What can I do to prevent my 12 wk old Lab puppy from chewing my house apart?

Question

Our puppy is 12 wks old, we had her for about a month now. For the time being, she sleeps in a crate at night and when we're not home so we try to keep her out as much as possible. If we are not paying 100% attention to her she will find something to chew. She has a basket of chew toys and bones. she knows where they are and takes them out herself.

What can I do to stop her from chewing things other than her toys?

I heard I should spray vinegar on the things she tries to chew, but I'm not sure if it really works.

Answer 1

It sounds like your doing all the right things. Crate training, and letting her have her own toys to chew.

I know its hard to always keep an eye on her, but this is what I've used:

There's a product called bitter apple that you can spray on your furniture. Dogs hate the taste and avoid it. Once they tasted it they won't touch it again. The spray does wear off the furniture so you have to reapply it when necessary.

Answer 2

Vinegar may or may not work, Bitter Apple (available at petstores) is better, but again not a sure thing! Some dogs have a stronger desire to chew than others, and Labs are known to be chewers!

Try to rotate her toys, so that she doesn't get bored with them so easily. Add a new one every now and then to keep her interested. Treat dispenser toys, a Kong stuffed with peanut butter and frozen, and interactive toys that make noises, or move in a strange way, are all popular and entertaining. She'll have strong jaws though, so make sure any toy you give her is extra-durable. You can find a great selection of indestructable dog toys here http://www.the-puppy-dog-place.com/indestructable-dog-toys.html

Also, make sure she gets enough exercise. There's a lot of truth to the saying that 'a tired puppy is a good puppy'. Pups (and dogs) often use chewing as a way to work off excess energy - physical and mental - giving her at least two sessions of vigorous exercise (several games of fetch or frisbee for example) plus two training session (learning to 'sit', 'stay' etc) will help her be tired and less stressed.

Hope this helps, good luck!

Answer 3

Vinegar or a commercial product called Bitter Apple may work. However, there is always the dog that decides they like the taste of it, so it may have a reverse affect. If you do use either of these, watch the dog to be sure it is having the affect you want.

Also, enroll in a puppy kindergarten class. This will help in a lot of ways.

As for the chewing, if the dog is out of their crate, at this age, you need to keep an eye on her. As soon as she even starts to go to something she cannot have, tell her a firm "no", and give her something of her own she can chew. She is a very young dog, and needs to be watched.

Answer 4

You could try spraying everything you don't want her to chew with a Bitter Apple Spray. Puppies really do not like the taste and it does deter them from chewing the legs of furniture and other things.

Don't give her toys that resemble shoes. If you do this she won't be able to tell the difference between the toy and your favourite pair of shoes.

She should stop chewing once her teeth come through but you probably have another couple of months before that happens. In the meantime get her a Kong and fill it with tiny treats to keep her occupied or a Smokey Bone. Puppies love these and they will gnaw on them for ever while they are teething. Don't be tempted to give her Rawhides. Puppies have been known to choke on these, especially if left unattended with one.

I have just been through this chewing stage with two Goldens I kept from my last litter but to put your mind at rest they did stop when they were 5 months old.

Good luck.

Answer 5

That is traditionally the #1 intent why people stop their puppies and it is mostly round this age. Don't stop on her! It is a phase if she's getting a number of attention. To start with, i might strongly recommend going to a good canine trainer to your subject and seeing what he/she has to endorse. They'll comprehend great considering they may be able to virtually observe your canine. You have to be scolding her firmly whenever she chews on some thing she's not alleged to be chewing. Say "NO" very firmly and divert her concentration by having her doing a command like take a seat, down, or whatever enjoyable like roll over. Supply her a treat then. Do not use the crate for punishment seeing that whilst you depart you set her in there and then she thinks she's been a bad canine and that's very unhappy. Are you taking her for enought walks? Every body in the family must be taking her for walks every day regardless of how bloodless it's external. I take my dogs out even when it is within the teens and there's a foot of snow. They'd go loopy without their walks. She should be going for at least three walks a day (not simply being let loose to move potty for a few minutes) and a pair of walks should be atleast quarter-hour and the 1/3 I advise atleast forty five minutes. And feel of what first-rate activity this is for you and your family! These walks will help tire her too so she's no longer so wound up and trying to be damaging considering the fact that she feels "pent up". If you happen to reside somewhere where you could let her off to run like in the woods or at a canine stroll that is even better! Labs must run. I also consider normal obedience will aid her drastically and after mastering common instructions consider about an agility category. Labs are a breed that is eager to delight their house owners they usually like to have something to do and agility mostly fills that void. You can additionally are trying spraying that bitter stuff on family things you do not need her to chew. You can also get a spray bottle full of water and vinegar and spray her when she does this chewing together with the "No!". I might spend a couple of hours googling and seeing what different suggestions are in the market for this situation. As soon as again, this is a very usual crisis for Retrievers around this age. It could be horrible to get rid of her. It is like eliminating your teenager considering he/she is starting to be somewhat rebellious. Your dog is a teen right now and also you ought to take into account that! Fine OF luck! A few years later, you are going to be horrified that you simply even suggestion of eliminating your dog if you try my recommendations or these of a legit coach.

Answer 6

Hi... i have listed a source below, and you can find more if you do a yahoo search for HOW TO STOP A PUPPY FROM CHEWING.

I have even read that sometimes teething causes pups to chew..

I have a lab and have had her from 8 weeks old. She had toys all over the house for the first several months... i left them laying everywhere -- the best ones were the hard bones which you get from department and pet stores (don't give rawhide)...

Of course, i had to watch my step, but the bones, especially, seemed to get her attention, and it really kept her from chewing my things.

Once, she chewed something she wasn't supposed to chew -- my boyfriend's shoe... turned out she didn't like him... neither did i !

Answer 7

Don't worry, this is normal. You just need to keep things out of her reach if you don't want her to chew them. You can also buy "bitter apple" spray from the pet store. You spray it on whatever you don't want your pup to chew. It tastes horrible and will deter your pup from chewing.

Just keep an eye on the pup and give your pup an appropriate chew toy every time he tries to chew something he shouldn't. ANother trick for keeping the toys interesting for him is to only allow him access to 3-4 toys at a time, and rotate the toys. That way when you switch the toys, he feels like they are new again, and won't get bored as easily.

Answer 8

There is a bitter spray that you can use on objects you don't want her chewing on. Chili peppers work good too.
As for the basket of chew toys that she "knows" how to find.. I might want to rethink that one. Puppies have only one thinking mode: HERE and NOW. There reality consists of only what is in sight and smelling distance. Everytime you think you may take your attention away from her for a few minutes, toss her a toy. She's not going to take the initiative to go find something appropriate to chew on, especially at that age.

Answer 9

Chewing is always a difficult problem with puppies, and it's one that needs to be resolved for your pet to be a part of your household. The good news is that most dogs do grow out of their chewing behavior as they get older. The bad news is that they can do quite a lot of damage before they do. There are ways to train your puppy to direct his very normal chewing energy at the right kind of objects, but like any other training, they take patience and persistence. The first thing you can do to stop your puppy from chewing on your furniture, wallet, remote control, and everything else in sight is not giving him the opportunity. This means you may want to confine him when you're not around, in a crate, kennel, run, or puppy-safe room. Crate-training is the most feasible option for many people, and it can keep your puppy feeling safe and secure when you're away. Whatever space you chose, fill it with safe and appropriate chew toys, as well as lots of comfortable bedding. As your pup spends a lot of time chewing on these toys, he'll start to learn what objects are "his" for gnawing and which are not. When you are around, watch him like a hawk. When you see him grabbing onto your leather loafers or a chair leg, distract him with some other, more attractive option. When he takes the rawhide chew or nylon bone or whatever "good" toy you want him to chew, give him lots of praise and petting. The idea here is not to punish your dog for the "bad" chewing, but to encourage him for the good behavior. By the same token, whenever you see him chewing away on one of his toys, give him lots of "good boys" and other positive attention. Pretty soon he'll get the idea that the toys are what you want him to use. You may have to switch his toys around to keep him interested--a rubber ball may do the trick one day, while the next day nothing will do but a sock tied up in a knot. Some household materials can make very good chew toys, but make sure that they can't be chewed into bits and swallowed. An excellent option that will keep almost any dog's attention is the hollow rubber balls sold at pet stores. You can fill them with food or your dog's favorite treat, and he will spend hours gnawing at it, trying to get the goodies out. Also, if he tends to chew on a surface that is color safe and won't be damaged (like your fingers), you can coat the surface in white vinegar or rubbing alcohol. The smell and taste will make the object much less tempting. Finally, and most importantly, don't give up on your puppy. It can be hard to retrain an instinctive behavior like chewing, but it's well worth it to have a happy, well-adjusted dog. If your dog seems to resist all efforts to retrain him, consult your veterinarian. He or she can refer you to a behavior specialist or even discuss anti-anxiety medication.

Answer 10

when my dog was a puppy, we had A LOT of chew toys for her to chew on. i am a stay at home mom, so it was very easy for me to teach her to chew only on the things we provided for her. i really watcher her like a hawk. i literally "baby proofed" my house. kept nothing on the floor that wasn't hers, kept floors mopped so she couldn't eat something off the floor. really, you just have to watch them carefully. she is now 2 years old and she has never chewed on something that wasn't hers. i mean, every once in a while she'll grab my sock while i am putting it on, but i haven't had a problem with her chewing the house to pieces. just really watch the dog, and when you see her chewing on something that is not hers, firmly tell her "NO" and take it away. keep things off the floor. good luck.