Dog chewing on WOOD?!?

Question

My dog is over a year old now, and she still will not stop chewing... but she ONLY chews on WOOD! My baseboards, the latticing on my stairs, my deck - if it's wood, she's trying to eat it.

1) Why wood? And how do I get her to stop? (I tried that Bitter End stuff from Petsmart - doesn't work with her)

2) Isn't she a little old to still be in the puppy chewing phase? If not, when will she stop?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Answer 1

First, what kind of dog is she?
Second, yes, she is too old, but this may just be a bad habit for her now. Maybe it is an anxiety problem. She may even, and likely is, be bored.
Do you walk her daily? How much attention does she get?
Some breeds need a lot of exercise, and when not given enough, become destructive.
You are going to have to make her understand that she answers to you - not the other way around. You are her pack leader - "Dog Whisperer" term - and you will have to retrain her. It won't be easy, but you owe it to her.
You are clearly not in any sort of control of her actions at all if she is chewing on wood. You should never allowed her to do so as a puppy. I'm sure you realize that now.
The best advice I can give you is to make sure she gets the exercise she needs for her breed. Next, you need to give her pieces of wood to chew on (all different sizes), and when she starts to chew on them, you make a sound - or say "no" - that makes her know that you do not approve of what she is doing. You must be consistent and do this exercise with her every day.
If you can watch the "Dog Whisperer" on the National Geographic channel regularly, it would do you both a world of good!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Wood must be particularly satisfying to dogs. It is hard enough not to fall apart but soft enough to mulch. Dogs will continue to do this into adulthood and some will chew so hard their mouths will bleed.

Some dogs enjoy Bitter Apple and Tabasco sauce.

The best thing is to keep her away from the woodwork, place some furniture in front of it or keep an eye on her and tell her off when she goes near it. She will also need some chews that she will actually chew. Many dogs will not chew Kongs or Nylabones but will chew rawhide.

Chewing is a form of entertainment and stress relief so you don't want to take an outlet away from her without finding some other stress relieving activity like exercise or play to fill the void.

Answer 4

most likely your dog is bored, because chewing is actually not a normal behavior for dogs after teething. I would try the hot sauce on the wood and also every time you catch her chewing on anything that she isn't suppose to, Tell her NO, take her away and QUICKLY give her something she is allowed to chew on. My dog liked to chew on wood and I found that she responded best to rubber toys( Kongs are good) It takes a little while but consistency is key, If you can't trust her when you aren't around, crate her. Its the best thing for both of you.

Answer 5

Some dogs chew on wood just out of habit to chew on things. I have 6 dogs and they all chew on a stick. I have tried everything to get them to stop from rubber toys, to stuffed animals. But it never fails they always go back to the stick of wood. where they find them i will never know. So i just took a stick and sanded it really good to get rid of splinters and rounded off the ends. now they chew on it like a toy. It doesn't seem to hurt them after a few minutes of chewing they just walk away and leave it alone. I keep it free of splinters so it doesn't hurt them. i have noticed in doing this that they are slowly leaving the stick alone and going to other toys. The older ones have quit chewing on the stick all together now. so i suggest you might try that and see how it goes. it may take a few months but it might work for you.

Answer 6

I can't say why wood, but it is normal. My uncle's golden retriever used to chew on everything wood in his house. A year old isn't necessarily out of the puppy chewing phase, as every dog matures at a different rate, just like people. An option to make her stop is to put chile pepper on the wood. That worked with my uncle's dog. Anywhere she usually chews, just dust with chile pepper. It won't hurt the dog, but it will burn her mouth like it would ours, and she should stop chewing on it. Another product you could try is Bitter Apple for dogs. It's a bitter liquid that you spray on anything the dog is chewing on...I like chile pepper better for the animals, but if you have small children in the house, it's better to use Bitter Apple because if they touch the wood, they can rub chile powder in their eyes, which will burn them, too.

Answer 7

Some dogs chew their whole lives. It really depends on what she likes to chew best, which happens to be wood.

Answer 8

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://tr.im/liHoN

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 9

My 2 1/2 yr old pitbull still chews on wood. Mainly sticks now but i went through alot of furniture and the wall corners. I put vinegar into a water bottle and sprayed the inside areas he was chewing on. This has worked for him. I suspect you could use it on the deck but i didn't go through deck chewing.

Answer 10

She is still a baby, and has graduated to the 'i think im a beaver' stage. The bitter spray didnt work on my dog, he loved it and chewed more. Hot sauce did the trick, he didnt like the smell. Water it down a bit and be careful where you put it, it does stain.