How to make a 7 month old Dog stop Chewing/Destroying my Carpet?

Question

My pup enjoys biting and chewing things. He loves to play. But when he is left alone, he tends to destroy the carpet! I really don't know what to do about it.

Answer 1

Why isn't your pup in a dog crate when you aren't there to supervise him????

They're not born knowing what not to chew. When they're bored or lonely or frustrated, they chew on things to feel better. If you're not there to tell him "no" then he learns it's fine to chew the carpet.

First rule, keep him in a dog crate anytime you can't supervise him - not because he's bad, but the same way you'd use a playpen with a baby. Keep him on a leash at all times and tie the end to your belt so you can supervise and train him. Keep only two dog toys out at any one time. If a dog has too many toys, he will think that everything in the house belongs to him. You need to teach him that everything loose in the house belongs to YOU.

Show him one item that he usually steals or chews up - or take him over to where he chews the rug and point it out. If he tries to take it, tell him "NO!" and give him a jerk on the leash. Then take him to his dog toy, get him all excited and tell him "GOOD BOY!" when he takes his toy. Practice this several times every day with items that he is and isn't supposed to have. When he is perfect, you can drop the leash and let him drag it around - but keep him confined to the room that you are in, so you can keep an eye on him and correct him if he makes a mistake.

Make sure he's getting plenty of exercise and training to keep his brain and body busy. A lot of bad behavior is pent up energy! Read 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
Dog Problems - Benjamin
What All Good Dogs Should Know – Volhard http://www.volhard.com/
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
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.
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/

Answer 2

Give the pup plenty of good things to chew on (tasty and challenging such as stuffed kongs are a plus) and make the furniture and carpets distasteful with a product such as bitter apple spray or bitter yuck. Don't ever leave the dog loose in the house unsupervised because the more he is able to perform the bad behavior (biting and chewing) the more it is reinforced and will happen again. Crate train him or get him an exercise pen. I keep my pup's water dish, toys and a blanket in her exercise pen and leave the door open when I am home. She will frequently take naps there rather than anywhere else in the house. She feels secure there, so I can leave her in the pen when I am out of the house and she is safe and can't destroy anything.

Answer 3

Wow got the answer for you. I went and got a large cage from Wal-Mart and every time my pup did that I would say NO! and put her in this cage for a few. Put a chew toy in there with her and let her chew that. It worked fast, now she only chews what I what her to chew... Her toys!
Be consistent !Be consistent !Be consistent !
Plus when I go somewhere I would put her in there and give her a treat and let her know she was not being punished, I hug her and tell her I love her and will be back soon. She may or may not know what I am saying, but she lays down and waits until I get home. At first she cryed just like kids do.
My dog knows the words BYE BYE. Infact email me and I can give you a ton of key words they can learn. If you want to.
She goes with me most of the time, but there are places I go she can't. Also when it is to hot I don't take her.

When I have to go somewhere I tell her I have to go bye bye and she can not come. I tell her go to your cage and she would go. This didn't happen at first, but in time it did. My dog obeys very well... like I said you have to be consistent . They learn just as a child does...basics anyway.
She loves her cage during the day when I leave the door open.
Now she is 1 yrs old and I don't need to use the cage for those things anymore, but she likes it and goes in there a lot just to rest.
Hope this helps a $50.00 investment to save your stuff.
Some words I use are
Treats are called YUM YUMS
BAD, no no, bye bye, eat, water, bath, hight five, sit, down, up, jump, run, whatch, find and kiss, hug,out, potty for peeing, potty potty for the other, they do learn very well. She knows her commands. She is a very happy dog.
Spend a lot of time with them. They could save your life one day...mine did...

Answer 4

You could try disciplining it. Whenever you see it go after the carpet, stop it, yell "no", get the message across that that is bad behavior. And reward good behavior, by giving it a treat, doggy bone, or soft chew toy.
A quick fix, would be to buy a little dog cage, and whenever you aren't home, lock it up in that, with plenty of toys, pillows and blankets. That way you won't have to worry about your carpet.

Answer 5

A dog should be trained on how to eat, walk with you, not to bark, potty training and sleep on its place etc. You can teach anything to your puppy, dogs get trained easily with some good instructions. If you want some good training tips visit https://tr.im/Wxmdm

If properly trained, they should also understand whistle and gesture equivalents for all the relevant commands, e.g. short whistle or finger raised sit, long whistle or flat hand lay down, and so on.

It's important that they also get gestures and whistles as voice may not be sufficient over long distances and under certain circumstances.

Answer 6

Doggy chew bones work like a charm! If you ever see your puppy chew on furniture stop him imediatly and flick or tap his nose and tell him no...(DONT hit him...hitting just makes dog afraid of people)

Answer 7

probably putting puppy in a room without carpeting
until he gets over the chewing phase

Answer 8

Well
I recommend this dog training course: http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=572
. It has fantastic videos on dog training. It explains good, gentle, simple and effective techniques to stop stop unwanted behaviours of your dog. I recommend it.
Hope it helps.

Answer 9

Learning how to train your dog will improve your life and hers, enhance the bond between you, and ensure her safety and it can be a lot of fun. Dogs are usually eager to learn, and the key to success is good communication. Your dog needs to understand how you’d like her to behave and why it’s in her best interest to comply with your wishes. Check here to learn how to train your dog properly https://tr.im/62892

Answer 10

sorry about the long long one didn't realize all that was on there when i pasted


chewing, ripping, shredding, tearing up and generally destroying stuff is as normal for dogs as tail-wagging. If you have a dog, expect chewing. Provide him with his own toys and teach him to use them or he will destructively chew anything available, such as your furniture, carpet, clothing or shoes.
Dogs do not chew and destroy your house and belongings because they are angry, jealous or spiteful. They do it because they are dogs. They may be lonely, bored, frustrated or anxious, but they are not malicious, vindictive or petty. Active dogs can become restless when left alone for long periods. If you always come home at a certain time and you are late, your dog may become anxious. Your dog does not punish you for being late by destructive chewing. The dogs' chewing is a form of occupational therapy to relieve stress and release energy. If you come home and find that your dog has destroyed something, do not punish the dog.

Passive Training to Prevent Chewing Problems
Until your dog can be trusted not to destroy your home and yard, do not give him free, unsupervised run of your house. Give him a pleasant area or room of his own where he can enjoy himself and relax when you are not home or are unable to supervise him. Literally litter his room with a wide variety of toys. Since he will have no other choice of things to chew, he will learn to chew and play with his own toys. Make the toys enticing. Soak rawhide and long marrow bones in different flavored soups. Let them dry and give a different flavor to the dog each time you leave him alone. Sterilized marrow bones and Kong toys can be stuffed with liver treats or cheese. The dog will be entertained for hours trying to extricate the treats from the toy. Bury these toys in the dog's digging pit.
Active Training to Prevent Destructive Chewing
When you are home, take time to teach your dog to play with her toys and to seek them out whenever she feels like chewing. Always lavish your dog with praise every time you see her playing with or chewing on one of her toys. Teach your dog to "find" her toys. Scatter several toys in different rooms throughout the house. Tell her to "find it," then immediately lead her from room to room encouraging her to pick up a toy when she sees one. When she does so, reward with praise, affection, play and even a food treat, then continue the game.
Anticipation Chewing
Most destructive chewing occurs just before the owner returns home. The dog is anxiously anticipating the owner's return and this energy is released by chewing. You can prevent your dog from indiscriminately chewing whatever is handy and instead chew her own toys. Whenever you return home, insist that your dog greet you with a toy in her mouth. At first you will have to help her by telling her to "find" her toy. Do not give your usual home coming greeting until she has a toy firmly in her mouth. Within a few days, your dog will realize that you never say hello unless she has a toy in her mouth. Now when your dog starts anticipating your return, she will automatically begin looking for a toy with which to gain your greeting and approval when you do return. If a toy is already in her mouth, she will be likely to chew on it, rather than on the furniture, to release tension.
Chewing Deterrents
If you catch your dog in the act of chewing a forbidden item, you can sternly scold her with a verbal warning. Immediately direct your dog to one of her own toys and praise her for chewing it. This will teach your dog not to chew forbidden items when you are present, but it probably will not discourage the dog from investigating these items when you are not there. The only way to prevent your dog from chewing these things is to make them inherently unattractive. There are many products in pet stores that are designed to apply to furniture, etc that are safe but repulsive to dogs. Why chew on something that is boring, distasteful or unpleasant when there are plenty of fun, exciting and tasty things to chew on?
Common Sense and Chewing
By far the simplest way to keep your dog from chewing on forbidden items is to prevent access to them. Put your shoes in the closet and shut the door. Place the trash outside. Keep doors closed; keep valuables out of reach. Praise and reward your dog profusely for chewing her own toys