She's chewing everything!
Gumbo is 11 months and loves to chew. She knows it's wrong and won't do it in front of us but when given the chance off she goes. I don't know what to do. I don't want to keep her locked up when we can't be with her but I can't have her causing damage. Has anyone dealt with this? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! |
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| Oh yeah... our recent rescue now beloved pack member is a naughty girl. She had my purse the other day, she chewed the innards of a new car starter ruining it (after she took it off the shelf and out of the bag), takes boxes and shreds them, etc. We were forewarned that,
"... She also needs someone to teach her that the house and all its contents belong to the uprights, not to Madison (now Panda again)...". 
(What a crazy little icon... never saw that one before!) So we are working through these issues now. In our case, we are leaning towards separation anxiety being the cause because it only happens when there is some form of barrier between us... either we are actually out of the house or there is a closed door between us. Her safe place is the kitchen and you would not believe how clean the countertop is now. My ma would be so proud 
Here is what we are trying... * A tired dog is a good dog... we are going to try more exercise. * A stuffed/packed Kong gives them something they can work on keeping them busy. We are giving Panda one as we leave the house on an errand. * We are also going to try one of those hard cubes that you put dry food in and they have to roll it to get it out. It's called redirecting her attention to something positive. Does your girl have things she CAN chew on like maybe Nylabones or squeeky toys? Maybe try a favorite new safe toy that you only give her when you leave so it stays special to her. I'd love to hear some creative ideas on this subject too! Any ideas out there? |
| Gumbo, it's not only the damage she may do but also the danger she may be in. She could get into something dangerous while you're not around. Bailey is 11 months old and we still crate him when we're not home just to make sure he doesn't chew on something that could hurt him. We do leave safe things (kongs, rope toys) for him to chew in the crate. |
| I agree if she is a chewer it might be best to try crating for a little while when you can't be there to watch.
A dog can die from intestinal obstruction, which can result from things they eat, and there are also the dangers of poisons, electricity etc... |
| Bailey's Mom is absolutely right! A crate is a great safe zone and they come to think of it as their den. If you use it in a positive manner and don't leave them in it all day, it's the very best! The key is to always make it a postitive thing and never use it as punishment. When we crate train, we feed all meals in the crate, give them special treats when they're in there, make sure they have toys (remember to ALWAYS take their collars off before kenneling-up). Two of my sheepies are big time "gnawers" so we can no longer offer rope toys. It was too bad because they loved them but long strings can cause serious intestinal problems.
We have a somewhat different slant on this problem. Panda wets in her crate, starts to drool heavily and howl forelornly because of the separation thing. It's believed she may have spent too much time in a crate so we had to go to a "room". She had also spent 3 weeks at a Humane Society when she was 5 months old so there may be an issue with "cages" because of that too. |
| I also have an 11 month old OES, and I could not live without his crate!! I actually crate him every afternoon so I can run errands or get things done, and we crate him at dinnertime. He also has lots of chewable toys like Kongs, nylabones, and when I can watch him he loves his compressed rawhide or as a treat he gets pigs ears!! I can't even imagine the destruction that he would perform if I left him unattended, not to mention his safety. He actually enjoys his crate now and will go in when I tell him it's nap time, (He has come a long way), but they are still so much a puppy at this age, so I don't expect to give Max much freedom for a very long time! I'm sure everyone can relate
Sharon |
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