Why is my dog chewing everything?

Question

I have a full blooded pit bull and all he does is chew he wont do it when we're home or awake tho. So we can never catch him in the act. I dont mind him chewing up his toys and we have rawhides for him also. Well almost everytime we come home he has the sheets and the comforter on the bed pulled back and he's started chewing a hole or was chewing on a hole that he previosly started. I also woke up today to find that he chewed up some stuffing out of a pillow that my parents got at a family reunion auction for 50.00 home made. And then I look over and see that he chewed a cord to a lamp that we have. We dont really use the lamp but he still should not have chewed it. It started w/ chewing my shoes and I gave him one shoe to chew on and he was content w/ that he left all the other shoes alone. Now he thinks he can chew everything. Why do you think my puppy is chewing? He is 8 mths old not neutered but he has his shots.

When we first got him he would just poop and pee in the house now we got him potty trained to go out only twice a day and we have him on a eating schedule. My parents suggested putting him in a cage when we're gone but we live in a one bedroom apt and i'm afraid he'll make too much noise or else once we let him out he'll start peeing and pooping everywhere again. Plus I dont believe in leaving animals in a cage. I'm pregnant and I told my fiancee that if he chews any of the babies stuff hes gone but now hes just pushed me to far I dont want to get rid of him but this chewing bit has got to stop.

Ok what you guys dont understand is that he WILL NOT do it while we are home. Only when we leave or when he's sure that we're asleep. Especially right after my fiancee leaves for work.

Go to a doctor for what encore?!

Answer 1

this is quite normal! I have a 12 week pitbull. I have to put up everything, or he will chew it. Your puppy is still teething. I have a 2 bedroom apartment and hes fine in the crate. I crated him at night and while im gone. While your home i would leave the door open let him in and out of the cage as he pleases. ( a safe place for him to go) I even fed him in there a couple times. Yes the first few night maybe hard but he will get use to it , if he cries let him out enough to go potty outside, and right back in, i even rubbed his head till he went to sleep. Also before you leave give him a nice long walk so he will sleep most of the time your gone. He will get use to it. Its not mean. I know i feel bad also but it keeps your apartment safe and even the puppy.Also they have this spray at petsmart its called Grannicks Bitter Apple spray all i have to do it spray it and he backs away. I hope this helps.

Answer 2

The only solution that I can think of is to put him into his kennel. He will probably bark for awhile but he will get used to it after a week or so. You should not allow the dog to be loose and chewing on things because it will not stop until you make it stop. Also he should go for at least 2 long walks a day a half an hour or longer and then a few more 15 minute walks. When a dog is inside especially in such a small apartment it is important for them to get exercise in the morning and evening.

Answer 3

Hi, I will tell you what I have found that REALLY HELPS with chewing.. There is no doubt your dog is gonna be a chewer for a while still. When i have puppies the one thing I recommend is BULLY STICKS.. they are 100% protein and 100% digestable.. I purchases them from Ebay, but pick one up at your local petsmart.. Dogs go Crazy over them!!
It does though sound like your dog has a seperation anxiety, You honestly might have luck crate training him.. So when you cannot attend to him (during the night or when your out) he has a safe place to sleep and cannot get into other stuff. You never know what he might get into that could kill him in the long run.. Good luck

Answer 4

You don't believe in leaving an animal in a crate? I had that attitude, until I used one. Now there is absolutely no way I would train a puppy (or dog) without one. Dogs do not see crates negatively like we might do -- to dogs, they are dens. If you get the biggest size possible (at least 42") your dog will have plenty of room to stand up, sprawl out, stretch, turn around, roll over, you name it. When dogs are sufficiently exercised and stimulated adequately mentally and physically, they are tired so they sleep.

You might want to take a closer look at his exercise regime. Pit's are a high energy breed that need plenty of exercise. Leash walking just doesn't cut it. The best types of exercise are free running, playing with you and other dogs, retrieving and swimming. Most Pit Bull's also enjoy flirt/spring poles:

http://www.workingpitbull.com/springpole.htm

As a young dog, he will need to go out and potty more than twice a day. Ask yourself if you could only go twice in a day and work out your own conclusions. An adult dog would probably be fine going out 3-4 times a day, but an 8 month old will need to go at least 4-5 times a day.

So to round it up, you need to crate him and up his exercise regime. Doing some formal training and/or starting something like an agility class will also help him use his brain and work off frustrations.

Good luck!

Answer 5

In order to train a dog successfully, you have to be consistent. You can keep him off the cords and clothes all day for a week, but the next week if he gets his teeth on them ONCE and it goes uncorrected, it will undo half the training you have already done. Put all of his toys in a specific place in the house. Put it in a place familiar to the dog, and a place that he can easily access by himself (like in a basket in the room where he normally sleeps). Smear a small bit of peanut butter on each toy (make it very small). Basically, by putting all his toys in a familiar corner of the house, you are telling him "stuff from HERE is okay. Stuff from anywhere else in the house, NOT okay." Keep a leash on him at all times at home, and bring him wherever you go. Don't let him out of your sight. Keep the leash long enough so that he can roam around the room, but not get into something without you noticing. Don't deliberately keep him away from areas with cords. Just go about your regular business, but keep an eye on him at all times. The minute he starts to chew something he shouldn't be chewing, interrupt him. Don't interrupt BEFORE he starts chewing; interrupt the minute he gets his teeth on. Get his attention suddenly - don't yell at him, but you can tug a little on the leash, or step on the cord he's chewing. Then, say "No" firmly. After that, quickly bring him (in a happy and cheerful way) to his "toy corner", and help him pick out a toy that he can play with. When he starts playing with the toy (if he's not interested, encourage him with a small game of fetch), praise and cuddle.

Answer 6

It took my Baby Blue (the sweetest APB on 4 white paws) over 2 years to get out of this destructive stage. He chewed on everything - with the tenacity that bulldogs are noted for.

It's the thing I can't stand most about puppies in general - that it takes a long time for them to get over their chewy stage.

I dog-proofed my house as best I could - sprayed bitter apple on things I couldn't move, put things in closets or shelves or trunks where he couldn't get to them. Even at that, he took my favorite soft throw for his own - and rooted through a closet to get it - several times. (I finally accepted that it was his "Blankie" - which he still drags around the house).

But patience and perseverance - and limiting his toys have paid off and he's finally over his destructive chewing. He still drags his "Blankie" and loves his raw hides and will still tear apart stuffed toys - but he leaves my important things alone for the most part.

But I also had to have the couch redone, and I now have some new shoes etc.

But your baby will eventually grow out of this and he'll be fine.

Answer 7

Your dog is a puppy. The chewing will only get worse unless you encourage him to chew appropriately.

Exercise him a lot, especially right before you leave the house. A sleeping dog doesn't chew.

Take him for obedience classes. You aren't going to have time once the baby arrives, and this is a great age for him to learn lots of new things. Stimulation will tire him out.

Rotate his toys. In addition to providing a lot of toys, rotate them every couple of days. It'll make them feel "new" again to the dog and save you a bundle in buying new toys every week.

Kongs are fabulous! Get several and fill them with peanut butter and/or kong paste and freeze them. It'll take longer for the puppy to get through them.

Finally, you may not like crates, but have you considered confining him to a single room? Make it the dog's room and make it interesting. Completely dog-proof the room and have toys that he can play with only in that room. It's larger than a crate, but still gives him (and you) the security of knowing where he is and what the expectations are.

good luck

Answer 8

i think you and the husband need to take more time out with the dog. take it on long walks or to the dog park (if you have one) and let it run for an hour or two. the bitter apple works just test it on certain objects to make sure it doesn't discolor it. get the dog some big beef bones from the pet store. don't use raw hides or pigs ears because they don't last long enough. get Kong chew toys too. sounds like the dog needs more stimulation.

Answer 9

Well, I have a dog and he used to chew almost every shoe I had. But now he doesnt and the way we got him to stop was to give him bones to chew on. You have to make sure that when you see him chewing something. 1#Tell him in a firm voice that he cant do that.2# If you DONTsee him chew any other item you take it in your hand show it to him and do the same step in 1#

Answer 10

Try spraying important objects with Bitter Apple (you can get it at PetSmart or other pet stores.

Also if you get him neutered it WILL change a lot of the behaviors. My dog calmed down and stopped chewing everything when I got him neutered.

Good luck