Chewing Chewing Chewing Ahh!

my dog is always chewing the chairs and this one time i let him sleep in my room when i woke up there was a BIG!!! hole on my blanket! i did not no what to do i dont want to hurt him is there something i can put?

It would be a good idea to crate him when you aren't able to supervise him. Not only will it save your belongings but it could save costly vet bills if he got a blockage from swallowing items he chews up such as the blanket.

I agree. My dog was an insatiable chewer until he was 2. He earned his way out of the kennel by good behavior while unsupervised for short periods. Now I never have to crate him. Just remember that all pups chew, it's how they cut their teeth, but with a little effort, he can be taught what's ok to chew on (toys) and what's not (blankets). Good luck!

Ditto.

Be sure to always have plenty of things available that he IS allowed to chew on. There's many means of punishment...administer what works for your pup when you catch him in the act and reward him when he chews on what's his.

Some questions, though; How old is your dog? As said, puppies cut teeth and then, as their adult teeth come in, they chew to aid in that process. Also, is he only chewing when unsupervised? A lot of dogs suffer from seperation anxiety or have abandonment issues...they stress when you leave and, much like you'll break out the potato chips or ice cream when you're upset, they chew on things.

To add, when selecting chewies for the pup, I suggest raw-hides and similar products. Some care to find a product that is pet-safe is important, though...avoid white raw-hides and packages that do not list ingredients. It's usually pretty easy to find a suitable pig-ear variety, but raw-hides are becoming rare.

I also think booda products are worth looking at:

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=47f057f4-b5ab-4e4a-9b8b-198f7189d8b7

I'll be trying these out this week I think.

When I first brought Anya home she only chewed on her leash. Someone recommended a natural spray to use. I think it was like bitter apple of something. I don't know if it was a good idea or not from the dog's health perspective, but a couple of sprays on the leash and she left it alone. Does anyone know if those sprays or bad for the dogs or not? I thought it might help if it was safe to use on a regular basis.

get puppy safe bones (usually ones made, not natural bones) and have something to shove in the pups mouth at all times. Ours mouths everything and we shove his toys in there constantly lol. He is slowly learning

He likes the jumbones and also greenies. I don't know if you have those there. It lasts for about an hour of good chewing lol.

I find too that when we take him to doggy daycare he gets to chew and play there and when he gets home his chewing is way less frantic. He kind of chews on his toys as he naps. He is wayyy easier to be around after daycare!
lol

Bitter Apple is a safe product to use to deter chewing. Although there are those rare dogs who seem to enjoy it, it does help with a large majority of them. It can be used on items they like to chew on as well as you can spray your hands for those dogs who are really mouthy with their people.

there can be problems with rawhides. if your pup is really into chewing, he'll eat up one of those too quickly...which could be a choking hazard. I just don't like rawhides at all. something more tough like a Kong. sounds like a frisky little pup!!

The biggest things with rawhides are bleaching agents and a lack of regulated production processes which allows a lot of bacteria to infest the goods. There are varieties out there that are safe...always look for unbleached products and check out the packaging or labels for a printed list of ingredients...companies that are required to label an ingredients list use the same facillities to produce dog foods and other treats...which means the production inviroment is far more sanitary.

Most dogs will chew hides down to adequate size for swallowing but some will choke if not supervised...but this isn't rawhide specific. NEVER allow your dog to have a chewie of any variety (rawhides/ears, dentibones, etc) without supervision...think of it like giving a toddler a pancake and a fork and then going to watch the game or something. If the chewie is getting down to a swallow-able size, throw it away...or give it to a smaller dog if you got one. My cats like makenzie's left-overs.

Wal-Mart now sells a brand of cow hide that is pet-safe (minus the choking hazard)...I can't think of what it's called at the moment, Zoe08 can tell you. There's also a large market of similarly textured chewies made from corn starch that are pet-safe as well...they just don't seem to be very big.

i agree..crating when unsupervised is a must!
when you catch him chewing on somthing hes not suppose take it away.. say "NO NO" (or watever) in a firm voice and replace it with somthing hes allowed to chew on

i didnt read all the answers you´ve gotten but i´m so sick of ppl seeing crating as the only way to go..
i dont know how old your dog is or how active you are with him, but it sounds to me like he´s just understimulated..

crating will for sure provent the damage to furniture and what not but you will only be getting rid of the symptoms and not the real problem..

teach him how to relax and make sure he´s gotten all the exercise ( both mental and physical) he needs befor leaving him.

it´s hard giving advice without knowing more.

good luck