Chewing and Shredding

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

Honey AKA (Shreky the Shredder) has a huge bad habit that I can not break no matter what, and mostly behind my back, if I go into the kitchen and she is in my computer room, which is also the grooming/dog crate/dog playroom. She will only shreed certain items like Pen's and Paper. I can leave my pills sit out on top of my desk and she never touches them or wires to my computer, but pens, paper, Money oh boy does she shred them. I just had to take a dollar bill to the bank to have it replaced because she shreeded it, didn't eat it, just chewed it apart, the bank thought it was funny. Hannah and Honey have toys all over this place, no need to chew my stuff, or go on my desk and destroy things. Hannah will actually rat her out, if I'm not in the room, she will continously bark till I come and see what Honey is up to, so I know she got something she was not suppose to have. I have crated Honey, and Hannah lets her out. Hannah has also done this with my sisters dogs when she visits and her dogs are crated.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Do you mean shredding? As in "she will only shred certain items"?

[Rose]

I think you do mean "shredding". If so, Blaze does the same thing with any kind of paper. (books, magazines, newspapers, napkins, paper towels, tissues, mail) He doesn't eat it either, just rips it to shreds, always when no one is looking! I think he's just trying to get attention. When someone tries to take the paper away from him it turns into an "I dare you to try and catch me" game!

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

Yes I meant shredding things. Honey will shred anything paper, and does not digest it. When you catch her if you tell her to drop it she will. If I ask her for it, she usually will give it back to me. I'm not certain if this is not partly a separation issue with her, because it seems she only does it when I'm in the kitchen or bathroom which is off limits to Hannah and Honey. I also wonder if there maybe some confussion on her part, since I started teaching her to pick up things for me and give them back up after she retrieves them. She really does fantastic with helping me, I just don't get her need to shred certain things.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

It is funny (strange) that dogs pick certain things to chew or shred. Since their choices are so individual, it can't be that there is some kind of universal dog-attracting smell.
Ned is a trash digger - for paper things. I usually have a disposable plastic glass in his brush caddy to put the little bits of hair when I groom him. If he has an opportunity, he will "shred" the cup into tiny little pieces. He used to get kleenex out of the box, and TP off the roll, but I have gotten good about keeping bathroom doors closed, wastebaskets and boxes of kleenex out of his reach.
However, I do see improvement, he is not always doing this at every opportunity anymore. Except for little puppyhood, he hasn't chewed books or magazines and has never chewed shoes or clothing. Interestingly enough he does not get stuffed pillows UNLESS they have a zipper. If there is a zipper, he unzips it with his teeth and pulls out the stuffing.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Sometimes we must submit to the dogs urge to shred. Spud likes a good shred now and then. I place cardboard boxes out in the garage and let him have at it. He shreds with a fury.

Does giving them something to shred promote shredding or does it satisfy the need?

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

He is too precious. I would let Spud shred anything he wanted. Look at his face.

[Rose]

I agree. What a face! He is sooo cute!

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

I think I should look into hiring her out...Need Document Shredding, Paper Shredding? Do you want your Credit Cards destroyed and never have to worry about security issues. Honey is Local, Mobile, gives free estimates and supplies Proof of Destruction!

[Rose]

Good idea! Maybe I should do the same with Blaze!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You know how I was saying Ned was getting better? Well, he is BUT last night I left the bathroom door open... This morning I wondered why Ned wasn't doing his morning happy dance on my body so I went hunting. He was curled up under the dining room table fenced in by chairs. I thought, poor baby you were stuck there...NOT! He had been into the downstairs bathroom and chewed and shredded his way through everything that had been in the wastebasket. He was trying to protect himself by hiding under the table!
How about adding, "Bathrooms stripped, trash shredded, while you sleep!"

[Rose]

LOL! Love it! Sounds like you need a wastebasket with a lid in your bathroom too!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

My doors are usually firmly closed and wastebaskets are "stylishly" up on counters! I think unless I had a can with a firmly closing lid, Ned would just open it. This is the pooch who unzips pillows to pull out the stuffing! He is taking advantage of the "heat" being off him while we are focused on our Springer's recovery from surgery. The little minx! He runs up to us for a little kiss and a quick cuddle then sneaks around to see what we have left open, down, or out.