My dog only chews on our sofa pillows if I leave him out of his crate after my wife and I leave for work. He has never chewed anything he shouldn't be when we're around.
2007-05-16 12:03:17 · 14 answers · asked by apalsky 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Crate him when you're gone.
2007-05-16 12:06:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
This problem is very...typical ok..first you would wanna put plastic over your couch that would look lee chewable or...another thing is you can Maybe give your dog a little chew treat, or even better, one he has to chew in to get some peanut butter or other food inside. Mental stimulation is key!
4. Make the Furniture Undesirable. Apply an aversive substance such as bitter apple, cayenne pepper, aloe vera gel, or hot Tabasco sauce, on the spot where your dog chews the furniture the most. Reprimand Your Dog. If you catch your dog chewing property, reprimand him on the spot. DO NOT wait until after he has committed the crime; a dog that is reprimanded hours or even days after his mischief will not understand what he is being punished for, and just become frustrated. Make sure that if you reprimand your dog for chewing furniture, you do it in the middle of the act.
If you are not around when your dog normally chews your furniture, then set him up by leaving a tempting item for him to chew on, such as a shoe. Then leave the house. Make sure you are close enough to your dog to see him, but far enough away that he or she won't detect you. As soon as he starts chewing the furniture or shoe, reprimand him immediately. A good idea is to put a small bell on the furniture so that you can hear it rattle when your dog starts playing with it.
2007-05-16 12:19:06 · answer #2 · answered by Stephanie S 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Best option would be to crate him when you are gone. You could try blocking him a smalll room and see what happens, but it sound like that might be a seperation thing if he doesn't do it when you are home. Best bet would be to crate him, maybe once a week let him out again and see what he does, if you take him to the things he's chewing on and tell them no, put him in a timeout in his kennel, he might catch on. Will take awhile, but you have to be consistent, take baby steps. By the way how old is the dog?
2007-05-16 13:04:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is classic separation anxiety. It is VERY common in a lot of dogs, typically dogs that have been in shelters, but sometimes with dogs you've had since they are puppies. Crates are not cruel! Dogs are decedents of wolves, which are naturally denning animals. Your dog may not like the crate at first, but will eventually take to it and even go in it on his own. I have 3 dogs and they all view their crates as a "safe" place to be if they are stressed or just feel like chilling.
So my first suggestion would be to stick with the crate and religiously put your dog in it every time you leave the house. Make sure there is water available as well as comforting items such as a blanket that smells like you, a toy or two, and maybe some treats. Its also helpful to leave a TV or radio on when you are gone...if you really wanna get into it, try making a CD or tape of the sounds that are naturally occurring in the house while you are around and leave it playing while you are gone.
My second suggestion would be to spend some time "leaving" the house like you normally do, waiting a few minutes, and then coming back (never really LEAVING for reals, just pretending like you are so your dog thinks you are leaving). Most of the damage dogs do occurs within the first half hour you are gone. And a little tip on pretending to leave...dogs are smart and are extremely susceptible to classical conditioning. Meaning, they will listing to every noise, creak, clack, crash, boom, bang that you make as you are leaving. If any of those sounds occur constantly when you are leaving, they will figure out when you really have or have not left. So make your pretending BELIEVABLE.
After you pretend to leave, come back about 10 minutes later. If your dog has begun being destructive, you'll have to comfort him. You have to keep doing this and lengthening the time you are "gone" to reassure your dog that you will be coming back. They get destructive because they are afraid you are going to leave them forever and they freak out.
This method takes a lot of time and I personally don't suggest it because you have to be seriously dedicated and patient with this method.
2007-05-16 12:17:41 · answer #4 · answered by Caidyn 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It took my dog 2 years to out grow this. Keep him in a controlled area while you are gone, if you don't want to keep him in the crate. Buy a baby gate and only allow him in one room while you are gone and make that room doggy proof.
Most likely the dog is bored. When you are home he has you for entertainment. Or he is mad that you have left him. The bitter apple stuff does not work. Well it has never worked for me or anyone i know.
Have patients, it will take time, he will out grow this.
2007-05-16 12:55:15 · answer #5 · answered by mntnck 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My dog used to do that all the time, but I got a crate for her which has been working fine.
2007-05-16 12:10:18 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Reinforce your discipline and when they misbehave, deny them access to their usual catering (exclude their toiletary and nutritionary needs though). Well good luck! It will take time, consistency and patience in order for them to finally learn. But personally, I would bite them...watch it! Not to hard to cause them to bleed under his skin but just enough for them to get an illumination in his mind that as the dogs' owner, your authority is the only thing that matters in this house. No slave can serve two masters. Or resort to pouring heavy water in a large bucket of water, hitting them consistently with a rolled-up newspaper and pouring it straight down their head constantly, embedding theirskin with a needle, or getting a hot spoon and hitting them around their bodies with it (NOT constantly). Well however you decide to discipline them, don't be consistent with your discipline. Once in a while, you can decide not to discipline them this time but make sure you stick with the no. But most of the time, you should add discipline to reinforce what you have taught them and to make sure to teach them that you have the upper hand in the house. Only do a variety of disciplinary actions to leave them guessing with a pessimistic perspective that you will resort to the most painful technique this time. One in a while, you might administer the most painful technique, or the average one or the not so painful one.
2007-05-16 12:10:16 · answer #7 · answered by Kenny 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
THis is what i do
I put her in a cage and tie her to a circle thing at the bottom.
This way she could have her own unique bed and a leach connected to it too.Or tie her up when not home
2007-05-16 12:07:52 · answer #8 · answered by Gangsta 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try to constantly have bones for him to chew,if he doesn't like those try the pigs ears,it worked for me I had the same problem.
2007-05-16 12:08:28 · answer #9 · answered by Candido M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well in the pet stores some of them sell this type of spray. and also try talkin to him and tell him
no and repeat that to them
2007-05-16 12:33:20 · answer #10 · answered by evil eve 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get a crate, that's what you use to save your house.
2007-05-16 12:06:59 · answer #11 · answered by redd headd 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋