Help! I have a chewy puppy!?

Question

My 1 1/2 year old schnoodle chews on EVERYTHING. How can I break him of it? I have tried all disciplining tactics. I don't want to hit or spank him. He has already eaten two cellphones! What should I do?

Answer 1

Have you tried giving him a KONG? They are awesome! You fill it up peanut butter an small dog bones, and dogs love them!

Answer 2

welli know they make spray.. and i also know you will create a monster without discipline.. dogs will learn to not respond to a harsh tone.. a smack on the mouth and i firm no (every single time, right when it happens so he knows why he is being punished) should solve the problem.. look at it this way.. you can either hurt your dog and put yourself in a bad position with your animal.. or show him how it is. he will grow up how you train him..

and if you do end up with some chew toys an excellent one is a kong ball.. you can get them in differant sizes according to your dog ..fill them with PB and theyll go NUTS

Answer 3

You could try getting that Bitter Apple spray and spraying it on things that he isn't allowed to chew. Eventually, he'll get the idea and quit chewing all together.

It didn't work for my dogs, they'd chew on things anyway LOL.. but I have heard great things from people about it... but apparently it's not good for big dogs... but you have a little dog so it shouldn't be a problem :)  

Answer 4

Your puppy is very young so he is curious about the environment. Dogs don't have hands like we do, so they learn through their mouth. The best way to teach a young dog is through the use of positive reinforcement techniques. Here are some things to try:

1. Redirect your puppy onto a chew toy

If he is biting on something he shouldn't, non-mark him (No/ack, ack) and put a toy in his mouth. You don't need to shove it in, just put it there for him to bite on. When he chews on the toy, praise him well and treat him.

2. Hand-feed him

You can try and teach him some bite inhibition. Hand-feed him some kibble one by one. If he bites too hard while trying to get at his food, yelp in a high pitch, and ignore him for a few seconds. Then start feeding him again. This way he learns that biting hard can hurt humans and when he does that, the food and attention stops. Hand-feeding is also good for bonding and establishing your leadership.

3. If he continues his bad biting behavior and escalates it even after you have told him to stop, then say "timeout" and remove him to a time-out area (boring but safe room, e.g. laundry room). This way he learns that when he misbehaves, he no longer gets his freedom.

4. If he is just biting on furniture, and other household objects, you can spray bitter apple on them.

When you are not around to supervise him, put him in a crate or long term enclosure.

Answer 5

You may need to crate him or confine him to a room when you're not home, and give him lots of chew toys.  Make sure he gets lots of exercise and playtime when you're there.  If there are certain things he likes, like chair legs, spray them with bitter apple or pepper spray that you can get at the vet.