Puppy eats EVERYTHING!

[Shianne Mack]

My puppy is about 12 weeks now and he literally eats everything he can get his mouth on. I watch him like a hawk, and if I see him heading for something that he is not suppose to I try to get there before he does, but sometimes it's too late. I give him plenty of chew toys, but even then he tears those to shreds. I am lucky that he hasn't eaten anything serious that he isn't suppose to eat, but I am wondering if this "eat everything" stage will go away as he gets older? Has anyone else ever had this issue? Also if so what did you guys do? Another thing, I am trying to get him some snacks/bones for him that will last more than 10 minutes, what is a safe thing to get for him that will help with his puppy chewing?

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

You might want to get some bitter apple spray and spray on whatever is getting his attention.  At 12 weeks he is teething and that could be part of the problem.  If that is the case it should slow down as his new teeth come in.  If that isn't the case, then he might just be a chewer and you will have to learn to keep things that are dangerous out of his reach.  Fortunately ours weren't huge chewers.    Some people use Antlers as chew toys but some people don't like them.  I'm not sure there is a single item one the market that someone won't tell you is bad for them.  You just sort of have to weigh the consequences and see what you are willing to take a chance on.  

[SoSa]

The thing that kept Ace occupied for a while was a bully stick. He still loves them. He hardly ever chewed on chew toys. Ace mostly liked to chew on us instead of things around the house when he was teething as a younger puppy. There was a time when his chewing calmed, but now that he's teething again as an older puppy, he is back in the chewing us phase. I think that because he's also in his jerky teenage phase he is now trying to eat a ton of stuff he never used to bother before. He loves paper and will grab and run away with any paper item he can get his hands on. He followed me in the laundry room one day and started digging in the laundry garbage. I started banging on the side of the machine and he stopped.

[Shianne Mack]

Yeah, my pup will grab paper and run away too! Ha and he loves to get in the trash on the laundry room too. He takes the lint from the dryer and tries to eat that which doesn't go over too well since there isn't too much to it. But okay I am hoping this is a phase because he is teething.. But I guess only time will tell. I will definitely try the bully sticks though. Thanks!

[Wynnie & Jim]

Our puppy grew out of the chew everything phase but we did use bitter apple. At 18 months, she still loves to "take apart" soft chew toys. We now simply don't buy or give them to her. When she is outside, she still loves sticks and and occasional rock but she has learned the "drop it and leave it command" so that drive is manageable. While others may disagree with me, you might want to try: a small flavored rope toy, "Beyond Bone Dog Chew"and a "Dogwood Stick." But for your 11 week old, rope chew toys might be the best at this stage of his life.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Rope toys are extremely dangerous!  Threads become entwined in the intestines.  A friends Dobie died from ingesting some of the threads.

[Rhoda and Asta]

You are not alone lol. Asta is 21 weeks and has hit the chewing phase full on.  He grabs paper towels, socks, underware, shoes, door jams, wood furniture, bath rugs and towels, whatever takes his fancy at the time. lol  He has lots of rubber chew toys, bully sticks, antlers, beef bones, cow hoofs, etc.  He likes them all.  I use Tabasco sauce on the wood surfaces which works. I try to catch him in the act and give him an appropriate substitute which works in the moment.  We start a group basic training in a couple of weeks and I'm hopeful the activities will help him grow out of chewing everything.

[Nala and Cooper]

I always find your discussions to be extremely helpful because our pups are almost the same age and we run into the same problems. Nala grabs and runs away with everything- tissues from the bin, her own puppy pads, my slippers, paper, my cats toys, and little plastic items. I can tell you she will grow out of it because she completely stopped showing any interest in her puppy pads, and she used to drag those to her crate almost all the time. She still chews on all the other things, though. It's just what us dog owners go through the first year of having a puppy! 

I puppy proofed her room and I just supervise her VERY closely when shes running free in the house. If I need to do things and can't watch her, I'll let her run free in only the room and leave her with a rawhide stick or bone to keep her busy and not feeling lonely.

[Diane and Alma]

Does he shred things or swallow them?  We used to give Alma empty cereal boxes and put treats inside of paper tube rolls.  She would shred them to bits but never eat the cardboard - only the treats.  It kept her busy and helped when she was teething.  I don't give her boxes anymore but will give her treats inside a paper tube roll put inside a holy roller ball.  She has to work to get at it.

Bitter apple worked for us with plants that she wanted to get into.  And when she was a puppy, I leashed her to me so she couldn't get into mischief.  Or, if I was in the kitchen with her, I'd close it off so she couldn't wander off and get into trouble.  When she was a bit older, I'd leash her to a chair near me as a "time out" for a few minutes if needed.

We also played the "leave it, take it" game all the time.  I had treats in small containers around the house so we could practice any time.

We give her antlers and recently a Benebone: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CPDWT2M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o...

Depending on how hard your dog chews these might be a problem.

[Shianne Mack]

Things that have to do with paper, he just shreds. Unfortunately, things like underwear and ropes, he tries to swallow. So i make sure to always but those things up now. But i have taken your advice and got some antlers for him so hopefully that helps a little. Where do you purchase the bitter apple? 

[Shoney & Ruby]

Ruby is seven months old now and still eats everything--yes, bitter apple spray is good for inside the house, but I can't spray the entire outdoors with it. We just watch her and remove, remove, remove. She knows that she isn't supposed to put some items in her mouth--for example my scrunchy hair tie--so she runs into her crate and hunkers down and won't give it back. I've tried every trick in the book, she has a million chew toys....but we really just watch her all the time. That said, she has gotten a tiny bit better at it--and besides the mouth problem has been an incredible joy and quick to learn everything else. People say it will pass, good thing she has a zillion good qualities.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Sounds like any typical 12 week old.  If it moves.....eat it!!!!!!!    Now is the time to teach commands "drop it" and " leave it"....both of which will come in handy for the lifetime of the dog.

[Wynnie & Jim]

Rosemary, thank you for the warning. When the rope begins to deteriorate slightly, I have tossed it out. I was worried about Wynnie injecting the threads. I have been vigilant but will watch the rope very very closely. I also am glad that you pointed this out for the person who started the thread.