How do i stop my pit bull puppy who is 6 months old from chewing everything in sight?

Question

She loves to destroy things, such as shoes...on a daily basis, she ate the arm of my new couch (unrepairable), everyone tells me to give her toys, especially when i catch her chewing something. Take away what she is chewing and replace it with one of her toys, well that is a grand idea but, she destroys her toys as well..they last about 30 minutes. I have bought her at least 40 dollars worth of toys a week and have to throw them away soon after i buy them. So hwo do i curb her chewing habit short of putting her to sleep..lol jk.

Answer 1

Its sad but true Pit Bulls destroy everything! I have a sweet little Pit Bull, Daisy. She LOVED LOVES LOVES taking the stuffing out of her toys. She's demolished kongs, tennis balls, baseballs, soft balls, tires for good ness sakes!!!

I spray the bitter apple on things I don't want her to chew. I've taught her "leave it" so she drops what she's chewing, so she's finally learned the difference between what is appropriate for her to destroy and what is not. (It took 2 years for my Golden to learn that!!!!! my poor wall).

For Daisy - I ration her toys. I give her the toy when I put her in her special room. That way I only have one area to clean after she's done. I'm currently in search of something much more durable that is puppy safe - so far no luck.

Hope this helped.

Answer 2

I have a 5 month pitty/boxer mix. I know what your going through, You have to keep a close eye on her take it out of her mouth and say NO! Keep your shoes,or anything valuable away from her. He starts chewing something I put him in his crate with a few toys. Do NOT give your puppy a toy when she chews on your things this is a reward. Pits need lots of exercise give her a long walks and let her run get her tired. Play fetch keep her mind off chewing. Also have you tried the Kongs try the (black one) thats the toughest. also the nyla bones my puppy loves them. Do you crate her? I would suggest to untill the chewing is curved. I would put her in there while your sleeping, going out, or cant keep a close eye on her. You cant get mad at her like 10 minutes later she dont know what your yell for. Just be patiant shes a puppy and her teeth hurt thats why shes chewing. Good luck hope this helps!

Answer 3

Oh I know your frustration with toys that do not last 15 minutes with a puppy. Your puppy has to be constantly supervised and corrected when wrong thing goes into her mouth. They need to be taught that somethings are not allowed to be chewed upon because they do not know any better. Your puppy should not get free roam of the house. I have tried bitter apple spray as well and it does work to a certain extent. You spray a little bit on underside of her mouth. She will lick it to get a taste and find out it tastes bad. Now, go ahead and spray the stuff you want to protect (like shoes) and let her smell it. She will avoid it. This has to be done every single day until she will leave it alone even without the spray. My own puppy runs away at the sight of the spray itself now. Big items like your furniture - she has to be corrected when her mouth or her body parts are touching it. When you catch her, stand between her and the item (furniture for example) and slowly start walking into her while saying "back" in a firm voice. She will back off because you are moving INTO her. Get her to a distance where she cannot do any damage. If she tries to go for it, repeat the action. Couple of days with this consistent training will pay off. Don't forget to reward her (treats)when she backs off and sits pretty.
As for inexpensive toys, try tying old socks or t-shirts into tight knots so they form a long makeshift rope. Plastic juice bottle with a treat inside also is another inexpensive option. Please do not forget to remove labels and plastic neck rings.
Remember that puppies do not know any better and they have to be taught how to live in a human world. It is easy to be frustrated but do not despair..they will surprise you with obedience with consistent, firm training.
Good luck!

Answer 4

Your friends are right about taking what she is chewing away and give her a toy instead. While you're taking the shoe (or whatever it may be) say firmly "NO!" and then give her her toy and say "Good Girl!"

For toys, you should buy her some kongs or something made of strong rubber or rope. Don't get the soft, cheap toys because she'll tear them apart easily. At 6 months old, she is probably teething or maybe she's just restless and bored.

I hope this helps!

Answer 5

Before you put her to sleep, give her to me. I love pit bulls and have been through the chewy stage with my precious and terribly spoiled Baby Blue.

This takes time. Time and Patience and more time and more patience. During this awful period in her life, she will be so destructive you'll wonder why on earth you decided to get such a destructive pet.

Buy stuffed toys at yard sales and thrift stores. Remove plastic bits - noses, eyes etc. before you give them to her. She'll still tear them up in 20 minutes but you'll have spent a lot less $$$

Baby Blue loves to play with old, empty milk jugs - he'll chase them around the yard and worry on them until they're in tatters. Maybe you can use those too.

Spray stuff like bitter apple on things you really don't want her to chew. It helps - and even a little help is better than nothing.

Puppy proof your house - shut your computer in a room where she can't get to the wires. Put your shoes away - good for build the habit of putting everything away. Hmm. chewy dog = clean house?

GET HER GOOD AND TIRED EVERY DAY which means at least - very least - bare minimum - an hour of good hard romping or running - every day - 365/year. Hey, did you know that pit bulls make great jogging partners - so here's a way for you to get in good shape too!

AND Finally, after at least another 18 months of destruction and torn furniture - she'll quit chewing on everything.

But if you really feel you need to rehome your sweetie-pie, send her to me. I would love to have two adorable, sweet, cuddly pit bulls (and yes, they are indeed cuddly and sweet)

Answer 6

Puppies chew a lot because they are teething. At six months, she is probably getting her adult teeth and needing to chew more. You might try some harder chewing toys and rawhide or a gum soother like you'd put on a baby's gums (check with your vet to find out what's safe for a dog). They have various levels of chews depending on the level of chewer you have. You might also try to tire her out a bit. Do you take her for a walk? Sometimes, dogs chew aggressively when they are bored. My dog has changed her chewing dramatically since we upped her walk schedule. She now will chew her rawhides instead of our shoes. In your case, you might be able to get one of those giant bones so it lasts a while. Good luck.

Here's a resource for more info:
http://www.i-love-dogs.com/dogsarticles/How-To-Handle-Puppy-Teething-Troubles.html

Answer 7

First off, pit bulls are NOT bred to be vicious, to one of your answerers. Secondly.
When puppies are, well, puppies, they are going to chew on things - unfortunately, that's just the way they are. As far as toys go, I'd suggest rawhide - preferably the flavored ones. They take longer to chew apart.
Also, cratetraining is a good idea for young puppies, crating her when you can't supervise her. This way you know you can be very consistent with stopping her and redirecting her energy EVERY TIME SHE CHEWS ON SOMETHING YOU DON'T LIKE.
Yelling at the puppy, hitting it, etc. are never good ideas.

Answer 8

Crate training is your only solution. A lot of dogs have separation anxiety and that will cause them to tear up a house if they are left alone. I'm glad to see that you have started doing that. Plus it will help him with potty training as well. Like everyone else said, when you are around and he trys to chew on things that are not to be chewed on take it away and replace it with a toy. He will eventually get the hint.

Answer 9

you are not going to curb her chewing as she is cutting her adult teeth(losing her milk teeth).
i have a 14 month old staffie that i got when she was 6 months old and i'm here to tell you there are no staffie proof toys out there.someone told me to get a kong..well forget it she destroyed it.
soooooo here is what i did.i took an old tee shirt,tore it into strips braided it,tied it on the ends and used it to play tug of war with her.by the way,as her pack leader you never let them win this game.pack leader must always be first in everything.
you have established yourself as her pack leader haven't you?
anyway,after 10 or 15 minutes of playing like this i let her have the toy to chew on for awhile then i removed it from her sight and gave her a treat.
now i am able to play fetch with her with a variety of toys and she does not destroy any of them.
quit wasting your money on store toys until she has learned not to destroy them.
also,you can get books by Cesar Milan who is a dog behaviorist and this will help train your pup.you can get free advice on being the pack leader online as well.just type in his name.
good luck.staffies are a lot of work but they are so worth it.

Answer 10

I feel your pain although I have never owned a pit that wasn't easily trainable. They love to chew and left unattended they will get in trouble. You just have to be around more and keep it in an area they it can't get in trouble..

kinda like asking ... my 2 year old daughter keeps climbing out on the window sill of my 3 story house. should I put her up for adoption.