I have a 6 month old lab mix that chews on our wood furniture and just doesn't seem to stop no matter how many toys I give her. I really want to get her a companion to play with while I'm at work, and hopefully that will stop her from chewing everything to pieces since she will have a buddy. Can anyone recommend a breed that isn't notorious for chewing everything in sight? Thank you :)
2006-09-21 05:20:58 · 16 answers · asked by Katy 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Do you have a Kong and a sterilized hollow bone for her? If no then get them. The Kong is a rubber beehive shaped toy for your dog. Since she is a heavy chewer you should get either the red or black one...skip the puppy one, it will be too soft for her. Stuff these two things with anything that you think she will like. If she likes ice cubes both of these can also be put in the freezer. Next, if she is not trustworthy in the house when you are gone she should be kept in a puppy safe space such as a crate or small utilityroom, bathroom or a small section of the kitchen. Get her in the habit of chewing on appropriate chew toys (different from play toys). Praise and reward her for chewing on her things. Correct her with a 'EH EH' when she goes to chew on something that she is not allowed to chew on. Give her an appropriate chew toy and again praise and reward her. Dogs always do better with a friend although maybe it might be a good idea to solve the actual problem first. After all, all dogs are different and even though some dont usually chew, many times they will pick up habits from another dog in the house. It sounds like the last thing you need is two dogs that chew everything in the house. Better to solve this issue first and then get another for companionship. They also make bitter sprays to help deter (bitter apple and bitter yuk are two that I know the names of offhand) These both will wear off with chewing so reapply often. If you try to trust little girl with just a bitter spray during the day, I dont think you will get the desired results. If she chews aggresively enough to start to wear out the taste she will learn to tolerate the taste for a little bit before it wears off and you wont be home to reapply. Let her know that she IS allowed to chew in front of you but only on HER stuff. Avoid yelling at her when you come home and find things chewed to bits. She has a 2-3 second window of association and she has not a single clue why she is getting in trouble. All she knows is that when you get that look on your face, she gets in trouble for an unknown reason. She will slink away until you are safe to be around. She does not 'know' better, if she did she wouldnt do it. Once again, if she is not trustworthy at this stage of the game (most puppies are not by the way) she should not have unlimited access to your house. With better performance she should get more freedom. Until then she is still learning and it is your job to help her succeed. I hope this helps
2006-09-21 05:53:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
All puppies will chew and be destructive if they are bored. Maybe you should wait until your puppy is older before getting another dog, especially since your first one isn't trained. Just because the new puppy may not chew things doesn't mean your current dog will stop. She is just a puppy and should be crated while you are at work. Put some cool toys like nylabones or kongs in her crate to chew on while you are gone. When you are home and see her start to chew on the furniture shake a can of pennies and say "NO" or "leave it". Then praise her for chewing on her toys. At 6 months she is still teething and her teeth probably hurt. The furniture is probably more soothing than the toys you have for her. Try giving her the nylabones or kongs or something else and see what works for her. Also keep the amount of toys you give her at one time to a minimum. If she has 10 toys out she won't differentiate between what is hers and what is stuff she can't play with. If you can't get a crate try hiring a dog walker to walk her while you are at works which will take some energy away. Also spray some Bitter Apple on the furniture -- the only thing to look out for is that it will damage furniture that is not real wood, some dogs like the taste of it, and you need to reapply every couple of days.
What will you do when the new dog, instead of helping things, starts chewing up everything ... then you will have double trouble! Also your puppy needs to bond to you before you get another dog.
2006-09-21 05:33:04 · answer #2 · answered by lilrnblover86 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think most pups chew as they are teething and their mouths are sore. There are products that you can put on furniture that will repel their chewing. If you get a second dog you may have 2 chewers. I have a Yorkie and he has chewed a little bit when I've been home and didn't notice what he was doing. I keep him penned or crated during the day and as dogs sleep most of the time I don't feel guilty about this. My furniture is saved a lot of damage. Good Luck.
2006-09-21 05:29:17 · answer #3 · answered by J.E.B. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All puppies chew things and most will continue until they are two or three years old. The breed will matter, but very little. If you want to protect your furnature, you should kennel the dog when you are not home and when you sleep. Your dog will appriciate it because you will not come home and yell at him. Happy dog equals happy owner.
When you are home, keep a supply of dog chew toys or chews. I prefer the pig ears but some people go with rawhide. There can be digestive issues with rawhide. I would get chew toys and many of them as your dog will pick favorite toys. If you have a larger dog (or will be large when it gets older) then I would avoid the thin plastic squeaky toys. My Husky and Lab would destroy them. They did very well with the Kong and rope toys. My cockapoo likes the soft cloth toys better.
Good luck.
2006-09-21 05:44:58 · answer #4 · answered by GoalieK 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Try keeping her in a crate while you are gone, or check into a "Doggie Day Care" facility in your area. If you crate her, put a couple of her toys in with her, something soft & something hard, so she will be able to chew on those. You can also put bitter apple on the wood to keep her from chewing it. Most pet stores carry it. If you get her a "playmate", you may end up with TWO dogs chewing on furniture.
2006-09-21 05:31:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You will probably have a hard time finding a puppy that doesn't chew at all, but you will probably have better luck with the smaller breeds.
Stay away from the hunting type breeds. I don't know why, but they seem to chew worse than any other type. I have a beagle puppy right now that I am about ready to choke! (not really)
GOOD LUCK!!
2006-09-21 05:29:08 · answer #6 · answered by Renee D 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My puppy (yorkie/chihuahua mix) has never chewed on my wood furniture. Of course, she has about a million chew toys to distract her.
2006-09-21 05:41:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
all dogs chew on furniture. YOu just have to teach them not to. ALSO try applying the wood with sour stuff. TRy reading the stuff in the link i gave u. Its very helpfull
2006-09-21 05:24:36 · answer #8 · answered by Shone M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One with no teeth????????
I don't think there is such a thing as a puppy that won't chew on wood furniture.
2006-09-21 06:09:01 · answer #9 · answered by tom l 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ALL PUPPIES ARE CHEWERS!
Go to you local meat market.
Ask them for scap meat bones. Get the big ones!
Some markets just give them away others might charge a small fee. This always worked in my kennel.
2006-09-21 05:35:54 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋