How do I deal with dog chewing?

tattoed_bum

thanks everyone i've just sent dh to the pet shop to get a nylabone type toy ,
does anyone think that if i got him one of those toys that holds a treat in it but they have to work at it to get the treat out would help and stop him being bored at night ,(i dont know what they are called lol).
he doesnt chew in the day just at night when we have gone to bed ,

but then there is mostly always someone with him in the day .

supermezzo

Try rubbing something really nasty on the walls he's already chewed - we used vaporub in the end for one that chewed the kitchen wallpaper off but she was a persistent offender!
Try it when you're there though at first then if you see the dog approaching that area of damage, let him lick it, then distract him with his new toy/bone etc
A crate overnight might be a plan but that is a personal choice - However, if he's got company all day and is well walked etc then it may e that he's fretting at night, rather than being destructive for the sake of it. I think that fact that he's part huskey and very much a pack animal may be the problem, or at least part of it.
If you haven't done already, it's a bit like kids - establish a bedtime routine, last time outside, on your bed, tuck him in if needs be, then leave him (maybe just one room would help though for a while until you get him out of eating things if only to cut down ont he amount of things he can eat), then go back 2 mins later and give him a treat, then lenghten it to 3 mins etc
Try repeating whatever you did when you left him during the day when he was little. i.e. leaving the radio on etc

smileypigface

Our ESS went through a chewy stage - albeit on a much smaller scale! We found a few drops of Olbas Oil on a piece of kitchen roll and wiped over the attractive item was enough to put him off.

Probably not much use as advice, on reflection, as it sounds like you would probably have to coat most of your house with the stuff!

Hope you find a solution

Mummyboo

Hi I have a 2 year old Shar Pei who just won't stop chewing!!!

She doesn't play with toys and if I buy her bones she turns her nose up at them.

At night and when I go out I keep her and my other dog (who doesn't chew) in a large cage but I want to get rid of this eventually and would like them to be able to roam.

Any ideas how I can stop her????

I did try the anti chew spray and it did work but it's so expensive and impossible to spray everywhere

lisa*_5

I've got a Boxer who is extremely distructive! When he was very young I used a crate but only because he was little enough to fit out the cat flat and also because he used to chase the cat and I was worried about his safety. Once he got bigger and also more used to the cat I got rid of the crate. Initially I used to give him run of the house, but after he ate the sofa bed, my pc, hall wall and numerous other things I limited him to the kitchen but using a dog gate. He then went on to eat beds, kitchen units, door frames, skirting boards, etc but he's gradually getting better. We rescued a 2nd Boxer so he now he someone to play with. When I leave them alone, I completely Boxer proof the kitchen, nothing is left on the work surfaces and they only have hard plastic beds with blankets in them. I also leave toys like frozen stuffed Kongs, Tug-a-Jug, etc stuff that will keep them amused. Don't get me wrong he still has a go on my Kitchen units and if anything is left within his reach its gone when I get home but thats just the way he is. Hopefully he grows out of it as he gets older.

Spudette

My brother had this exact same problem with his dog it is a night mare. The only thing that worked is Anti Chew Spray (Cheap Version) It isn't as expensive as some of them. My friend had a Golden Retriever and he chewed the remote control etc. All you can do is spray, spray, spray until you break the habit.

GL
HTH

craftyfox

our 2 samoyded loved to chew .... everything ( both in the big playpark in the sky now :A) and we tried everthing and the only think that worked for us was a thick coating of Tabasco Sauce on everthing, kitchen doors, cupboards, skirting boards, well you get the picture and in a few days they gave up and stopped chewing.
ps both died from old age, one 11 the other 14 and not from tabasco overload !!!!!!!

Mummyboo

Thanks for your replies.

I was trying to trust her bit by bit , leaving her to roam for short periods of time until she ate my blinds in 10 mins!!!!! I tried sprinkling paprika everywhere as that was recommended to me but she seemed to love it!!!!

Raksha

Does she only chew when she's alone?

sarabe

Dogs chew innapropriately for a variety of reasons but the most common would be boredom or anxiety at being left.

You need to look at the whole picture.

Does your dog get enough exercise and mental stimulation?

What are you feeding her - bearing in mind that the majority of commercial dog foods are junk food and can often have the same effect on adolsecent dogs as junk food has on our kids.

The things that you are giving her to chew - her toys - probably don't hold any value to her because I bet you leave them for her to have whenever she wants.

The bone might be attractive to her if she was hungry.

If it is boredom then you need to make sure that she is tired when you leave her but that she has something to occupy her that she wouldn't have at any other time and that EVERYTHING you don't want chewed is put away. If it is fixtures and fittings then she would be better of in a crate with something like a stuffed Kong or raw meaty bone providing that you didn't leave her for more than a couple of hours.

If she is anxious at being left then you need to address this. Does she have attention on demand when you are there? Even negative attention is attention. This will make her panicky if suddenly this is not available to her.

Do you warn her to behave when you go out? Are you cross when you come in? This will increase her anxiety.

To help her cope when you are not there you should start by setting aside periods during the day when you will give her loads of attention followed by a period of no attention at all.

So for half an hour you'd play, fuss, groom - whatever and then you'd stand up say 'that's it' and then for the next half an hour nothing she does, short of setting fire to the house will get your attention. You can get on with chores or sit and read and she must be invisible.

You should also accustom her to being left by doing it gradually. If you could find something that she really values, like a special toy or stuffed Kong then you'd give her this, leave the room, turn around and walk back in and remove the prize. Gradually increase the time that you are leaving her and watch her be disappointed that you are back so soon.