Yet again it is time to share the blessing that I call “Works for Me Wednesday” over at Shannon’s site. That would be Rocks in my Dryer over there in my Blogroll
But since it is the backwards version this week, instead of answering a question, we get to ask!
So here is my dilemma. Our beloved Chopper is being a real pain in the butt. He has chewed up numerous things in the house. Pictures, shoes, toys, cups, cords and wires, and God knows what else.
So does anyone out there have any possible solutions? We have tried to do the “show him what he has chewed up and pop him with a rolled up newspaper” suggestion, doesn’t work with this hard headed Puggle.
Thanks in advance!
We haven’t had too much of a chewing problem (thankfully) with our two pups, but it might be because they have more toys than some children do! Their overflowing toy box keeps them very entertained, and many of them are homemade or were bought on clearance so our spoiling them doesn’t break the budget. Good luck!
I thought the same thing, so we went and bought him more toys, but he completly ignores them.
So frustrating!
Here are some suggestions:
– Provide him with lots of things that he can chew on. Kongs stuffed with peanut butter, Nylabones, rawhides, etc. If he has a lot of toys, only give him 2-3 at a time, that way he’ll always be getting “new” toys.
– Try spraying Bitter Apple or a mixture of white vinegar and water on things that he likes to chew a lot (like chair legs)
– If you catch him chewing something, take it out of his mouth, say “NO” in a nice firm voice, and then give him some type of physical correction: a little thump under his jaw or a jerk with the leash. Then, offer whatever it was to him again: if he puts his mouth on it, correct him again. If he sniffs it and turns away, praise him. Repeat until he doesn’t want the toy — you want him to make the choice not to chew it instead of taking the choice away from him.
– Try to keep him supervised as much as possible. I know it’s a pain, but if he chews something and isn’t corrected immediately, he basically thinks that he has a free pass on chewing.
I’m a dog trainer and I’d be happy to answer any other questions — good luck!
Found your site through a comment on rockstarmommy.com and couldn’t resist telling my two-cents’ worth…plus I was born and grew up in NC! Woohoo!
Anyway, we have a chocolate lab. She chewed on everything when she was a puppy. We would grab her mouth closed, tell her no, and offer her a toy she could play with. When she took the right toy, we praised. We also have a 5 month old Great Dane puppy. She doesn’t chew as much as the lab did, but if she ever grabbed something that was not hers, we do the same thing: grab her mouth closed (gently but firmly), tell her no, and give her one of her toys. She will ALWAYS grab her toy then, because she knows she’ll get praise for doing the right thing. Also, if we see her chewing on one of her toys on her own, she gets lots of praise. And if I can’t supervise her directly (like when I’m cooking dinner) she’s either outside with the choc. lab or in her kennel where she can’t mess anything up. Hope things get better!