i have a three year old labrador that cant stop chewing?

Question

I have a female golden retriever labrador that i have had from eight weeks old and she is now three years old from that time she wont stop chewing.she has plenty of running space and excess to a kennel but she still chews every other few days mainly wooden posts, fencing and the like any suggestions to help or referral sites thanks

Answer 1

do you take her for a walk every day...
you have to show her who is the leader...YOU...





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Answer 2

Some labradors develop a habit of chewing unsuitable objects (like bricks!), usually out of boredom.
It doesn't matter how much space or how many toys your dog has; dogs are pack animals and interest and stimulation comes from other pack members.
If she spends a lot of time outside on her own with no work to do then you're lucky she hasn't developed the other usual bad habit - escaping and hunting.

There are products you use with horses that chew wood, you can google for them under 'anti cribbing paste' and 'cribox'. It contains bitter apples and most animals would be deterred from chewing wood thats been smeared with it.
Don't use hot sauce or anything else that isn't meant to go into an animals mouth or stomach.

But bottom line is that until her life becomes more interesting, she'll chew. She needs a good long walk every day and some obediance training.

http://www.horsesuppliesdirect.com.au/category71_1.htm

Answer 3

All Labradors chew! You should have trained her from the start not to chew things that she shouldn't. I suggest you buy a dog repellant spray and treat all the wood with it. If you see her chewing immediately stop her with a firm no! and give her a toy or nylon bone that she can chew. Make sure she has plenty of toys and that they are as strong as possible. She should also be played with try retrieval games, before being left on her own! A tired dog is less likely to chew. Often it is a sign of boredom and if she is left alone and not given enough stimulation she will be!
Try taking her to obedience training to give her the chance to use her brain, or some other activity. Labs were bred to retrieve so
NEVER punish her for doing what to her breed is natural behaviour.

Answer 4

If you can replace the wrong things to chew with the right things to chew that would be the best. Most dogs respond very well to positive re-enforcement and think that negative re-enforcement is attention just the same. Get her a Kong, Extra Large Red, they are the best for persistent chewers and the dogs mouth will get tiered before she ever wears it out. I have a lab too, he is 11 now, but he still likes to chew. Don't count on it stopping completely. Just make sure she has appropriate things to chew on, this will lesson the stress level for both of you. A helpful hint with the Kong, stuff it with peanut butter or some other favorite treat, she will go nuts trying to get at it.

Answer 5

I feel your pain!!

My Labrador is almost 4yrs old and up until recently she was chewing on fence posts, wood and even concrete! I bought some spray called "Stop Chew Spray" and sprayed it on the fences etc for about a week. After tasting the spray my dog has stopped chewing on concrete blocks and wood etc. She still enjoys playing and chewing her toys but now she associates a bad taste with the fences etc. I always make sure she has raw bones to chew on now and then to satisfy her chewing urges!

The "Stop Chew Spray" is available from www.petsplus.com.au for $7.90 (plus postage and handling). They ship local and internationally.

Hope this has helped!

Answer 6

Sounds like she is outside if she chews on wooden posts. Running space helps but it is not everything. She has been chewing for three years and you are just asking for help?

Sounds to me (don't get all upset now!) like you need to find her another home. You are not going to break her from chewing at her age. She is bored and worse than bored, she is lonely. You don't spend near enough time with her. Dogs chew for a reason and it is very rare that the reason is medical. She is calling for attention much like a bad child would. They don't care WHAT kind of attention they get, as long as they get it..............

I would be willing to bet if she was in the house and treated like a family member and given tons of love and attention, she would quit chewing.................


PLEASE do not do what Brooke 101 says. DO NOT hit that poor dog.........That is like hitting a child and it will do just as much good, which is NOTHING! Pain does not solve anything.
All the others with the spray on stuff and tabasco etc. are only band aids. You need to help your dog, not punish her.

Answer 7

Give her some toys, that might help. I had a Golden that lived nine years, and she always like to chew up sticks, all her life, I told the vet, she was not concerned about it. LadyLou had the prettiest white teeth, I think her being part woodchuck kept her teeth clean.

Answer 8

TIPS::::

Take responsibility for your own belongings: If you don't want it in your dog's mouth, don't make it available. Keep clothing, shoes, books, trash, eyeglasses, and remote control devices out of your dog's reach.

Don't confuse your dog by offering him shoes and socks as toys and then expecting him to distinguish between his shoe and yours. Your dog's toys should be clearly distinguishable from household goods.

Until he learns the house rules, confine him when you're unable to keep an eye on him. Choose a "safe place" that's dog-proof, and provide fresh water and "safe" toys. If your dog is crate trained, you may also place him in his crate for short periods of time.

Give your dog plenty of people-time. Your dog won't know how to behave if you don't teach him alternatives to inappropriate behavior, and he can't learn these when he's in the yard by himself.

If, and only if, you catch your dog chewing on something he shouldn't, interrupt the behavior with a loud noise, offer him an acceptable chew toy instead, and praise him lavishly when he takes the toy in his mouth.

Have realistic expectations. At some point your dog will inevitably chew up something you value; this is often part of the transition to a new home. Your dog needs time to learn the house rules and you need to remember to take precautions and keep things out of his reach.

Chewing is normal behavior for curious puppies who may be teething, but adult dogs may engage in destructive chewing for any number of reasons. In order to deal with the behavior, you must first determine why your dog is chewing—and remember, he's not doing it to spite you.

Answer 9

Labs love to chew! My mom's lab is 8 and still chews, but I would say only about once a month. It's in the lab's nature to chew, just like it's in their nature to swim. How do you stop them? Sorry, I don't know. I hope you find a way, good luck!

Answer 10

to stop this, or at least limit the biting you should probably buy a toy that resembles what your dog likes to chew on on introduce it to your dog. Maybe she will start biting the toy and stop ruining property.
If that doesn't work, I would try an obidience class.

Answer 11

Make sure that she has adequate dog toys to chew on, remove objects you do not want chewed from her reach. Ch ewing on wood is harmful to dogs as the wood may splinter. zPunish her if she chews, but ONLY if you do so immediately afterwards or catch her in the act. Dogs cannot make the connection between behavior and consequences unless feedback is immediately given. Labs may have a genetic predisposition to chew/ mouth things, as they were bred as hunting dogs (bred to eat a lot because they burn many calories hunting and need a fat layer to stay warm.) This predisposition to eat may have continued into more or less an oral fixation for some dogs.