LoveToKnow Dogs:AllComments

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Hi Will,

This sounds like a very intense problem. It may be best to hire a canine behavioral consultant to come to your home and observe your dog in his natural environment. This may offer clues to why your dog is so destructive, and based on these observations the behaviorist will make recommendations on how to curb the unwanted behavior. You should hopefully be able to locate a behaviorist through your local dog training facility.

Thanks for your question, and I hope you're able to resolve the situation. Good luck!

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi Johanna,

Is the fence wooden? If so, you may be able to cover it with hardware cloth to keep your dog from chewing. Hardware cloth is readily available at Home Depot and most hardware stores, and luckily it's not terribly expensive either. I hope it provides you with a viable solution.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

I have a dog who is almost a year old. I've had him for some time now but i cant get him to stop tearing things up. He prefers to tear things up in stead of chewing them. I have bought him multiple toys and nothing seems to work. I have him stay in a kennel at night or when i leave anywhere for more than 10 min. i take him for daily walks and nothing seems to work. even when he's with me he tries to tear things up. If anybody has any advice it would be greatly appreciated.

-- Contributed by: Will

Hello I'm in desperate need of help. We have a 9month old rotweiler and he's chewing on the fence. We work during the day and let him into the backyard for the afternoon so for a couple hours he's unattended. We've tried the sprays and nothing helps. What can we do?

-- Contributed by: Johanna

Hi Ed,

I can't say why your dog chews his pillow, but have you tried giving him an alternative when he spends time in his crate? I suggest a nice Kong stuffed with a dog biscuit. That should keep your dog satisfied enough to leave his pillow alone.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My 15 month old Great Dane mix chews the rug/pad in his kennel at times, Not all the time but ever so often, and idea as to why? have used the bitter spray and that onlt works some times, he was in the kennel all night with a new kennel pillow and all was fine, he was in for a few hours today and he chewed it,

-- Contributed by: Ed

Hi Laura,

I think your dog is using chewing as an outlet for his anxiety. At three, it's a bit more difficult to transition to a new home. Right now, it's important to give this dog structure so he understands you are his new leader. Daily walks can help acheive this, just make sure that you are leading him, not the other way around. In addition to establishing loving dominance, you need to actively correct your dog the moment the chewing begins. Set aside some time to watch him like a hawk so you can catch him at it. Give him a firm "No" and remove him from the scene. Take him to another part of the house and give him an acceptable chew toy and praise him if he uses it. Additionally, you might want to spray any wood or laminated surfaces with Bitter Apple spray so they taste bad. I think if you are diligent you will be able to curb this chewing habit.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

I recently adopted a Daschhound - Wire Terrier Mix from the shelter. He is a wonderful dog. However, he has started chewing everything in site. He is 3 years old so not a puppy thing. My furniture has been the most recent target he is chewing up the kitchen chairs. I give him plenty of rawhides to chew and he does but also everything else in sight. What would cause him to do this? and how do I make him stop...please help

-- Contributed by: Laura

Hi Tim,

It still sounds as though your dog is bored, even though you provide him with toys. I would buy some new ones and rotate them each day so they seem fresh to him. Look for toys that are highly durable, like a black Kong.

Now let's talk about your kitchen. Your dog is in there alone at night, most likely feeling bored and a bit lonely. You can spend some training time actively discouraging him from chewing the drywall and such, but you'd have to be very consistent about it, and it would take more than one night. Have you ever considered purchasing an extra large crate for your dog? This would be a safer way to confine him overnight and prevent him from carrying out his frustration on your home. You might even want to locate the crate in your bedroom so your dog feels more secure with you close by. If your dog has never been crated before, you'll want to start out slowly, but he can be taught to use one. Just make sure you pick out the sturdiest crate you can find for such a strong canine.

Thanks for your question. If these suggestions don't work out for you, I recommend you hire a dog trainer to come to your house and work with your dog at the scene of the crime. Sometimes this method can be the most effective, although it can be expensive.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

We have a 220 lb male Mastif, 15 months old, who, for the past 8 months, has chewed holes in our kitchen dry walls, the kitchen wooden island, and the linoleum floor. He has plenty of toys and a bed he chews on. At night he is confind to the kitchen. We have a 1/2 acre fenced in back yard where he gets plenty of exercise and we even take him for an evening walk 3 to 4 times a week. He's a typical Mastif requiring less exercise as other breeds as he prefers to lay about most of the time. Our first child was born just a year ago. We are at our wits end with his destructive chewing. What do you recommend?

-- Contributed by: Tim Allen

my puppy is a 7 month old pomeranian mix that i got out of the pound a couple of weeks ago. she has a mind of her own and WILL NOT DO anything I tell her to do. i've tried the bitter sprays, punishment (crating for 20 minutes), blocking her off in an isolated area to no avail. she knows when she's doing something wrong because as soon as she sees you looking at her, she'll run under the couch. please help!!! she just will not listen.

Hi Karen,

The housebreaking issue is indeed a problem, but it seems to be a symptom of a bigger problem. Your new dog has not yet accepted you as her pack leader.

One of the best ways to positively establish yourself in this role is to take your dog through an obedience course. as your dog learns to respond to you as the leader, this should also help her respond better to the house training.

Thanks for your question, and I hope the training does the trick.

-- Contributed by: karen

I walk a friend's dog, a 7 month old spayed lab mix, for her Mon-Thurs at lunch.My friend is away from approximately 8a.m.-6 p.m., during which time J.(the dog) is housed in a large well-lit 2 car garage with her own large crate, bed, blankets, chew toys, food, fresh water, and softly playing radio.Recently J. has taken to chewing the wooden railings on the stairs leading from the garage to the inside of the house. We're very concerned that she'll get wood stuck in her mouth, throat, or digestive tract, not to mention the eyesore the chewed wood has produced. What can you recommend? Should my friend start crating J. until I get there to walk her, with me re-crating her when I leave? Thank you for your time.

Hi Kathleen, perhaps your friend would consider removeing the wooden railing and replacing it with a metal one? This would eliminate the chewing problem and the need to crate the dog for long periods. :)

-- Contributed by: Kathleen

Hi,

My dog just does not understand that certain things are suppose to be left alone. He will do what it takes to get our shoes, phones,or anything else he wants. I just dont know what to do. I've tried everything that I can think of. Help!

Hi Davina,

Since you feel you've tried everything, I'm going to suggest you bring in a professional dog behaviorist to observe your dog in action. The behaviorist will likely pick up clues about why your dog feels so compelled to pursue out-of-bounds items. Once this is figured out, the behaviorist will design a custom training plan to address your dog's behavior in a positive manner that should lead to a resolution if you apply it consistently.

Don't give up hope, I do feel that this problem can be worked out. Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: divina

Hi, My daughter has a 1 year old wippet mix dog that we got from the pound when she was 10 weeks old. She has not had a chewing problem until recently and now she will chew up any thing she can get to, which unfortunatly is a lot of things. Just today she managed to pull the duster off of the top of the entertainment center by jumping on it, and I was home doing laundry. Short of leaving her outside, or in her crate all day I don't know what to do. She gets exercise in the afternoons, my daughter takes her to the dog park every day. Thanks for any help. Tami

Hi Tami,

Have you tried giving her an assortment of chew toys to keep her busy? I suggest getting some Booda Bones, Nylabones and a couple of Kong toys. All of these work great with dogs that love to chew.

Hope this suggestion helps.

-- Contributed by: tami

Hi Diane,

First off, I highly recommend that you consider building a kennel for him with chain link fencing and a concrete floor. These materials should prove indestructable. Keep your dog there when you can't be available to keep an eye on him, and this will at least eliminate some of the uncontrolable chewing. The kennel will also serve him well the rest of his life by giving him a safe place to exercise.

I'm also going to recommend that you sign up for a regular obedience class. This will help you get the kind of control you need over him, and it should help you address more of the chewing issues.

Although it may not seem like it now, you will probably notice a big drop off in his chewing very soon as he begins to grow out of puppyhood. One of my own dogs was a voracious chewer. We too had to monitor her every movement, and nervously referred to her as the "Land Shark". She even chewed through one of my computer cords!

There really should be light showing through at the end of the tunnel. Hang in there and thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi, I am having a hugh problem with my dog chewing "EVERYTHING" He is a King Sheppard and Lab Mix. He is 7 months old now. He just started sleeping in the house at night and did very well. It seems as long as I am around him, he will do fine, but when he is outside he chews the new step just built. When not looking he chews everything he can get in the garage, even though I have moved things which I thought he could not get, but he finds a way. Now I make sure the garage is closed to him.He has also chewed the hose off the side of the house into small peices. We had to remove it too. This morning when I checked on him, I found a lot of stuff on the ground in front of my car. After an investagation, I discovered that he chewed a bunch of wires and plastic off the underneth of my car, yes my car!!! We have tried just about every toy, and chew bones that have been recommended, but no success. Our dog has a very large personality, and can be extremely stubborn at times, but we have been working with him evrey day, and doing well except that chewing and distroying things. Do you have any ideas as to what to do next? He will eat anything!! Thank you for your time here. Looking forward to hearing from you...........Diane

-- Contributed by: Diane

Hi Karina,

It sounds as though you have a real problem.

First, I recommend that you confine your dog when you can't be with her. When you are with her, put her leash on her collar and watch for when she approaches the wallpaper. When she does, give her a quick snap on the lead, accompanied by a strong "NO". Repeat this every time she goes near the wallpaper. This sends a clear message that she isn't allowed to chew it.

You may have to repeat this correction quite a few times, but if you're persistent you will win in the end. You can use this correction on anything else you don't want her to chew. Good luck!

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Can comeone PLEASE help me regarding my dogs chewing habits she has already chewed off al my wallpaper of i have tried many types of different sprays but none have helped! Please help

-- Contributed by: Karina

Try putting him through obedience class. The first thing they do is help you train your dog to avoid distractions. Once he learns to watch you for cues, it may be easier to keep him from random chewing.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My husband and I have tried everything to get our Great Dane to stop chewing even the spray!! The not so funny thing about that was he chewed the bottle!!

-- Contributed by: Rachel
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