Do you crate your dog?

Eels100

I would imagine that at 11 months the worst of her teething will be over. When dogs are teething though, a wet towel twisted up and frozen, or a frozen carrot can be soothing to chew (only under supervision, obviously!).

Why don't you tap into her love for chewing things by rewarding her for chewing the right things? I don't know if you've heard of Kongs, but they're great toys which can be filled with food. It takes them a good while to get the filling out and keeps them occupied and out of trouble. To make them last ages and ages I bung the end with peanut butter then fill them with stock, wrap them in clingfilm and freeze them. It can also be worth making meals last longer by feeding several small ones from Kongs. Giving her one last thing at night, with or without the crate, means you are leaving her with something to occupy her and she will hopefully be more likely to sleep when she's finished it. Also, a walk before bed would make a huge difference because terriers are very bright and need lots of stimulation as well as exercise. Even a brisk trot round the block to investigate smells will help her to relax.

As someone else mentioned though, general advice might not be applicable because they're all different and she may have other reasons for chewing which need to be addressed.

cornbuddy

When I first got my dog we would leave him in the kitchen and he would chew everything!!!! However once we let him have the run of the house of an evening this all stopped. I think a dog needs to know that it can be near you at all times of the day as it then feels secure. Our dog sometimes sleeps in our bedroom but more often than not sleeps downstairs. It is just a question of how much space you want to give your pet.

chaos5678

I had one of those video camera things that I bought cheaply from ebay They are only a small camera and a 6 ins monitor.

I would try one of those as they have volume, so the dog being active hopefully wakes you up and you can catch in the act, which is always better

Kimberley

Georgina wrote:

Kimberley - can you post the name of the website, or is it secret?! :shhh:

I've pm'd you it.

Melissa22_Mum

Georgina wrote:

I think I'm right in saying that dogs start to get their adult teeth at about 5 months old, and the whole teething period can last for a few months, so some of the dogs mentioned above (not sure how old your dog is BS) may be teething! If that's the case, it's a phase they'll probably grow out of, they're just trying to get some relief by chewing. Best to redirect any chewing/mouthing onto things they can chew (but that doesn't solve your problem BS as it's only at night!).


I have to disagree! The dominance theories (where people think that a dog can be 'dominant' and plans to take over the world if it can and that to prevent that you need to be 'alpha' dog and pack leader) are now widely believed to be flawed. It's more about teaching your dog/s what the boundaries are (ie what is/isn't allowed), and being consistent. If 'old habits die hard' how do you explain that dogs who have been mistreated/abused etc and end up in a rescue centre can be rehabilitated and rehomed? You can teach an old dog new tricks!

I was being blunt. I didn't mention the "pack leader theory" or dogs wanting to take over the world. I was intending to say boundries and consistency are needed. Yes you can teach a dog not to do things but once they get in the habit of doing things (old habits) it takes months even years to retrain the dog to behave (die hard)

Gingham_Ribbon

black-saturn wrote:

She goes out for a walk almost every day and is playing in the yard most of the rest of the time..

Maybe this is part of the problem? My dog was much bigger and I understand that bigger dogs often need more exercise, but I would have thoguht that a dog would need to be walked 2 or 3 times a day to get enough exercise and play and be tired and happy at the end of the day.

Is there any way you could take your dog with you on your twice a day walks to and from school when the children go back next month? That might help wear it out a bit!

WeirdoMagnet

Melissa22_Mum wrote:

I was being blunt. I didn't mention the "pack leader theory" or dogs wanting to take over the world. I was intending to say boundries and consistency are needed. Yes you can teach a dog not to do things but once they get in the habit of doing things (old habits) it takes months even years to retrain the dog to behave (die hard)

Sorry, I must have misinterepreted your post. "Discipline needs to be ingrained in a dog" is quite a strong phrase to use - dogs need to be taught how to live with us, and if they are not, they'll resort to behaviour which is rewarding for them. It is in our best interests to teach the dog what we would like them to do by making it rewarding for them, so in time the unwanted behaviour will disappear.

Using positive, non-aversive training methods (for instance clicker training) it is possible to train a dog very quickly, certainly quicker than using more traditional methods. There's lots of information about it here.

black-saturn

Gingham_Ribbon wrote:

Maybe this is part of the problem? My dog was much bigger and I understand that bigger dogs often need more exercise, but I would have thoguht that a dog would need to be walked 2 or 3 times a day to get enough exercise and play and be tired and happy at the end of the day.

Is there any way you could take your dog with you on your twice a day walks to and from school when the children go back next month? That might help wear it out a bit!

The dog comes with me on the school runs but during the school holidays she has had less walks than when we are at school.

This morning was a breakthrough. There was nothing been shredded or chewed when we got up this morning and no little piles of doo doo on the carpet. So she was rewarded with loads of cuddles and a treat. Hoping this is the start of better things to come.

ageandjo

Defo crate her!!!!!

best thing we ever did, everyone can come up with reasons why dog's chew but let's face it it's young and all young dogs chew, and it's YOU who has the expense of replacing the items that have been chewed.
Get a crate put it in your front room with some of her toys in it, leave the grate gate open and let her investigate for herself and as soon as she is inside the crate praise her like mad but dont shut the door let her feel at ease.... honestly if I hadnt crated my dogs yes DOGS!! I wouldnt have had a house left.

black-saturn

I havn't got much of a house left now :rolleyes: