Dog chewing EVERYTHING help?

Question

She is not teething as she is nearly 9 months old and has lost all her baby teeth. She is getting worse though she is chew chew chew. Not furniture or anything just plastic, paper, shoes etc.

To make a maker of how powerful her chewing is we got her a pigs ear and gone within seconds. Her nylabone has been half eaten within the week. I got her a new collar last Saturday and it has been shredded by Sunday. We get her raw hide bones and she chews through them within the day. A big ball on a rope was destroyed within the hour. Literally chewed right through in pieces.

She is a staffie/doberman cross we think and I am worried as she chews everything and it is getting stuck in her poo. PLus it is costing me about 10-15 pounds a week on rawhide chews and the tough bones. She gets a good walk in a morning and a run for about an hour off lead in the evening and someone is with her at all times. She is spoilt. She is not bored as she gets 100% attention all the time. Is this normal?

Should I restrict the raw hide chews or is it ok? She probably has a large knot bone (the 1.99 type) a day and maybe some thin ones from her tube. They last her most of the day but then if I don't give her one she will chew her bedding and clothes and stuff and paper and then it comes out as string in her poo (sorry for the infomration) and gets stuck which I guess is not good. She has the most powerful jaws I've ever seen. At the moment she has just come back from a very muddy run when she has chewed sticks and run after seagulls and is a bit tired so no chewing but within minutes she'll be at her bone again.

Its costing me a fortune and there are flakes of hide all over the house.

Its driving me mad!

Thanks

Answer 1

You could try spraying things that you don't want her to chew on with vinegar. Dogs don't like the smell of vinegar (i don't, either, but sacrifices must be made lol). If she chews on it anyway, try boiling some very hot peppers (jalapenos, serrano, habanero, etc) with some onion & garlic, strain the peppers, onion & garlic & add the strained water to the vinegar. That's pretty much everything dogs don't like to smell & if she chews it anyway, she definitely won't like the hot pepper taste in her mouth. You can just use the peppers, if you don't want the scent of garlic, onions and vinegar lingering around in your house. Lemon juice also works well, because dogs don't like sour tasting things.

Other than that, you can put her in a crate when you're gone, with a supply of large rawhide bones. That's about all you can do. I hope this stage passes fast for you! You might also call her vet & see if he has any suggestions.

Answer 2

If I were you, I would stop giving her things to chew which double as food (i.e. rawhide and pig's ears and even bones). Think about it this way: when she is tired she doesn't chew, which suggests she is chewing when she has energy; rawhide and pig's ears contain energy (as does all food, but they are high in fat I believe...), so giving her those to chew is just feeding her already high level of energy, inciting her to chew harder! It is like giving sugary sweets to a hyperactive child, they will just get worse! Instead, invest in some heavy duty chew toys. Toys are often labelled according to chewing level - ask at the pet store if you are not sure. You will probably find that they are a bit more expensive than the toys you are buying at the moment, but it will probably work out cheaper than what you are paying at the moment, since they should last a lot longer (try Pets at Home if there's one near you as they have a really big choice of toys and most are very well-labelled, if not, maybe order some off the internet).

Then you just have to encourage her to chew the things you want her to chew by praising her everytime she chews the toys. Whenever she chews something you don't want her to, take it off her, giving her a firm "leave" and give her the new toy, then make a huge fuss of her when she starts to chew it. Even use it to play games (fetch, or hide and seek) which will encourage her to want to play with it. As far as chewing shoes and things, she does this because your smell is on it which makes it taste great! so if I were you, until she is not chewing anything except her toys, remove everything that your smell is on (clothes, shoes, etc) from her reach, as they are the most desirable items. If you make the toys fun, hopefully she will swap to chewing them (and not the furniture!) and in a few months you can put it all back!

I don't think she is bored (as everyone else is saying!), she is probably just a chewer! Really work hard at directing her chewing energy to the right items now and I think it will save a lot of good shoes in the future!

Hope that helps!

Answer 3

She's bored.

Dogs need exercise. a 30 minute walk in the morning and in the evening will help, doggy daycare is also great for high energy dogs, they get to play and be socialized with other dogs. Also look into an obedience class in your area, this will work the dog and she'll build a strong bond with you

Answer 4

If she is obsessed with chewing, then giving her things to chew is feeding the obsession.   A way needs to be found to break the cycle, eg she has to get mental stimulation from doing something other than chew.

Not very helpful I know, but you sound like a responsible owner who is willing to give their dog plenty of time.   What about starting her at agility classes which stimulates the mind as well as the body, or maybe try and teach her tracking (run a bit of meat or a biscuit over the ground to lay a scent trail, and then she has to find it).      

Anytime not spent chewing but still enjoying herself will help to break her obsession.

Good luck.

Answer 5

your dog is still in its puppy stage if you keep on being firm with her she should grow out of it they normally don't mature till there about 15-18months old.

Answer 6

Tell her off when she chews what shes not allowed to chew.  put things out of her reach, and get a Kong, the black one, its for strong chewers.  Fill it with chews or cheese or something.  They are hard for them to break through.

Get a sterilysed bone for  her to chew

Answer 7

I didn't take the time to read the ENTIRE question. However, your answer is to crate train her. Put her in the crate when you leave the house, at night and whenever you cannot supervise her. DO NOT use it as punishment. Feed her in the crate too so she associates it with something good. Then, as she gets a little older, give her tests gradually by leaving her out if you have to run out for a few minutes. Gradually increase the time until she can be trusted and "graduates" from her crate.

Answer 8

Poor you.

I feel stressed reading your question!

Time to stop the hide chews because they don't always pass through if not chewed into little pieces.Later in life she could get a blockage of 10 year old hide chews.I have seen the contents of a dogs stomach containing chews which it ate as a puppy.

You are feeding her habit of the need to chew because you are constantly giving her things to chew!

Most people I know with Staffies tie a tyre up with rope in the garden for the dog to amuse itself.The dogs hang off the tyre for hours on end,biting it and shaking it.

Your dog is not bored or under exercised.

She needs training to give her some mental stimulation and you more control.You need to be able to make her lie down and settle instead of being on the go all the time.

When you go for a walk don't let her chase seagulls and run wild.

Take a toy and play with her to keep her interested in you.

I suggest you join a good dog training class and get this young lady under your control.She will always be a handful and hyperactive if you don't.

Answer 9

buy her chews meant for a bigger dog. also stand your ground and make sure she is being taught sometimes disciplined on whats hers and whats yours. my dog likes to de-stuff his toys (and like your dog has actually that was half stuffing) so i bought him a rope almost the size of him and played with him and the rope for a few days. even though your dogs adult teeth have come in she is still trying to strengthen the gums and is still in chewing mode. it also helps to keep your things out of reach so the only thing she has to chew on is her things.  

Answer 10

Sounds like she has OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) yes dogs can get this to. I bought one of the toys that looks like a small tire from a lawn mower and it has lasted for yrs. it has a rope on it for tug games. Just go to Google and type rubber tire toys for dogs, you will find lots of them

Answer 11

Dogs sometimes chew because they find it relaxing.  Just look at your face/eyes when she is chewing as this will tell you if she is just enjoying herself.  If she is not chewing anything destructively, you are right, no need to "punish" or correct her.  You may actually want to cut back on her chew exposures so that those items become more "special".  

I would suggest calling the vet (you should not get charged just for the call) to offer some options of other heartier chew options, such as what kinds of larger bones would be appropriate (ie. not splinter given how strong her jaws are).  My dogs also love to chew and also go through things quickly.  I did buy a cow's thigh (big bone) from Petco that seemed very solid and they have yet to go through it as it is more like a rock.  However, I would caution that without knowing the real power of your own dog, the bone could cause issue.

Answer 12

Get her a open top dog play pen. When you are not around. You can get them from all good retailers. But remember this is not a punishment. So put food in their, toys and plenty of bones.

When your around let her out, if she's chewing something that you don't want her to, make a high pitched noise and then say No in a loud deep voice.

You can now also purchase special sprays that dog's hate the smell of. Spray a bit of it where you don't want her to go.

The most common sign of chewing everything is boredom, you might not be giving her enough time and attention, exercise or bones that she can she on till her hearts content.

Praise/treat when she does as she is told.

Good luck and i hope i helped