Can someone help me? My dog is 10 months old and eats my walls?

Question

He is a 10 month old un neutered Border Collie. We have put mussells on him which he has eaten, and notice that he only does it at night. Can someone suggest what may be causing him to do this and if so how it can be prevented. We don't want to get rid of him, but we are getting to the end of our tethers, as he is slowly destroying my house. Apart from this he is a well behaved and good temprement dog.

We were aware of how much work Border Collies are when we got him. He has had many toys which he buries and loses, and he's walked daily, aswell as having constant access to our back garden. He has a diet of meat, mixer and complete all of which are for puppies.

Answer 1

It sounds to me that his teeth are bothering him. Which is right around the right age for doggy teething too.
Get him some stronger chew toys and even tree branches etc that are wood.

Answer 2

Why isn't he in a CRATE with a dog bone to take out his frustrations on?

A lot of destructive chewing and other bad behavior comes from pent up energy. Border Collies require a LOT of exercise EVERY DAY, and preferably a job to do or they can be insane to live with. We're talking at least two half-hour STRENUOUS runs, not a casual 3 mph walk around the block. These dogs were bred to chase sheep around all day long. Even a world-class marathoner can't wear a Border Collie out. You have to run him next to a bicycle or on rollerblades or put him on a treadmill. Teach him flyball or some other neat dog games to take the edge off.

http://www.abtc.org/flyball.htm

You should read also some great books on training. (Try not to pick books randomly - there are a lot of bad books out there also!) These are some of my favorites and you can get them on Amazon.com
What All Good Dogs Should Know - Volhard
Good Owners, Great Dogs - Brian Kilcommins
Dog Tricks : Eighty-Eight Challenging Activities for Your Dog from World-Class Trainers by Haggerty and Benjamin
Don't Shoot the Dog - Pryor
Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method - Volhard
Dog Problems - Benjamin
Cesar's Way - Cesar Millan
Also, watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan is the best trainer I've ever seen on TV.

Many Border Collies end up in the pound because people can't deal with their exercise needs, strong herding instincts and odd behavior (like guarding pots and pans!) Maybe you really weren't paying attention when you researched the breed?

Answer 3

These are incredibly smart dogs that need stimulation. He's not getting enough during the day,or else he's in "bed" too long at night.

Also, he's 10 months, so he's rambunctious and teething.

I would make sure he's getting enough exercise before bedtime. Atleast a good half hour to hour. And give him a couple soup bones, or marrow bones as theyre called these days.

You get them in the meat department of your supermarket, and they cost usually around a buck.

DONT BOIL THEM, it weakens the bone and he can chip it can choke on it. In its natural state the bone will be softer, with more give, and not brittle, he'll be able to crack it, perhaps get a piece off, but nothing major.

anyway, its sure to keep him occupied at night, and give his teeth something to do.

Also, make sure that when he's in bed theres no lights, or noises or radio's or tvs. He doesnt need "company" at night, he needs to realize its sleeping time.

I rescue dogs, and have raised many puppies, including our current great dane.

A lot of this is his age, and he will outgrow it within the next year or so, having him fixed may help a little, but mostly giving him things to do during the day, and something to teeth on at night will help.

Answer 4

there is a toy called a "kong" and you can put treats in them but the dog has to work to get them out, since BC's are very easily bored this may help with him stopping, he should have lost all his teeth by this point and should not have any puppy teeth left so the teething should be done. I would also recommend using a crate to train him as well, it takes a little time but being a herding dog he should like to have his own dwelling, wear and old t-shirt and throw that in there with him so that he always has your smell and feels safe. Keep one person as his trainer always so that he knows who he has to follow. This helps when reprimanding them as well as training. My Golden Retreiver is going to be a year in 5 days, we went thru alot as a puppy!! I assume your in the UK so here's a site to check out!

Answer 5

I have 2 Jack Russell x Collies & up until around 1 year of age they both chewed anything they could get their teeth on.
That included furniture, shoes, clothing, wallpaper & door frames.
Once they were a year old it stopped almost immediately.
Human babies put everything in their mouths & puppies are just the same.
My advice is to make sure that your dog gets plenty of exercise, plenty chew toys & feels safe & secure in his bed. Maybe he is acting out because he misses you at night.

Answer 6

crate training is a wonderful tool! but never use it as punishment. Your dog needs to be rewarded for the use of his crate at first. This is his new home. When purchasing a crate you need to know that is should be large enough he can stand up and turn around but not so large that he can go to the bathroom in there. they don't like to do that near themselves.
I actually just read in one of the woman's magazine's if your having a dog who likes to chew cables or cords apply a layer of bar soap on the cord. won't hurt your item and is bad tasting to your dog. this i wished i would have known before my Chihuahua chewed up my laptop AC cord! I have 3 dogs all are crate trained. mostly i use it for night time so i know there safe and not getting into mischief. All i say anymore is there name and bed and they all head to there crates, get in and lay down as i lock the doors for the night. I have one who occasionally tells me how she feels about it by howling for about 30 minutes (she's a momma's girl and would rather sleep in bed with me.)
you may also want to talk to your Vet and think about obedience classes.

Answer 7

Its not normal for a dog to chew a wall, not even when its teething. Dogs chew walls out of frustration.
Either the wall is between him and where he wants to be, or he can hear something like pipes gurgling.
Try to figure out if he always does it in the same place, try to find him someplace else to sleep. Try putting him in a crate to sleep. Try treating the wall with bitter apple spray or similar.
You need expert advice, please see your vet about getting a consultation with a behavioural trainer. A real one will only work in consultation with a vet. Here is the web address for The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors.

Don't use hot sauce, if he gets it in his eyes he's in trouble.

Answer 8

A well-trained dog makes everyone happy, including his owner. Take a little time training him, and you'll never regret it; you'll always have an obedient dog by your side. Find more https://tr.im/kwQpd

By their nature, dogs are pack animals with a well-defined social order. Through basic training, you need to consistently make sure your puppy understands that you are the leader, not him. So in teaching him the basic rules, you take on the role of pack leader.

To fit into the family circle, your dog must be taught to recognize his name and such commands as come, heel, lie down and sit.

Answer 9

it doesn't matter how much you walk your dog, the toys he has or his food. HE IS A WORKING BREED. This means he needs to be doing something to exercise his brain. He is probably eating walls through boredom as he has no one to play with him at night and still has loads of pent up energy.
I recommend a dog training class, he may have gone as a pup but until he is a year it is advised to keep this up with a working breed. It keeps them on their toes and the interact with lots of different dogs. You could also think about doing advanced obedience with him until he is a year and can start doing things like agility and flyball.
You need to tire him out mentally so he goes to sleep at night.

Answer 10

If this is only happening at night when you're sleeping, then crate train him. This is not cruel...this is responsible. It will prevent him from getting sick or choking on the wall covering or drywall he may injest. He may cry at first, but he will soon learn that the crate is his safe haven and that spot belongs to only him...he will learn to love it!

Also try to leave a rawhide for him & redirect his attention to the bone if he goes for something else to chew on.

Answer 11

Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease), hypoadrenocorticism, liver failure, obsessive-compulsive disorders, seizures, hydrocephalus and other neurologic disease and probably a number of other conditions have occasionally been linked with this behavior.

Dogs that have been stressed or that are excessively bored seem to develop obsessive disorders at times.

As others told, crate training and bitter apple will do little to control this behavior. But I have not found much success in treating it or identifying a cause.