Chewing wood

Share your favorite training tips, ideas and methods with other Positively members!

Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost

CockerCharlie
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:44 am

Chewing wood

Post by CockerCharlie »

HELP!!!!!!!
My 8mth old Spaniel is chewing the banisters and any other wood that she can get her teeth into. We have tried the stop chew sprays she licks it off and carries on, we have also tried mustard and she does the same. What else is there to try please help. Thank you
danabanana
Posts: 203
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:21 am
Location: NE England

Post by danabanana »

Can you put up a baby gate so the dog can't access the stairs?

Lots of much tastier things to chew, 'recreational' bones, half a cabbage, frozen carrot and the like
CockerCharlie
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:44 am

Post by CockerCharlie »

we have funny stairs that make it differcult for a baby gate and we have given her plenty of things to chew, we have noticed that she only does it when we are out as that is the only time she has access to the stairs and scurtin boards but any thing wood she will try to sink her teeth into. We just dont know what else to do and it is going to cost a fortune to replace
Ocelot0411
Posts: 593
Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 7:30 am

Post by Ocelot0411 »

Is she crate trained? If so I would crate her whilst you are out, depending how long you are out for. If I didn't crate my dog I would have no house left when I came home :lol:

She has chewed the stairs, the skirting boards, the base of my futon and even the plaster off the wall. Like you, I have provided her with just about every chew toy available, and tried all of the sprays, which she seems to quite like :roll: . I think sonme dogs are more inclined to chew than others and mine is terrible for it. I guess this will improve as she gets older, but in the meantime if I can't keep my beady eye on her I crate her.
CockerCharlie
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:44 am

Post by CockerCharlie »

I dont want to crate her at all i dont think she would like that nor me tbh. we just dont know what else to do if it comes to crating her then so be it but that would have to be the last resort.
User avatar
Mattie
Posts: 5872
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:21 am

Post by Mattie »

I stop mine by telling them "No", never used any other method. :lol:
[url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Nethertumbleweed/PIXIE.jpg][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Nethertumbleweed/th_PIXIE.jpg[/img][/url]
CockerCharlie
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:44 am

Post by CockerCharlie »

LOL mattie, we are never in when she does it, so that wouldnt work for us
User avatar
Mattie
Posts: 5872
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:21 am

Post by Mattie »

It is Tilly that does it hear and when I am not in I crate her for her own safety. If she gets a splinter of wood caught somewhere inside her, it will be very difficult to find and could kill her.
[url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Nethertumbleweed/PIXIE.jpg][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Nethertumbleweed/th_PIXIE.jpg[/img][/url]
Carrie
Posts: 64
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:07 am

Post by Carrie »

You leave your puppy running loose in the house, unsupervised when you're not there????? A-h-h-h.....a recepie for disaster. She could chew on electric cords and be electrocuted. Nevermind the wood splinters. She could be strangled on something. I highly recommend you get her crate trained asap. There is nothing wrong with crating a puppy for a few hours after they've had a good romp and some good exercise.

She will get so she likes the crate if you associate it with her favorite interactive toys....toys she doesn't get the rest of the time, treats, never using the crate as a punishment. It will become her little den. My dogs would go into their crates voluntarily. It was their little, cozy spot. My adult Chihuahuas still love their crate. I never close the door on it anymore and they're behaved in the house to leave alone. They just like being in there. Sometimes they want to "get away from it all" and have quiet time.

Accustom her to it gradually, leaving the door open at first. Feed her in there only, throw fun toys in for her to retrieve...associating it all with good things.

I can't imagine leaving a puppy that is getting into things or chewing things up unsupervised. Not only is it dangerous, but she is continually being reinforced for that behavior and she won't "grow" out of it. You'll have an adult dog who is destroying your stuff.

You wouldn't leave a 2 yr. old child running loose in the house with you not watching. It's no different. Please, nevermind whether she likes it or not...crate this puppy while you're gone.

Good luck.
Training with my mind, not my hands.
Ocelot0411
Posts: 593
Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 7:30 am

Post by Ocelot0411 »

Cockercharlie, I do appreciate what you are saying about crates, as I hated the idea of them at first. To me 'crate' was a nice way of saying cage and I thought that there was no way I was putting any dog of mine in a cage. But after reading up lots on the internet before I got my pup I saw that just about everyone, from vets to trainers, breeders and behaviourists said that they were fabulous and highly recommended them.

I think what you have to remember is that the cage aspect of them is strictly our perception of them, to our dogs they are their 'dens'. As Carrie says you can make them really lovely places to be and like a little retreat. My dogs crate has a thick (and anti chew) pad in the bottom of it which is covered by a piece of 'vet-bed'. There is a blanket over the top of the crate to make it feel more solid and enclosed, she has a water dish attached to the side of it and her favourite toys usually live in there. Again as Carrie said, most of the time the door is open and she goes in and out as she pleases. She will often disappear in there for a snooze or to hide her bones.

The trick is to do it gradually and get them used to it. If she has never been in one before and you put her in and close the door, she will hate it and probably panic, but if you get her used to it bit by bit she will come to view it has her own den. Give it a go and see how she takes to it.
User avatar
Mattie
Posts: 5872
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:21 am

Post by Mattie »

I used to say no dog of mine is going in a cage until Gracie came, I didn't have much choice, she tried to kill them all. I had told the rescue that no matter what she was like she wouldn't go back but I have since found out that they didn't think I would keep her, she would be back with a few minutes of her being in my house.

During that time Joe learnt what a crate was all about, 4.5 years on, she spends all his days in his crate and only comes out for walkies, food and potty breaks. This is his choice not mine, I just wish I had used crates earlier because Joe has brain damage and obviously feels a lot safer in a crate.

Crates, like dummies depends on how you use them, use them sensibly and your dogs, like babies with dummies, usually love them. :lol:

We owe it to any dog we take on no matter how young or old they are, to make sure they are safe when we are not there as well as when we are.
[url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Nethertumbleweed/PIXIE.jpg][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Nethertumbleweed/th_PIXIE.jpg[/img][/url]
emmabeth
Posts: 8894
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:24 pm
Location: West Midlands
Contact:

Post by emmabeth »

Would you leave a crawling baby in a room alone whilst you went to the loo?

Or would you pop him in a playpen?

A crate can be a playpen, a safe place for when you are not around (and a safe place for when a dog wants one himself), its only a horrid thing when it is used in a horrid way.
CockerCharlie
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:44 am

Post by CockerCharlie »

Thank you all for your advice, after a long heart to heart with my hubby we have come to the dicision that we are going to crate her, we hadnt even thought about the wood splinters and that has made us both worry. the silly thing is that we all ready have a carte as 2yrs ago our cat was knocked over and had to be crated due to him losing his limb and had to recoup for 6mths. So we are now trying this out, fingers crossed our Belle will still love me after. Any words of advice on how we do this would be good as i guess we are going to start it straight away. should we bring it in to the living room so that she gets used to it????? please help.
User avatar
Mattie
Posts: 5872
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:21 am

Post by Mattie »

We have all been were you are now and made many mistakes, it is how we learn.

Yes, bring it into the living room and get her used to it asap. Make the crate really comfortable and into a den.

Good luck. :D
[url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Nethertumbleweed/PIXIE.jpg][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Nethertumbleweed/th_PIXIE.jpg[/img][/url]
Ocelot0411
Posts: 593
Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 7:30 am

Post by Ocelot0411 »

Cockercharlie Carrie has put a thread on the methods section today, no doubt for your benefit. Have a read its very good. And stop worrying, Belle won't mind the crate at all if you teach her to associate it with good things. She may even like it. Good luck.
Post Reply