My dog has a problem! Can you help?

Question

Okay so I have a miniature dachsound (SP) and he has a very big chewing problem. He's about 1 year old now but no matter how much we punish him for chewing it doesn't seem to work! We buy him toys all the time but all he does is rip them open and take the stuffing out. His favorite things to chew are paper and flip flops. We try to keep them away from him but he jumps up on top of things and grabs them down.
What can we do?!?!??!
If I don't find a solution we'll have to get rid of him :[
Please help me!!!

You people think this is MY fault?
It's not just training okay? This dog chews no matter what. We've had him trained before and he stopped for a while but got right back into it after a few weeks! He's chewed 6 pairs of my flip-flops, 3 pairs of slippers, &1 pair of tennis shoes. We've had to replace 4 of my friends shoes too because he ripped them to bits! So don't tell me it's my fault. Cuz like.. i'm telling the dog to rip up shoes right..?
>.>

Answer 1

I understand your dilemma. Really I do. I've lost countless pairs of shoes because my dogs like to rip them apart. There are many possible reasons for this. People have suggested that my shoes may stink. lol But I don't find this true. They ONLY rip up MY shoes. Here's what I think: My husband is retired and home with the dogs all day, every day. I still work and I'm gone about 10 or 11 hours every day. I believe ripping up my shoes is their way to try to get me to stay home. You know... they see me putting on my shoes right before I leave.

What ever the reason.... I blame myselft partly because I KNOW they will be ripped up if I let the shoes out where the dogs can get them. SO... PUT THE SHOES AWAY IN A CLOSET AND MAKE SURE THE DOOR IS CLOSED. I have to admit, there are times when I still forget... or I'm lazy... or whatever. But here's another piece of advice: I know people say don't yell at the dogs. Mine continued to do it until I went totally ape-****. I came home and found two pairs ripped up. (Actually one shoe each of two pairs....god forbid they'd economize). I yelled like nothing ever ticked me off in my life as much as this.... shaking the shoes at them... ignoring them for the rest of the day... telling them to get away from me, I'm mad at you. It has been a month since any shoes have died, and sorry to say I've let the shoes out.

Perhaps I should add this: ....... SO FAR...... lol

I love my dogs too much to EVER get rid of them. I'd keep my shoes in the garage first. Or wear disposable shoes. lol

P.S. KimbeeJ gave good advice, too.

EDIT: Ertha Q, NEVER give a dog a cooked bone. Do you know why it is advised to not give dogs bones? Because they are cooked. Cooking (even boiling) a bone makes them brittle and they can splinter, leaving dangerous bone parts in the intestinal tract. However, think about this: In the wild, dogs (wolves, cyotes, fox) eat raw meat and bones. They don't get sick because they are not cooked. Buy your dog soup bones at the grocery store. FREEZE them to kill bacteria. Give the dog the frozen bone. But as always, NEVER give your dogs something to chew if you are not supervising him. I give my dogs frozen soup bones about once a week. The marrow is rich, so I wouldn't give it every day. They can get diarrhea from a rich diet.

Answer 2

Don't get rid of him. I have a dog at home that does this too, and my mom's dachshund did the same thing. One, they will out grow it. Two, use Tabasco sauce on the things they like to chew. Three, get a squirt gun and when you see him jumping up to get something or chew something squirt it and say stop or no. Use one of those words not both. As of toys my dogs did the same thing so my aunt got them rope toys the thicker ones. It's been a month and they are still trying to chew through it. If he just likes paper and flip flops put them away like in a closet or draw. Oh and DO NOT use pepper spray!!!! That is mean.

Answer 3

How are you punishing him? If you're yelling and getting excited, that's actually encouraging him, not punishing. If you want to punish him, keep your energy level neutral, and use something like a loud sound, spray bottle, or other similar typical punishment that you'd think would work for a dog, and do that with him every time he bites until he gets it. Easier said than done, I know. It'll take lots of repetition. Might try an electric collar too, just make sure you know how to use it, might want to ask someone at the pet store for instructions before using it. Also, you might want to try crate training him. He might be 1 year old, but it's how I trained my little guy when he was small and it worked well. Put him in the crate when he does something wrong. Let him stay in there a bit, ignore the crying. Let him come out when he's calm. The moment he bites something he shouldn't bite, do your punishment thing (loud clap, squirt bottle, shaker can, whatever it is) and kennel him. Repeat, repeat, repeat. He'll eventually get it. Just remember that you can't be excited/angry, it'll send the wrong message.

Answer 4

I think the problem isnt your dog, its you. Why would you get rid of your dog just coz you dont know how to train your dog correctly. My dog loves chewing too and even now loves ripping open stuffed animals, but I took the time, the patience and energy to understand she is not supposed to grab household articles. It will take time...maybe a lot of time... but you should try. You shouldnt have got a dog in the first place if you couldnt handle one.

Answer 5

Most dogs love real beef bones and will go for those over almost anything else. You can get them at the grocery store (boil them before you give them to him). Dog's that chew alot are either puppies or sometimes dog's will do this if they are bored.
For puppies, you must confine him to an area where he can't get into trouble (like a baby play pen)..If it's boredom...get him out on long walks to tire him out. You can also spray the forbidden articles with a product called "Bitter Apple" tastes horrible and dog's hate it. They have that at the Pet Shop.

Answer 6

Try not to "punish". When you find him chewing on something, take it away and give a firm "NO". Make sure you give him something that he CAN chew on right away. In other words, make an immediate switch from the thing he shouldn't have to the thing he can have. Positive reinforcement most always works better than punishing.

Answer 7

My dog did that once. Although i cannot help you, I can give you a tip. just put all of the things somewhere out of his/her reach. Im sorry i cannot help you but that is what i did to my dog and after a few weeks later i put the things back where they were supposed to be and he didnt seem to like to chew it anymore.... by the way all of my slippers are chewed up. xD

Answer 8

Causes of chewing, including boredom, stress and loneliness. Your dog requires a certain level of stimulation, similar to a child. And just like a child, if your dog is ignored, this can lead to him getting into trouble if adequate activities and interaction are not provided.

How To Stop Your Dog Chewing
http://www.dogobedienceadvice.com/how_stop_dog_chewing.php

Answer 9

If you can't handle a little chewing then you probably should get rid of the dog. He would be better off with someone else. You don't punish dogs. You correct them or take things away.

Answer 10

try to make a safe room for him, like an old closet. And fill it with chew toys, blankets and other stuff that he can chew. Then just put ur dog in there. Take him out from time to time.