Help! Need advice on Nestle's chewing.

[Lake Girl, Lizette]

Nestle, our labradoodle, is a year old and chewing on molding and cabinets. When I went outside she chewed on my dining room molding around the window....when we left her last night in the utility room with our Molly....we caught her chewing on the built in desk and trim. Quite a lot of repair to do and I wonder how I am going to put a stop to it. Any advice? I have even seen her attempt to chew our molding when I was inside with her. She backs off immediately when I call her on it. Any advice...she will have to be in her cage everytime we are gone.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

Being crated is the safest option for her while home alone at this age.

Chewing is done usually done for a couple of reasons. Teething (she is past this stage), boredom and lack of exercise.

Is she being walked daily? Does she have plenty of toys in her area?

I recommend feeding her from a Buster Cube or a Kong and waiting to provide her with her food toy until just before you leave.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

When you are home you can try and spray either bitter apple or tabasco sauce on items she is going after and hope that will deter her as well. I would also do spray this every day so its fresh and she gets the full affect of it. If a dog is counter suffering you can take a mouse trap, set it... and set it up side down, cover with a dish towel (which will help the dog from not having an injured paw) and when the dog goes up on the counter and goes to see what that is..it will go off, and they usually do stop going on counters. When your not home I would still crate her for her saftey and for the saftey of your personal belongings. Hope these suggestions help....

[Phoebe's Mom]

I was chuckling as I read this as I had blogged about this same problem and entitled it "The Giant Termite." Our Phoebe, now 6 months old, was a terrible chewer while teething AND she loved the bitter apple spray, enjoyed Tabasco on all her wood and chomped my molding and chairs despite multiple walks daily and plenty of one on one playtime with me while the children were at school. I have found that the liver or chicken flavor Nylabones--under close supervision as serious chewers could break off pieces--are the only things that satisfy her desire to chew. I feel that Phoebe is just a serious chewer even though she has gotten so much better than she was. We just got a fence and we run her three times a day and she will still try to get her teeth into a tasty piece of molding! I hope it gets better for you soon!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Ah - the things dogs love to do. Chew, dig, roll in a yucky smell, bark, jump up. I really don't think you can keep her from chewing if you are not right there. You can try, but she obviously likes to chew. I never leave a dog under three unsupervised. If you can not find a room that you can put her in when you are gone, she will have to go in her crate. The more furniture she chews the stronger the habit becomes. Exercise and chew toys will help, but she'll probably still chew on wood. Antlerz, extra large bully sticks and giant nylabones are great for enthusiastic chewers and last quite a while. I have been fortunate to have had only one real chewer, a Golden Retreiver. She chewed through hundreds of tennis balls and a nylabone every two months or so until she was very old. She also chewed her heavy wooden bed edges, we still have it and I see her teeth marks everyday. Good Luck!!!!