Chewing

[Erik Goldenson and Hudson]

Well, Hudson has gotten to his teens (11 months) and seems to want to be chewing at all times. 

I have seriously thought about a muzzle for times when we are not in the same room as him. Any ways to train him not to chew? I know he is still a puppy and I hear that they really have the chewing desire until 2 years old. Otherwise he is really the perfect dog. He is crate trained and loves his "den", totally mellow, and otherwise non-destructive. Just the chewing is making us not trust him.

Thanks to all,

Erik

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

In my experience (and others may disagree) chewing means he is not getting enough exercise and he is taking it out in chewing. Any time mine destroyed something I could always relate it back to the weather was bad and they didn't get out to romp, or I had a busy day and didn't get them out to romp. This is especially important when they are still in the puppy phase. Mine don't require the same amount of intense exercise that they did when they were still puppies, but they do still need some. By exercise I'm not talking about 2 or 3 or even 4 walks per day, I'm talking about opportunity to be off leash running or intensive fetching (like tossing a ball down the basement stairs and they run up and down). Something along those lines. Puppies have a lot of energy and it has to go somewhere. Sometimes if the weather was bad I would just load them up in the car and we'd go to Lowe's or somewhere where I could walk them around and they would visit people, we would use it for training opportunities and just all of the attention would wear them out. You'll have to get creative if you don't have a big fenced yard, but they need to somehow let off some of that puppy energy.

[Julie Mills]

I agree withthe previous post.....a tired puppy won't feel the need to chew as much. Also, if there are certain things that Hudson is chewing like shoes, etc. you could spray some bitter apple on them. I know my Labradoodle used to try to chew our kitchen chairs....I sprayed bitter apple all over the legs and he decided that his kong toys tasted better.

Good Luck!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

FYI though Bitter Apple won't work for young puppies. Should be fine in this case, but they don't develop taste buds until they are several months old so Bitter Apple has no effect. (How many times have you heard people with a new puppy say "Yeah, we tried Bitter Apple but the puppy didn't mind it). No taste buds yet!

Another good piece of advice would be to keep those shoes and anything like that picked up and put away. They are hazards for the puppy and you get the bonus of a clean house! Be particularly careful of socks because many on here have ended up in emergency surgery after eating a sock --- nobody wants that vet bill.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I believe that chewing is a stress reliever for dogs...as is exercise. On days when the weather is bad and my guys don't get enough exercise they seem to want to chew more than they would normally. They're happy with their antlers, and I'm guessing on days like this they probably spend a total of 2 - 3 hours chewing. I'd be sure you are giving Hudson appropriate things to chew.

[Erik Goldenson and Hudson]

All sounds great everyone. Thanks for the tips. I purchased Rollerblades and take him every day so I can exhaust him. We also hit the dog park almost every day. So, I will try the bitter apple and see how it goes. Thanks again and we will see....

[Adina P]

My dogs chewed way past 2 years old...they just knew to avoid non-dog items (for the most part). I don't think you'll get him NOT to chew, but he has to have a plethora of appropriate chew toys since he has a NEED to chew and it's one of a dog's favorite things to do even outside the need to do it.

What exactly is he chewing up?

What kind of chew toys do you have for him in the house?

I think he needs to be in the same room as you at all times unless crated...until you see a change in his chewing desires. Additionally you may have to take extra measures to put EVERYTHING he might be interested in out of reach (obviously you can't rid your house of wooden furniture, etc...but at least move the moveable items).

[Erik Goldenson and Hudson]

Mostly a random shoe here and there. We have totally rid the area where Hudson is limited to of any extra items. He even looks on the counter for anything he can reach....