[Haley9750]

I need some advice. Flynn has done very well in his training except for one thing. He chews up anything and everything he can get to. We keep him in a cage when we leave so he does not get anything. He knows not to chew on things so he does it behind our backs. Every time we see something he’s chewed up, he knows he’s in trouble and runs and hides under the couch. Anytime we go to the bathroom for even a second he will find something to chew up. He chews on anything he can reach or any new thing we put in the house. We’ve tried putting things away and he still find something to get to. I’ve tried almost everything. He’s got about a million toys, games, and things to chew on. He does play by himself sometimes but it’s like he still can’t resist chewing on things he’s not supposed to. Do y’all have any advice for me?

 

[BKaymuttleycrew]

How old is Flynn? If he's still a puppy, then chewing is pretty much a given. Even as adults, many dogs continue to like to chew (sometimes a lot!) Exploring the world through their mouths is what dogs do - he doesn't know that your stuff isn't for chewing on. If he's been punished or scolded after the fact, that's why he runs & hides (to avoid scary punishment) not because he "knows he's done something wrong". Dogs don't have those sort of moral values.

You will need to manage him & his environment at this point. Continue to utilize the crate (or puppy proof pen area) whenever you can not have 100% of your attention on him. Even if it's a quick trip to the bathroom - you must prevent him from being able to access items that aren't his to chew.

Encourage him to chew on toys that you have provided him. Don't leave ALL of them out at one time - puppies don't need 100 things to chew on all at once, they need an assortment of different items of different textures available (maybe half a dozen or so) at any one time. Rotate which ones he has access to every couple of days so they remain "new" and exciting. Experiment with different choices until you find his favorites.

Depending on his age, he might be teething or he might just be a heavy chewer. If you manage what he has access to, eventually he'll learn to make the right choices & you will be able to relax a bit again (most likely)

 

[Haley9750]

He is 10 months old

 

[BKaymuttleycrew]

He is 10 months old

Yup! That's still very much a puppy. Utilize lots of management & prevention at this point. You might also want to start working on positively training 'leave it' and 'drop it' cues, so you can redirect him if you see him going for something he shouldn't and/or he manages to actually get something.

 

[Haley9750]

He does know leave it and drop it and does it perfectly but he still chews when we arent looking. He’s very stubborn.

 

[BKaymuttleycrew]

He does know leave it and drop it and does it perfectly but he still chews when we arent looking. He’s very stubborn.

That's great! Those are very important cues for him to know, and will help to keep him safe.
Just remember that he's not chewing to be 'stubborn', he's chewing because that is a natural behavior for dogs and it makes them feel good. Punishing a dog for displaying natural dog behaviors is what can lead to 'sneaky' behavior. They don't learn that what they are doing is "wrong", what they learn is that it isn't safe to do in the presence of people (so they do it when you're not around or not looking) Especially at his age it's a matter of management, management, management. Do not give him the opportunity to chew your stuff, provide plenty of alternate appropriate items for chewing on & wait for him to mature a bit longer.