Chewing - shoes, rugs, everything else....

[Victoria NY]

Hi,

 I thought by 7 months that my labradoodle pup would have outgrown the chewing thing. Well... I was wrong! She is a great pup! Lovable and cuddly! But here's the downside... She has that Lab chewing thing! When she was very young she chewed the solid oak railing of my stairway. I haven't replaced it yet because I wanted to be sure she wouldn't do it again. She chewed a hole in the stairway carpeting, she chewed the toe of my brand new $120 running shoes (just one shoe) and when I replaced them, she got the new shoe and chewed it too... I have learned to put things away so that she can't get to them. However, there are certain things you just can't put away... the rug in front of the front door - continuously chews them up. Constantly! Finally, I discovered a hole in the sheet rocked wall at the top of my stairs - yes, she chewed through the sheetrock down to the metal.

 I'm at a loss. I had a Lab that chewed until he was about 6 months old. Once he realized he had toys to play with that he could chew without getting in trouble, he stopped chewing other things. My pups brother isn't a chewer. He turned 2 yesterday and has only chewed his toys... I don't know what to do to stop her. She is exercised, she had toys... she just loves destroying my house!! I called a place called "sit means sit" that has rave reviews on stopping dogs from bad behaviors - they cost $700. Can't afford that. 

 Any advise? Please?

Victoria from NY

[Paige and Leo]

Hopefully some help on here. Leo 8 months is not a big chewer. Maybe something in here will help. I did use bitter apple for one end of coffee table when he was teething. It worked for him. Bully sticks helps too. http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/destructive-chewing-dogs?page=5

[Laura and Angus]

We have a chewer in our house too! He's almost 6 months and I think his larger back teeth are coming in. Maybe you're having a similar issue? The lady at the pet shop recommended actual bones (e.g. antlers or raw beef ribs) - you can buy these at the pet store...We haven't gone that route yet, but we're seriously considering it since our guy is getting really strong jaws and ruining the corners of our coffee table :( 

[Victoria NY]

Thank you!! Going to try the antlers...

[Tina]

Antlers are awesome but buy a big one! One of our pups is only 4 months old and was able to get through half a small antler in a few hours :) I hear elk antlers are harder than deer.

[Laura and Angus]

We went with a deer antler cuz my bf felt the elk was larger than necessary, but I agree with you, Tina, that if you have a strong chewer, you may wanna go with elk. Angus enjoys chewing, but the deer antler was hard enough that he didn't even make dents in it. 

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Not all dogs are created equal. Fact of life, some dogs are chewers, some are not. You say you learned to put things away so she can't chew on them...so she trained you well ;). I guess my biggest question is : where are you when she is chewing a hole in the drywall or rug? If you are not at home, then short of providing her with lots of toys and chews, I would be crating her. She may or may not grow out of the chew thing. I have a friend who has a 6 yr German Shepherd that chews on anything that stands still.

[Kathryn Clark]

I feel your pain! Recently we took our dog to a friend's house for a trial run for her before she brought home a dog. She had a nice sleeping bag ready for our dog. Within minutes it was being ripped to shreds. I thought to myself "Oh, she's in for it! She'll realize her place isn't dog proofed at all." Within a week of bringing her new dog home, no issues! Pics of him sleeping happily on his sleeping bag. Their expensive Knoll furniture, untouched. Some people are so lucky! Wish I had advice but can just relate! Good luck!

[Victoria NY]

Thanks. Good luck to you too.

[Debbie]

I tried the bitter apple, bitter cherry, bully sticks etc...this is what my carpet on the landing looks like and I can't put any throw carpets down either...she eats them too! She chewed the lower stair carpeting and she's got this desire to eat my shoe inserts and heels...so, I hide all of my shoes...but I too, am struggling with the carpet thing...

Maggie is 1 year old and she has toys, bully sticks, bones, constant attention etc....I spray all possible "bad" items that can be chewed...I hope she grows out of it... here is a photo of my carpet on landing...sigh...

[Victoria NY]

Debbie I can't see the picture, but you have just described my life!! I bet I know what your stairs, your carpet, and your shoes look like!! Lol! I too tried the bitter sprays - she likes them! I caught her licking the bottle once... Hopefully someone will give us good advice. Fingers crossed.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

The advice that makes sense to me is to limit her access in the house,  crate when you aren't able to watch her or are gone.  Keep her in whatever room you are in. If your house is an open floor plan, purchase a tall ex-pen and stretch it across an area - anchor with zip ties, furniture etc.  Whatever it takes.

I am sure that she will eventually outgrow it, but it might be a while. I speak from experience - not a doodle but a Springer Spaniel.

[Laura and Angus]

So just an FYI...my boyfriend brought a deer antler and beef rib home from the pet store last night and our little guy Angus LOVE IT! He chewed on that thing and carried it around for like 2 hours until we took it away, so that he would get some water before we had to take his water. He was pretty fixated on it, but it was a good alternative for bully sticks. He loves bully sticks too, but recently he has started to try to swallow them when they are still very large and so we can't give him those anymore :( In fact, we're thinking that anything edible and easily swallowed is no longer a good option for puppy Angus. Ugh.