will last her all day, giving her new toys etc but nothing seems as tasty as some freshly laid lino!

The reason my dogs are seperated in the day is because they sometimes wind each other up and end up arguing, and I am not there to calm them down. They are fine together on the night when me and my partner are in. I know a lot of people say dogs shouldn't be alone during the day - but seen as the majority of people work I will not be the only one who does this!

Any help/advice/tips etc would be appreciated as my OH is talking about rehoming her and as much as this destructive behaviour is annoying I would never want to rehome her as she is part of this family.

Sorry that this post is getting long but just another point - we got her in July from a lady who kept her in a yard so I think one of the problems is that she has never had any discipline - we are STILL trying to toilet train her and she has never had any rules laid out so I can see that it might not be a case of her simply being naughty.

I am going to try and train her and deal with this myself as at the moment a dog trainer will be an expense that I don't want to pay if I can sort it myself.

They go for walks when we get in and are regularly let out to the toilet. I even made a point of taking her on another walk late on Sunday night to try and get rid of any excess energy in the hope she would then sleep through most of the night - did not work!

Thanks everyone

lucyq

The problem you are facing is why rescues won't rehome older dogs to full time workers as you can't provide the adequate time or effort to ensure they fully settle and retrain unwanted behaviours and as you are finding now that means you are now considering yet another home for the poor dog.

The only thing i can reccomend is you rehome her to someone that can devote the time she needs, she is obviously bored in the house or suffering from seperation anxiety and sees chewing as something to relieve that boredom/stress unfortunately you could leave the juciest bones ever for her to chew on but if she's took a likening for something else then theres nothing much you can do about it.
Theres no point in suggesting crate training as to leave her crated for that period of time would be cruel, unless you can get a dog walker to call in they charge on average £8 an hour which would break the day up for her. (many offer a discount on for a full weeks booking) or ask a relative, neighbour or even a student for some extra pin money.
Theres no point training her either as you are not there enough to be consistant the reason puppies 'sometimes' work in a full time home (even though i wouldn't advise it) is because they can be trained from the outset and they know no different from your routine.
You are technically trying to retrain a dog out of its bad habits which is alot more difficult than getting a puppy to sit and really needs more time and commitment and she's still a puppy yet with boundless amounts of energy (and a big puppy at that). Its also slightly dangerous that she 'may' even choke on the pieces of lino i've known dogs to choke to death on pigs ears.

Sorry.

Missy_Spud

Hi, have you tried that no chew spray? We got some when my puppy decided she would like her bedroom re-decorating and pulled off a load of wallpaper, we sprayed that on and she didnt go for it again, we got one from pets at home it smells really nice aswell quite lemony.

It is obviously harder to train her when your not there, as you could tell her no and get her attention with a toy etc and take her mind off the lino.

Is there any way you can stop her getting in that area of your kitchen?

I think the best thing to do with your dog is start from scratch, it will be hard as she is already set in her ways, but try to teach her whats good and bad, treat her for EVERY little thing she does good, every time she sits give her a small treat and make a fuss of her saying good girl etc does she do shake a paw etc? ideally dogs that are not housetrained need to be let out every half an hour for a wee and treated every time they do something then they start to realise this is where they go, is she on paper/puppy pads when your out at work?

When she does wee/poop inside do you tell her off? the best thing is not to make a fuss of her if she does anything inside, just take her outside and say 'have a wee good girl' or 'wee outside' something along those lines, none of it may work but thats personally what id go with starting from the very beginning again. If you can get her doing tricks like shake a paw/roll over etc it keeps them mentally stimulated too, my dog knows quite a few tricks and she is only 9 months old im always thinking of new things to teach her to keep her occupied, im quite lucky in that if i give her a rawhide bone she will sit for hours with it.

Have you tried leaving a radio on low when you go out of the house, we did this when we got our puppy so it wasn't just silence.

hope that helps a little xx

wilykit

lucyq wrote: »

or ask a relative, neighbour or even a student for some extra pin money.

I don't think asking some random person I do not know to let themselves into my home is a good idea.

What difference does it make if its an older dog or not? She gets a lot more attention now then she did when she was with her previous owners.

I never said I was considering rehoming her I said my partner mentioned it but I will not and am prepared to try things - hence me posting on here.

I will try some of the no chew spray.

I don't tell her off when she messes in the house I ask her to go outside for a 'weewee' lol and then let her into the garden.

lucyq

wilykit wrote: »

I don't think asking some random person I do not know to let themselves into my home is a good idea.

What difference does it make if its an older dog or not? She gets a lot more attention now then she did when she was with her previous owners.

I never said I was considering rehoming her I said my partner mentioned it but I will not and am prepared to try things - hence me posting on here.

I will try some of the no chew spray.

I don't tell her off when she messes in the house I ask her to go outside for a 'weewee' lol and then let her into the garden.

I did not say a random person i said friend, relative, neighbour or a student surely you have someone in that capacity near you that you could trust ? (isn't the dog worth it for 1hr walk a day when you are out?)

The reason i said about her being an older dog if you read my post correctly is an OLDER DOG already has undesirable behaviours as you are full well finding out...

The clue you gave is in your reply, "she gets alot more attention now than she did" and then off you pop to your full time job leaving behind an insecure dog who cannot grasp why shes being left which results in the chewing.

Bitter apple spray isn't going to do much good she'll probably start on your kitchen cupboards and when you spray them she'll start on something else until she gets past 2yrs of age and then she 'might' settle.

This is why rescues do homechecks and won't rehome to people who leave the dog alone for more than 4hrs, its very admirable taking in an unwanted dog but it certainly isn't an easy ride and without its consequences.

wilykit

lucyq i came on here asking for advice NOT a lecture. I do not appreciate the way you insinuate I am mistreating my dog.

You think I am the only person who has a dog who works? The majority of people I know do, and their dogs are fine.

And NO I do not know somebody who can come to my house as they work and I am new to this area and do not know the neighbours. So no it is NOT worth letting a stranger into my house when they could burgle me, take/injure/harm the dog etc.