We are at wit's end, any suggestions?

[Muggie'sMum]

My darling Muggie... oh sigh. Love of my life, the only man I need, great bedwarmer, excellent kisser, wonderful workout partner (agility), terribly handsome..... but a chewer.

Being that he is only just turning a year old, I have patiently turned my eyes away from all of the valuable things of mine that he has chewed.. and the not so valuable things...

A multitude of socks, underwear, spatulas, leashes, bags, collars, soft chew toys, tennis balls, food (and sometimes NOT food - the pups, as a collective, pulled a box full of garbage bags (not used ones, brand new!) off of the kitchen table and scattered them all over after ferociously chewing the box to bits and pieces), tv remote controls, car seat belts.. but most importantly... about eight pairs of Shay's (AgilityPup) shoes.

Luckily she is not of the materialistic or medically required sort that has expensive shoes, it's mostly $3.99 flipflops (in the summer) and $20 shoes (in the spring and fall), but that adds up! He also does nothing to anyone's shoes but Shay's. I am convinced it is her eau-de-pieds that makes him go nutter for her shoes and her shoes alone..

I have been able to turn a blind eye to his chewing "problem", and try to keep things of great importance out of his reach, BUT Shay just can't any longer. We had a very long discussion tonight in which she wanted to keep him crated all the time and wear a muzzle that prohibits anything but panting and eating (he saws things with the back molars, not with his front teeth) - a little extreme but I know only a reaction of serious emotion and frustration after having so many pairs of her own shoes ripped to shreds. He chewed her brand new (less than a week old) sneakers - not to the point that they are unwearable, but they could be uncomfortable and definitely not fashionable.

He will be a year old next month, bless him, and I don't remember how long a puppy "should" be chewing - our danes did nothing of the sort, they were the most docile, easy puppies we have ever ever had in our lives, they didn't even chew on fingers and toes like most puppies do, and almost immediately housetrained themselves.

Furthermore, if he *should not* be chewing anymore, does anyone have any suggestions to deterr his chewing habits from shoes to... more productive things.. like secret documents that we need destroyed, etc?

 

[Angel Chicken]

There are ton's of things... TONS!!

Try getting some tasty chewys for him... he will love them. I used pig ears. They kept Kona from chewing anything!!

 

[Muggie'sMum]

Angel Chicken, he has several toys that he likes to chew but he doesn't seem to show any discretion when it comes to chewing which -- the shoe is just as fun as any toy he has, but haven't thought about maybe some chewies - only problem is with five dogs, what is "his" rarely isn't actually "his".

 

[Herschel]

I completely understand how Shay feels--for a while my dog was being destructive to the house (i.e., ripping out carpet, etc.). I didn't care about clothes or whatever being destroyed--but the carpet being ripped, chunks of drywall coming off, and scratches in the wall was nearly unbearable. All I could do is shrug it off and give him something better to chew on. It took him a few months, but he figured it out.

Sorry to say it, but if he is chewing on them it means that you are giving him the chance. Our little guy loves shoes, too. He has free roam of most of the house while we are gone, but we gate him to keep him away from the shoe rack.

Keep the shoes away from the dog and the dog will stop chewing them!

 

[Muggie'sMum]

LOL Herschel, you try telling that to my 13 year old sister! She insists that she "shouldn't have to!", while her pup is an underwear chewing culprit, I have had to go to the store to purchase more underwear than anyone should rightfully have to purchase in their entire life over the last year or so!

 

[ToscasMom]

Well she has two choices. Do what she shouldn't have to, or lose more shoes. Tosca loves my shoes too. That's why I keep them locked in a closet. I don't know if she's interested in underwear as she never gets a shot at it. I figure that's why God made underwear drawers and hampers. lol. Being somewhat vigilant is just something you have to do until the fetish has ended, whether you are 13 or 30. It's kind of like not letting the kids be able to reach the antique vase.

I think crating the dog more than necessary probably isn't a good idea for his quality of life or his relationship with the family. I hate to keep pushing marrow bones but....they are a LOT more interesting to my dog right now than any shoe could be.

 

[RD]

Lock the shoes up. If you can't supervise Muggie, can you get an exercise pen for him or put him in a "dogproof" room?

Dakota didn't stop his random chewing until he was about 18 months old. One of our dogs never stopped.

 

[Muggie'sMum]

I think crating the dog more than necessary probably isn't a good idea for his quality of life or his relationship with the family. I hate to keep pushing marrow bones but....they are a LOT more interesting to my dog right now than any shoe could be.

Oh don't worry, ToscasMom - it absolutely won't happen. She was just speaking out of extreme frustration. They are crated enough as it is while we are gone.

 

[smkie]

anytime i had a puppy or a chewer the "shoebox" came out, a large wooden box. Shoes when they came off went in there until the dog was past this stage. EVerything else was kept up and out of the way, the dog in the room with me so i could monitor it's behavior. If i can teach them not to tear up their stuffed animals this way i am sure it will work on chewing. As soon as a thread tears..and yeah i can hear it with my super sonic ears it was removed and a shame shame thing was done. It took Vic about a month but he got the point and no longer tears up his toys or anything else for that matter. I really think a young dog should be monitored all the time anyway. Better for the dog and much more efficiant. Crating will teach nothing imo and a muzzle, well that is just sad.

 

[Herschel]

anytime i had a puppy or a chewer the "shoebox" came out, a large wooden box...

I thought you were going to say that everytime your shoes came off, the dog went in there.

 

[smkie]

hehhehee never thought that way With two children, their pack of friends and no child support we had to be extra careful, and we had puppies around all the time, either one from the kennel, a friend's or mine.

 

[Delisay]

MM, some thoughts...

- WIIFM - the 'What's In It For Me' principle! Pander to his deepest desires, with toys made from things that he likes the most. Some things taste better, and have a better chew texture, than others. Make sure that at all times he has some favourite materials and tastes that he's allowed to chew - that the most attractive items are available to him. With 5 dogs you may need to get 7 of everything to be sure he doesn't have to compete to get it.

- Eliminate confusion. Make sure that the things that you allow him to chew do not (from a doggy perspective) resemble things that he's not allowed to chew - so no old shoes, old clothes, etc. Make sure they are distinctively 'dog property', so that he can tell the difference.

- As an extra deterrent, you could also use some of that anti-nail biting liquid for humans that tastes foul. (Does it work on dogs? I don't know...) Paint some of that on the edges of shoes, etc, where his tongue will hit!

- Classic training. As others have said, monitor him closely, and then...
If he chews something that he shouldn't, the world ends, the sky falls, mum's soooo unhappy that she looks seriously like she may never speak with puppy ever again ... for about 3 minutes ... and the item is immediately removed. After a few minutes, give him something that he is allowed to chew, and praise profusely...
When he chews the right things, suddenly the marching band is in town!...spring has arrived!...he's the nicest bestest loveliest goodest doggy in the known universe!...OMGGGGG you can hardly believe what a good dog he is!!!...Mum even wants to play too! (etc! )

I think you will succeed... I've a good feeling about it...

Del.

(Just noticed... "eau-de-pieds" [chortle...] )

 

[Dave-W]

Pups are going to chew things, but they only chew the things they can reach.

My shoes go in a closed closet when they're not on my feet, and my clothes go in one of three places. In the closet/drawers, in the hamper in the closet, or hanging on hooks I nailed onto the wall (WallyWorld sells them for about two for a buck)

 

[Caren+Bailey]

Sorry i can't help, Bailey is 20 months and still a MAJOR shoe (and anything else he can get his jaws into) chewer
Also to add to my problem there is only ONE dog toy that Bailey hasn't managed to wreck after only half an hour of play, and that is his Kong (which is now on its way out). Bailey doesn't see toys as something to play with.....he sees them as something to destroy!! So not only has he chewed hundreds of £££'s worth of our stuff, but also the same in toys that i have bought for him.
I will be watching this thread for some useful tips on how to put a stop to this though

 

[mrose_s]

we're lucky with our dogs. 2 of them are old enough not to chew, max doesn't and harruy does but only a little bit. we ripped one sole out of my converse and i just have to be careful. anythign we don't want chewed, stays out of reach. he knows he's not allowed in my room. he is really good with that.

just make sure that your pup understand taht chewing isn't allowd. when you catch him chewing somehting, growl him. replace it with a toy and praise. he'll get psat this stage but you cannot just confine him for doing what comes naturally

 

[Melissa_W]

Our dog is a big chewer also. The only solution is to never leave him unsupervised in a location where he can chew inappropriately. We block Kai in the kitchen when we can't watch him, because there is nothing for him to destroy in there.

If he begins to chew something inappropriate while you are supervising him, correct him with an "Ah-Ah" or whatever gets his attention, then redirect him to an appropriate chew toy.

Using this method, we've haven't had much stuff destroyed. He got a hold of my bookbad strap once, a suction cup, a cardboard box, and a potholder. But generally speaking it has worked really well.

 

[Miakoda]

The dog is bored. For starters, he needs much more exercise than it seems he's getting. Chewing is one of the few activities a dog can do by himself & achieve immediate gratification for a "job well done". Digging is another one.

There is an old saying that "a tired dog is a happy dog.". Take this dog for walks 3 times a day. Play fetch at least 30 min. a day. You can also provide stimulation by buying a handful of interactive/chew toys & swapping/rotating them every other day.

A great toy idea is to take a Kong (preferably the black ones as determined chewers can make a mess of the red Kongs pretty quickly), apply a thin layer of peanut butter to the inside, pack some of his kibble in there, put a teaspoon or 2 of plain yogurt, pack some more kibble in, & then seal the hole with more peanut butter. You can then give him this yummy treat or freeze it & give it later as a frozen treat. Either way, your dog must "work" for his food & by doing so, his mind is constantly thinking about the task at hand. Also, you can buy 2 or 3 Kongs & have some ready to go in the freezer for when you see him about to get into mischief.

 

[cindr]

We went through all of that with our Doberman Miss Zoe: What a card;

To behonest with you in 2 yrs I beleive that we went through well over 300 socks, Not including the under wear she ate or chewed.

No matter clean or not there they goo. So this is what I did!

I would catch her in the act, I would give her that now what do you have, bring it here. She would, I would give her either a good pat on the head for doing what she was told or a toy exchange or a treat. I redirected her bad behavior with a good behavior.

Another thing I did; Have you ever heard of bitter apple? Well it is a great deterant for dogs that love to chew. So one day I set the poor girl up. I took a load of socks, and put them in a pile. Okay well a few of the socks had the bitter apple on them.

Well I would walk away, and then let Miss Zoe have her fun. Well, with in seconds she'd come back to me with nothing in her mouth! and a sour face!

Well that fixed her, she hit a few of the socks that had the apple bitter on them. Done no more chewing for ever more. I hope that you can get your 4 legged kid to stop chewing, this behavior is most annoying I Know!:yikes:

 

[Muggie'sMum]

Miakoda, three walks a day is not feasible - we also live on about 60 acres of land of which they have pretty much free roam when they are outside, they play until they can't play anymore, and then play for another thirty minutes, and then finally come inside and zonk out. Also take agility lessons and do practice several times weekly.

It doesn't seem like *any* place is safe - bitter apple would only work if I could paint my entire house in it. They climb onto the table and cupboards, I am CONVINCED that they are working in kahoots with the cats, who climb INTO the cupboards and must knock things down for them when we aren't watching! Can you imagine going into your home with an irrigation sprayer and just soaking everything down in bitter apple?! lmao!

I guess there's no magic answer, not that I thought there might be - but have found it useful to hear other suggestions. The biggest will be more supervision and less accessable shoes! (you hear that, AgilityPup?? hehe)

 

[smkie]

we had one along time ago that chewed logs into mulch, i dont' know why. And i had a stray that i took down to the kennels for she demolished my house in one afternoon, i tried putting her in the basement overnight (she was a lab i thought someone would want back) and she even got into the Christmas ornaments. I tried taking her to the kennels but she wrecked the dog house so quickly my boss told me to get her out of there so she ended up at a shelter. I don't know what makes some dogs like this. The ones i have raised generally were over that by a year and a half. i Hope you pupper gets done soon too.