my dog has a chewing problem...?

Question

I have no idea what my dog is, we got her from a dog shelter. We saved her life. But she chews on everything..she has chewed on my shoes, my moms shoes, wires, the remote, and so much more. She does it when we are sleeping or when we arent home. She knows that its bad cause when you go to show her what she did she hangs her head so she knows she is in trouble. How can i break her of this. My mom yells at me for what she does. The other day she pulled one of my moms plants out of the ground and tore it up. That plant could have killed her, its poision to her. She is a very hyper dog and she doesn't learn anything easy. We've had her for like 5 months and she still chews..oh and top it off she still has accidents. But she knows it wrong..i need help or some advice or my mom is gonna make me get rid of her or i'll get rid of her cause my mom wants to beat the crap out of her. We just had a huge fight because the dog, reese cup, just ate the 6th pair of shoes of my moms. Help please!!

oh and the shoes are in the closet not just sitting out...she goes looking for them and goes threw a lot to get them, like pushing doors open...and the plants where there before we got her..my mom wont move them..she stuck up a small fence around it but some how got over or under the fence without knocking it over or anything..and she only a puppy, not clue how old she is

Answer 1

You need to take her to obedience school, first thing. This way you will be more comfortable with her in the house and outside of it. She'll learn what it's like to get rewarded for doing the right thing and you can focus on positive reinforcement rather than negative reactive reinfocrement.

Second, you need to crate train her. She can stay there when you aren't home.

Third, you can't let her out of your sight when you *are* home. Put a leash on her and tie it to your belt. Put up baby gates.

Fourth, you need to puppy proof your house. If you know she chews shoes - why are you leaving them where she can get them? If you know that she digs and destroys things, why are there plants where she can reach them? Why are there toxic plants where she can reach them?

Fifth, spend more time with her. Set aside time to play fetch and go for walks. Dogs often soil the house and destroy things if they aren't getting enough exercise.

Sixth, take her to the vet and make sure there isn't a medical reason that she is soiling the house and chewing.

Seventh, make sure that she has adequate toys that she can use to chew on. Kongs with a bit of frozen peanut butter are a great chew toy. If she is busy chewing on them, she can't chew on *your* things.

Eigth, make sure she is an active member of the family. The more love, exercise, and attention she gets, the more pooped and obedient she will be.

And lastly, if you continue to have issues, contact the rescue group that you got her from (if it's a private shelter or rescue group) and ask them for help. They could help you pinpoint what is going on with her and help you deal with it better.

Good luck to you. I'm sure you'll get through this just fine.

Answer 2

I agree that temporary crate training would be the answer for when you are away. However, while you are in the house with your dog is a great time to spend training her. I have helped train my parents adopted greyhounds, which can have the same sort of behavior problems. Rather than yelling at the dog, which really only scares them, ecstatically praise and reward them when they do the RIGHT thing. For example, if she pees outside where she is suppose to, tell her what a good dog she is and give her a small treat. She will soon start to learn where the RIGHT place to do her business is rather than just the wrong place.

This same rewards and praise system can be used in many areas of training, including the chewing problem.

Answer 3

Buy a crate so when nobody is home or asleep, you can put her in there and you know for sure she won't tear up the house. But don't put her in there if she's done something bad because she will think this is punishment. As for the chewing, get her loads of chewing toys. When you notice that she starts to chew shoes, tell her in a stern voice "NO!", remove the shoe and give her the toy. As for the "accidents", make sure you put her outside lots of time during the day, especially during the summer since she'll be drinking more, she'll need to pee more. When she pees in the house, soak it up with paper towel, bring her outside with it, put it at a tree, and put it to her nose, but don't shove it in there. It's just so that she knows this is her pee, and she needs to pee outside. Next time you bring her outside to pee, bring her to the same location so she knows this is her area.

Answer 4

How old is she? Is she a puppy, because if she is its quite normal. Oh wait I see whats going on, You should go to a pet store and look for a book of dogs or online. Shiba Inu's are know to do this, ecspecially the females. But I would say that if it happens when you guys are asleep or gone; its because she is angry that you guys are gone; is she a very attention needy dog i.e. always wanting attention. If so, that would be your problem. The best way to solve this is a kennel. Either that or you may want to take her in to a pet store and explain whats happening and see if they can figure things out.

Answer 5

1. Determine whether the chewing stems from teething, curiosity, boredom or a behavioral disorder. Discuss these options with your veterinarian or an animal-behavior specialist.

2. Give a teething puppy a teething ring or a frozen washcloth to chew on.

3. Watch your puppy constantly. Use a baby gate to keep him in the same room as you, or crate-train your puppy and put him in the crate with toys for short periods when you're unable to supervise.

4. Divert your puppy's attention to something appropriate, such as a dog toy, when you catch him chewing. Have toys of soft and hard textures available, and rotate them to preempt boredom.

5. Set aside specific times for your puppy to interact with you: practicing obedience training exercises, learning tricks, exercising and going on outdoor adventures.

6. Exercise your puppy, and play with him using toys. If he's tired, he won't have the energy to chew.

Tips:
Use chew toys designed for dogs. They are inexpensive and safe and will teach your dog what is OK to chew on.

Some household items that are safe for your dog to play with, under your supervision, are card-board boxes and paper bags.


Warnings:
Obedience training by itself won't change behavioral disorders. You may need to correct the underlying problem with the help of an animal-behavior specialist.

Answer 6

Buy a crate and crate train her. Dogs that are left to their own devices can get into a log of trouble.


Here's a good site to check -
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

Answer 7

She's bored and in short....get her a chew toy and play with her. She may also need a trainer....DUH!!!

Answer 8

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.