Why is my dog doing this?

Question

I have a 21 month old chihuahua/terrier mix . She has been chewing things lately. I came home yesterday and she had chewed my blush brush, a bottle of face cream, a tube of lipgloss, a hair brush, and one of my husbands socks. I have come home a couple of times and she has chewed a tube of neosporin, cat toys, paper, you name it. She has her chewies and bones and toys which are easily accesible to her when we are not at home. Why is she doing this and what can I do to make her stop. I don't want to put her in her crate all day. Any help would be greatly appreciated. (SERIOUS ANSWERS ONLY)

She has plenty of toys and chewies, my dog is pretty much one of my babies, she sleeps with me and my hubby everynight. She get plenty of attention and treats and lovin, she also has a cat that keeps her company throughout the day...

She has the whole house to herself I do not keep her confined. She got the items from my nightstand with the exception to the sock. I thought the items would be safe. GOSH PEOPLE QUIT BEING SO DAMN RUDE AND JUDGEMENTAL IT'S JUST A QUESTION!

Answer 1

Most of the things have your or his scent on them from the sounds of the list. In that case it is a possessive thing - taking your things because of the scent and the chewing is an after thought.

How high up can she go to get stuff?

You may have to resort to a lot of storage boxes and bins

Has something happened to upset her?? Houseguests, arguments at home???

Does the cat ignore her or play with her?

(By theway, that is the terrier coming out. Head strong little devils.)

Get an X -pen and setit so she can go in and out of her crate.

Maybe give her a bed from your old clothes - you know the ones "I haven't worn this in..... gotta get around to doing something with it..." Wear the stuff all weekend, and then tuck in her crate set up with the x-pen

X-pen is short for "exercise pen.

Also, when you get home in the PM, take her out for a good run - I mean at a clip where she is trottin/running to keep up for about 1 - 2 miles.

I suspect she is bored and has decided to invent her own games - terriers do that. They make up lists of how to torment their owners. Very inventive little beasties.

Wear her out. and give her the reassurance of your things.

You can get X-pens here: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2001+114011

Just make sure it is high enough that she can't jump out.

Answer 2

How long are you gone? If it's longer than 4 or 5 hours on a regular basis then you need to come up with an alternative. Chi's are people dogs and when they don't get the attention that they need, they often turn to destroying things or eliminating inappropriately.

Have a neighbor kid come and walk the dog in the afternoon. Put her in doggie day care. Have her stay at a friend's house during the day.

Keep the dog in an enclosed area where she can't chew (like a spare bedroom or in an exercise pen). This doesn't fix the root of the problem but can stop the symptoms. It still isn't fair to leave a dog alone for longer than 4-5 hours regularly, especially one that's part toy, so you'll have to do what's best for you and the dog.

Good luck to you! : )

Answer 3

Some dogs will chew their humans stuff when they miss you. I've even seen animals like piss on the humans bed when they had free access to the doggie door. This could be because when they were caught doing something bad before you ran over and gave them attention (even if it was negative, you were still there). So your dog could be chewing your stuff becuase he smells you on it and is trying to get you to pay attention to him. You may leave a tv or radio on when you are gone so that he hears a human voice and is not so lonely. Also, don't put things where he can chew them? I don't think he would have gottten half that stuff it was put up in a drawer or cabinet.

Answer 4

Dogs are pack animals, unlike cats who are more independent. They like to be around their people. It sounds as if your dog has anxiety and that's not uncommon in pets. Our dog did that when she was a pup. She was doing other things too when we weren't home. We took her to a veternary hospital in Philadelphia. She had nothing physically wrong with her, but she had anxiety. Now she takes generic Prozac. It has helped a whole lot. She is still anxious but not as much. Of course she's 9 years old now.
One suggestion would be to leave her a t-shirt or a piece of clothing that has your scent or your husband's scent on it. That may give her comfort. Also please make sure that you play a lot with her. She has a lot of energy.
Please be patient with her. That means a lot.

Answer 5

At 21 mo. she should be over chewing. Sounds more like a problem adjusting to being alone for long periods. Does she have access to the outside? Do you have another animal with her?? She may have an anxiety problem.

Answer 6

some dogs get into trouble when left home alone in the house. The only way to get her to stop being destructive might be to crate her while you are gone. You could contact your vet for a separation anxiety medication but she is a little young to start her on it.

Answer 7

She is probably acting out due to pure boredom,
try giving her more excercise to burn off excess energy, and to avoid having her stuck in a crate all day try confining her to one specific room of the house with her toys where she can't get a hold of anything else.

Answer 8

Young dogs often chew because they are teething, but it is also possible that she is angry about being alone. You will have to ensure that
A. she has lots of safe things to chew
B. she has lots of attention
C. all the things you don't want chewed are up out of her reach.
NOTE: Make sure all your power cords are up or behind the furniture, otherwise she may hurt herself and/or cause a fire in your home!!!!!

Answer 9

this happens when puppies are going through their puppy age. they tend to crew anything and everything they can get a hold of. if you catch her in the act, tell her no in a firm, but nice voice. to let her know that she is in trouble. you can also try spraying her with a squirt of water when she does that also. it wont hurt her, but by enough times, she will figure out that being bad=getting squirted. you can also get the things she destroys and put it in her face and make sure she knows what she did, then tell her no. but when she does something good, reward her and let her know that if she is good, then she will get rewarded. and most likey she will rather have that than a squirt or scolding. you could also put your stuff up higher, or put some bad tasting stuff on a decoy, and she will not like the taste and probably not do it again. well good luck!

Answer 10

crate training is one of the best ways to keep her out of trouble. You should try giviing her a walk in the morning and at night.. release some of her energy. the sell bones that you fill with peanut butter and i hear they keep a dog busy for a while. The bone is a tough rubbery plastic. Good luck