[Brenda lynne]

I am a very experienced pet owner but I am having difficulties with my puppy and chewing. I can't remember having a dog that was so destructive. I always would take things away from my other dogs,tell them no and give them something they were allowed to chew. This always seemed to work just fine until now. The puppy I have now just doesn't get it. Any suggestions?

 

[SugarKat25]

Have you tried a bitter apple spray? Its a terrible tasting spray that you can put on the things he should not be eating. It probably couldn't be used on fabrincs, might stain, but its could for like electrical wires, or wood moldings.

Also, if he is chewing on fabric things, or fuzzy things, try not to give him toys of the same consistancy. He might not be able to tell the difference bewteen his toy and the thing he should'nt chew (your slippers, or couch).

Too many toys can also be bad. Limit his toys to 2-3. This will also help give your pup a sense of what belongs to him, and what doesn't.

When he is chewing on something bad, don't just shove a good toy in his face. Make him "work" for the toy, by chasing it. If you just hand him the toy, he may think he is being rewarded for chewing the "bad item".

Hope these tricks work! Good Luck!

 

[TooneyDogs]

Destructive chewing can have any number of 'causes'...Boredom, Overly Stressed, teeth problems and not knowing the 'appropriate chews' are some of the more common issues/things to think of.

 

[drea]

Have you tried a bitter apple spray? Its a terrible tasting spray that you can put on the things he should not be eating. It probably couldn't be used on fabrics, might stain, but its could for like electrical wires, or wood moldings.

Having a chewer myself, I'd like to point out my experiences with using Bitter Apple and other no-chew sprays. I went through five (yes, 5) different formulas before I found out that Tucker doesn't like the bitter apple. The way to find out is to soak a cotton ball with the spray of choice, then stick in the dog's mouth and close it with your hands. If the dog tries to spit it out first chance, then he/she doesn't like the taste and you can work with the spray. If the dog starts chewing the cotton ball, go to another product. Some folks say to keep the unliked cotton ball in the dog's mouth for 30 seconds, twice a day, over three days to condition him that that taste is bad bad bad. I didn't do this. Tucker won't chew on anything sprayed with bitter apple, but because the carrier is alcohol, it evaporates fast. If Tucker is chewing on something that I don't want him to, I'll spray the bitter apple at that very moment on the object; he gets up and walks away, and won't chew it again. It usually only takes a couple of times doing this. I just have to remember to keep the bottle close by.