chewing

[marcia hill]

i have been out of state for a week now and alley has destroyed her bed and is destroying everything in sight my family is livid. they said i had to get rid of her she is only 6 months old. iam very upset. what can i do. marcia

[Brenda Hetzel]

She is missing you, and your family might not be equipted with the knowledge or patience of keeping a puppy occupied with the right things instead of the wrong things. I would enlist the aide of a person or persons that know dogs while you are gone, like a trainer or reputable kennel, instead of relying on your family who sounds inexperienced and impatient with dogs.

[Adina P]

Oh Marcia...I'm so sorry your family is upset. Have you all worked with a trainer ever before so they can learn from an expert how to help puppy be good?

MOST puppies like to chew things up so it is OUR responsibility to keep important things OUT of their reach. They are not humans. They do not know that chewing up beds and other things is 'bad' -- they NEED to chew. She's not a bad dog, she just needs someone to guide her and she needs your family to keep the house picked up. 6 months is a difficult time. You have to do a lot of training and be sure to keep her in a crate when nobody can watch her. Be sure to give her lots of walks and exercise to tire her out.

Do you have a trainer? Or can you go to a training class with her? Remember the class doesn't train her, the class only teaches YOU how to train her yourself. Maybe the family can come and watch so they learn too.

[Joan and Rags]

I dito Brenda's reply, It is out of frustration your dog may have destroyed things. Please convince your family it is necessary to get the puppy out and excersice her. Also, working with a trainer is advisable. I'm not sure where you are from, I just saw this and my heart broke, but there are many outlets for your pup, and we have many people on this site who will help you, from training tips to dogsitting. So don't give up.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Does the puppy have chew toys? Is she teething? Teething is painful for dogs just like it is for babies, and they need something to chew on that will relieve the pain. Try cutting old towels or washclothes into strips, soak them in water, wring them out good, tie them in a knot and freeze them. Make sure the puppy has appropriate things to chew, and when you see her put her mouth on something that is not hers, distract her and give her one of her things.
Puppies cannot be left loose in the house without supervision. She needs to be crated or confined to one area where there is nothing she can damage when there is nobody around who is willing or able to watch her. And certainly I agree that she needs training...all dogs do.
I am really disturbed by your family's desire to immediately "get rid of her" because she has acted like any normal puppy. Adopting a dog should be a lifetime commitment. I am sorry to say this, but if the first thought that comes to mind when the dog misbehaves is to get rid of her, perhaps it would be better for all concerned if you contacted IDOG about rehoming. I can assure you that regardless of what you do, Alley is going to get into mischief again, and your whole household needs to be on board with their commitment to her.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Apparently, you have had an ongoing issue with Alley's getting into things she should not have access to; after this close call that you posted about only 11 days ago, I would have hoped that somebody was going to be supervising the puppy a little more closely.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/chewing-2

Marcia, it is my understanding that you will not be home with Alley for another week. Please speak to your family about keeping her crated or confined until you get home, for her own safety.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Marcia....I am so sorry that you are going thru this with your family.....As Karen and everyone have stated your puppy must be confined to an area when not supervised until such a time that you have returned home and are able to resume care......She is a puppy and puppies will chew....There is no way to avoid this except by giving her appropriate things to chew and confining her to an area where she cannot get into mischief....Your puppies chewing issue is now exacerbated by the fact that she may be experiencing a certain degree of separation anxiety as a result of your traveling...This could be compounded by the lack of attention that she is receiving from your family as well......I have a few questions...



1. Is your family willing to accept the fact that your doodle is a puppy and will continue to have issues until she is properly trained and/or outgrows certain behaviors?

2. Are you and your family willing to make a commitment to her training? This will involve dilligence a great deal of your time on everyones part and be implemented with love, an understanding of training methods and PATIENCE. We are all happy to advise as you are going thru the process.

If you are uncertain of your answers..or hesitant then it may be in everyone's best interests, especially your puppy's to consider re-homing her to a dog experienced family......You can contact IDOG directly at [e-mail]


Or please contact me privately at [e-mail] and I will get you directly to Shannon at IDOG....

Thanks

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Is your family doing you a "favor" keeping Alley? Do you normally all live together? If at all possible, I would suggest that a friend, vet, groomer or boarding facility be contacted to keep her until you get home - just to relieve your stress. Or at the very least a doggy day care. Once you get home, you need to take stock of the situation and decide whether you can keep her or not. This, of course depends upon your living situation and which of the great suggestions given that you can implement. Are you dependent upon the "family" that is taking care of Alley - do you all live together? Do you have the time and patience to put up with the puppy destruction and the training it takes to redirect her? I will tell you that the destruction is not necessarily permanent. My English Springer Spaniel was soooooooo destructive as a puppy - anxiety when we left him to go to work. He just missed us so much. Because of our situation with an older dog and a need for a doggie door, we just had to confine his destruction - he even at the molding off walls. He outgrew this and is the most wonderful dog ever, even if he isn't a doodle.