How do you get a 7 month old puppy to stop chewing stuff up in the house?

Question

I have a 7 month old shiba mix puppy. He loves chewing up my kids stuffed animals, fleece blankets, my kids bedding, my daughters coats, winter boot inserts, and also chewed holes in there bean bag chair!!! I realize most people would say get rid of the dog but my son loves him and i would like to try to keep him. I have tryed punishment by puting him outside for a few minutes and ignoring him for a little while and it did no good. I have bought him chew bones and a ton of toys and he seems to prefer to chew up and on other things in my house. What do I do with this puppy? Do I call it quits or keep trying? If i do keep trying what can i do to make him stop this behavior? Please help!!!!

Answer 1

1. Supervision & crate him when you can't 2. When he takes an unapproved item in his mouth, remove it with a scolding sound or word, and QUICKLY replace it with an approved item & PRAISE, praise, praise! 3. Do these things consistently.

He is still in that 'fun' chewing stage, which will most likely pass at 14-18 months. Good luck! Remind yourself: Some day, he will be a wonderful dog & you can look back and laugh about this rotten adolescent stage.

Crates save lives: One way by not having a dog die from eating an undigestable foriegn body, and another by not having an exasperated owner turn the dog over to a shelter!

Answer 2

Obediance school would be and option.

Another suggestion would be buy a cage. When ever he/she chews something you put him/her in the cage with a specific chew toy and keep the puppy in there. You need to be very firm but not yell. Keep in mind that the puppy has the memory of a small baby. It will take a while, as puppies chew. However, I found this to be a very affective way to train. Must puppies, favor these stuffed animals they can find at the pet store or you could get a cong and put it in a chew toy. Be patient with the dog, expect mishaps to happy. Honestly a cage is best. Good luck to you, also you may want to call your vet and see if they have any suggestions as well. Puppies chew until there adult set of teeth come in and usually it is about a duration from 3-5 months.

Answer 3

One thing to keep in mind is that the chewing won't be done a 1 yr old... even tho dogs lose their puppy teeth by then and have all the adult ones, the urge to chew will still be present up to the age of 3 as the adult teeth are still shifting into place within the jaw.

I would try to give your puppy more good hard play time to wear him out a little more. Sometimes, chewing can be a result of boredom and so more interaction may help this situation.

With my American Eskimo, she chewed and was destructive in nature until the age of 3. I had to keep her crated at nite time and during the day when I was gone in order to control the behavior. You may want to consider this as well.

Answer 4

I think what helped me the most with my pup was to babysit him. Always have the dog in the same room so that it is watched constantly. when you leave the room, take the dog with you. Crate the dog at night. It'll whine, but eventually it'll learn to accept it. For my stubborn pup, I kept his leash on him a lot and he stayed right by my side all day. When he chewed his toys, he got praise and a treat, when he chewed the kids toys, I told him BAD then took the toy away. No sense beating or punishing him. After all he is just a baby and doesn't know any better.

Answer 5

Buy a crate, crate train him, and hire a pet-sitter to come by once a day to let him out and take him for a walk. That way he's confined to the crate during the day which will keep him out of trouble, but the pet-sitter will give him a break mid-day to relieve himself and get out and stretch his legs. At the very least, try to get him more exercise each day. The chewing and destructive behavior is a sign of boredom, that he has a ton of pent up energy and it's being released on the wrong things. I agree with Danes, getting an Aussie was a very poor choice of breeds for apartment living. Chaining him outside would be a very bad idea too.

Answer 6

First off, you can not give a puppy free reign of your home. I have an 8 month old puppy and I am introducing him slowly to the home, one room at a time. Also, you can't leave things within his reach like you would with a small child. Make sure he has plenty of chew toys to keep him busy. I have bought quite a few to find out what works and what he likes. At night he should be kenneled to avoid mischief. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

I have four dogs; three raised from puppy hood. I put hot pepper sauce on whatever the dog found enjoyable to chew on. You only need to use the pepper sauce a few times. Pepper sauce is cheaper than the bitter sprays available at pet supply stores and works better. I tried a bitter apple spray to keep them from chewing. This does not hurt the dog, mine are still alive. I would still encourage chewing on appropriate items; rawhide bones, chew toys. You cannot watch them 24/7. My coffee table and my favorite pair of sandals show the scars of puppy teeth marks.

Answer 8

We have the same problem. I think you should only leave him with 2 to 3 toys and switch them throught the week that way he understands what to chew. Also make sure your house he puppy safe, anything on the ground or 3 feet above the ground is his. If you start now you wouldn't have to worry later

Answer 9

Unfortunately that is what puppies do and some breeds are worse than others. I have a lab and it took him over a year to stop but the breeder I bought him from warned me ahead of time. I have never tried it but they sale stuff in pet stores to spray on stuff they chew on and it is suppose to stop them. Does he do it when you are home or when you are gone. If this is happening when you are gone I would suggest crating your dog as it seems like he is acting out because he misses you.

Answer 10

Never spray something in the dogs mouth....you'll never get him to come to you if you do that. jeeesh!

Close bedroom doors, supervise the pup. If he can't be supervised, crate him.

There are many strudy dog chew toys. WalMart has a thick rubber fire hydrant you put treats in, that can occupy him. My 3 yr old male doberman has had his since we got him at 8 1/2 wks.
Kong has similar toys and in various sizes. These toys satisfy the need to chew and they work hard at it to get the treats out!

Kids need to keep toys in their room, otherwise they are fair game. I do not recommend stuffed toys period.