How do I stop my Jack Russell terrier/Beagle from chewing everything in sight?

Question

I have a Jack Russell/Beagle that chews everything whenever she gets the chance. I'm firm with her & she obeys me perfectly when I'm around, but she will sneak away or tear things apart when I'm not there. Other family members aren't as firm as I am, & I know that's part of the problem. She chews shoe laces, whole boxes of tissues, the toilet paper, socks, dirty clothes from hamper, paper, dryer sheets, etc. She's even started licking and gnawing into the drywall starting a hole in the wall.

She jumps up to get food from the counter or table. She would NEVER try this when I'm there, but when I leave the room or she's in the care of others, she is unrestrained.

She also nips and bites playfully at my 9-yr-old son, biting his pant legs, etc.

I follow the advice of the Dog Whisperer, and it's worked very well for me. I've been told J. Russells need strong-willed "pack leaders" and found that to be true.
She gets reasonable excercise too.

She gets walked daily, plays fetch up and down stairs and tug of war. I guess I can try more exercise though.

She has several chew toys and works on them as well. She has these very thick & tough tennis ball type things, but she gnaws the yellow fuzz off from them and sometimes chokes on it. Rawhide bones she consumes completely and then vomits them back up. She destroys and gags on tied rope toys. The Kong-type toys seem to work best I guess. She also tears up her nice expensive dog bed and blankets.

She is about 9 months old, so I know it started with teething. She even lost some teeth a couple of times playing tug of war. If it's just that she's so young, how long will it be before she outgrows it?

I've tried Bitter Apple, but she actually seems to LIKE it! Or at least it doesn't deter her.

Answer 1

How old is she? When dogs start teething they chew on everything. Buy her some chew toys, and tell your family members they need to be more stern with her until she learns what she can and cannot chew on.

Answer 2

Everyone always thinks the hardest part about having a puppy is housebreaking him -- NOT! Puppies chew. There is nothing you can do about it. Worst of all, they chew until they are about 18 months old! You need to crate him when you aren't around. Or keep EVERYTHING out of his reach, including electrical cords. He will then chew your furniture, the carpet and the walls. Decide now that your puppy is worth more than THINGS and that you will have to replace all these things when he finally stops chewing. Chewing is hard-wired in puppies. Even if you were home watching him 24/7 and punished him for it, he would still need to chew. So crate training him and leaving him with several chew toys and plenty of water is your best choice. Good luck.

Answer 3

To stop my pup from biting, I bought this spray called "bitter apple" and whenever she would bite on something I would spray it. Then when the tastes it she stops! If that doesn't work, a harmless way is to fill a spray bottle with water and every time she chews something spray her neck and say "stop" and when she stops give her a treat so she knows its good to stop. You should also give her lots of tasty treats and some really fun chew toys to get her attention and stray her from chewing on things she is not supposed to chew on.

Answer 4

I have a jack russell too and we had to get him a ton of chew toys to get him to stop chewing our things, we literally have 5-6 baskets of toys for him. Also tell your other family members that they need to be more firm with him.

Answer 5

My jack is 5 and still chews but i have learned to have many and i mean many toys every where and every floor of my house for her. I have 3 dogs and yes she is the pack leader too. Remember whos boss though.
good luck

Answer 6

Bitter Apple Spray works when trying to train dogs

Answer 7

He needs exersise more then hes getting now.

Answer 8

a double tap to the cap. right between his ears, will fix him