Harleysmyboy 0 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 :dede: I'm about to pull my hair out,Harley has been chewing/eating my walls,yes my WALLS! I was reading about the bitter yuck stuff so I bought some and have been spraying the places he has been chewing on,everyday but he keeps on chewing,and he even started chewing on a new place this evening.My husband is very angry I need to figure out why he is doing this so maybe I can get him to stop.If anyone has any ideas,I will try anything at this point.Harley is now 10 months old.I have just figured out how to post pictures.Hopefully if I did it right you can see what I'm talking about Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tzuhouse 4 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Oh Sandy, I feel your pain and am so sorry. My Maddy is a chewer and has ruined several spots in our house. I am using the bitter yuck and that keeps him off things. I was told you have to use it EVERY day for awhile and do it on places he hasn't even touched to keep him from finding new spots. My question is, are the newest places he has chewed, were they treated with the bitter yuck and if not has he touched the places you DID use it? Someone else mentioned smearing tobasco sauce on places he might chew also. Looks like he likes the trim on your walls, so spray it all at his height and below. WARNING, after spraying, DO NOT put you fingers anywhere near your mouth.....is is the most awful tasting stuff....I don't know how they could ever chew on anything that has that sprayed on it. GOOD LUCK.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GizmoHappyKitty 1 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 He's probably just teething again (getting his adult teeth in). What I used when my pups were teething is a mixture of cayenne pepper and water and I would just apply it to the areas they were chewing with a paint brush, it really helped. If I caught them chewing on something they weren't supposed to chew on I would tell them NO and then give them something they were allowed to chew on like a beef chew or a frozen washcloth (I would wet a wash cloth and then wring it out but leave it all twisted and then freeze it like that). Michele and the pups Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tzuhouse 4 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 He's probably just teething again (getting his adult teeth in). What I used when my pups were teething is a mixture of cayenne pepper and water and I would just apply it to the areas they were chewing with a paint brush, it really helped. If I caught them chewing on something they weren't supposed to chew on I would tell them NO and then give them something they were allowed to chew on like a beef chew or a frozen washcloth (I would wet a wash cloth and then wring it out but leave it all twisted and then freeze it like that). Michele and the pups Michelle, when do they get adult teeth, I never realized this may be what is happening. Is that ALL teeth that get adult. I haven't found any teeth forever, when he was younger, I found a couple of teeth, but I guess I thought that was it for teething.....please enlighten us....Maddy just turned one..... :dede: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
My2Cuties 0 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Oh ya that looks very familiar. Dixie did the same thing when she was getting in her adult teeth but not as bad as your pics. I bought a spray called Keep Off Repellent by Four Paws that did wonders and it stopped her. I only had to spray it a few times . Its for both dogs and cats. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stacey 7 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Luckily enough my pups dont chew on anything important.... all my furniture was given to me at some point, so they wont hurt anything I have.... now if they start chewing on the walls and the baseboards we could get into trouble..... I have bought cow hooves for mine to chew on, and teething keys for pups, along with other toys with plastic pieces on them made especially for chewing.... if they dont have anything to chew on, sadly enough they will chew on anything they can get their mouths on.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LubMyLiLPrincess 0 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hi. my brother's shih-tzu would chew on doors and walls. my brother would spray it with some bitter spray and hot sauce. well it worked because the dog figured out it was hot. you can try that and hopefully it'll work. but i know what you're going through. not a pretty site and my brother's dog, lucky, wouldn't listen even after disciplining him. hope this helps Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tearstone 0 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Izzy has one giant dingo that lasts her 3 days. I'm blessed that I've never had any problems with her chewing on furniture or the house! Yikes! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cackle 144 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Crikey, none of mine ever did that. I hope someone has the answer for you though Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GizmoHappyKitty 1 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Michelle, when do they get adult teeth, I never realized this may be what is happening. Is that ALL teeth that get adult. I haven't found any teeth forever, when he was younger, I found a couple of teeth, but I guess I thought that was it for teething.....please enlighten us....Maddy just turned one..... Kitty started losing her baby teeth and getting her adult teeth when she was about 7 or 8 mo. old (I only found one baby tooth though and never found any of Gizmo's baby teeth). She only chewed our coffee table, which is just a cheap little table someone had given us. She never chewed anything important and Gizmo never chewed anything at all. My friend Tammy's little female Shih-tzu did however chew ALL her door frames and doors in her apt., after I told her about the cayenne pepper and water mixture she tried it and Ginger stopped chewing the furniture............lol Michele and the pups Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kcsheperd 13 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Sandy is he doing this while you are there, or while you are gone? If its while you are there just get something more tasty for him to chew on..I've been giving Payslee & Rally Kongs and stuffing them with their fav's..then by the time they finish them their minds are too tired to chew anything else! Rally ate a WHOLE DOOR when he was 6 years old due to separation anxiety..I had closed the bedroom door the day I left him at home, and he went crazy trying to get in there..so do you think its a separation thing, or a chewing thing? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Apeke 4 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Separation anxiety is a real issue very few recognize or confront. I have never (KNOCK ON WOOD) have had to deal with serious SA in any of my babies, however, I remember when my son was deployed to Iraq back in the summer of '05 and his wife went to work to try and not focus so much on his being gone, it was the first time their little rottie was alone all day... They lived in Base Housing in Alaska and didn't have a backyard to speak of, so Nicole had to keep the dog penned up in the bathroom...(only room in house w/out carpet except kitchen, which didn't have doors, just openness) and even though Champ was a pup of 10 months, he literally chewed right through the bottom of the door.. Coming home and seeing this, Nicole 'bout flipped her lid.. So, she decided to crate him. She hated to do it, but didn't know what else to do. That didn't go over so well either...He literally, as he grew bigger, broke open the crate gate and next thing you knew, the couch was in shreds when she got home. She threatened to give the dog away, but knew that would hurt Kevin, as he LOVED that dog, so was told by a coworker about a place nearby that was a day care center for dogs. So, she paid for doggie daycare..LOL Then no sooner my son returned home from Iraq in Dec. of '06 16 months later, All the anxiety of Champ being apart from Kevin stopped. He never chewed another thing in the house. He simply missed Kevin and couldn't understand why all of a sudden he was alone to fend for himself when normally someone was home with him, either Kevin or Nicole. Champ is my son's dog and they bonded from day one. I babysat him for 3 months from July '06 until Nov. '06 when Nicole flew home to Germany to see her family before Kevin arrived home in Dec. '06 from Iraq. He was a big ol' teddy bear. We didn't have any problems here with us as we have a huge dog run behind our house and my hubby and I bought a huge dog house for him and gave him all kinds of toys, rope chews, bones, etc...so he was good to go for the few hours I was at work, then we'd let him indoors at night... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ShihtzuBeauty 47 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 JoJo is my only chewer still at almost 3 he'll do it mostly when they are left alone they still have some seperation anxiety. I've tried just about everything even tabasco sauce and he Still chews even all of the new baseboards we put in a little over a yr. ago. I'm just waiting 'til he hopefully outgrows it and we can redo our baseboards, again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RedyreRotties 1 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Chewing in this manner is a self rewarding behavior for dogs. This means that each time the dog is allowed to perform this behavior, he gets relief and satisfaction from doing it. No matter what you do after the fact, you cannot remove this reinforcement the dog got when he was enjoying himself with the chewing. Each time the dog repeats this behavior, he is exponentially more likely to perform it again. If the dog is allowed to relieve anxiety because of separation this way, the issue can really snowball. So the first step is PREVENTION. Prevention involves CAREFUL supervision, and confinement in a manner so that the dog cannot perform these behaviors when you are not looking or present. Confinement can be done in a variety of ways. A crate or an expen are the most common ways of confining a dog so that it cannot entertain itself in this manner. also use baby gates, or leash the pup to yourself so that he cannot ease off to do this when you are distracted or not paying attention. Next, the dog needs a toybox with INTERESTING and VARIED toys to chew on. Baiting the toy box with smears of cheezwhiz or peanut butter, and/or hiding tiny treats in the box, or inside hollow toys, can really help to teach the pup that THIS is the place to go get something to chew. Bait the box, and carefully supervise the dog. Interrupt the dog the moment you see him look at, sniff, or put his mouth on something he should not have or chew. Clap your hands, and say AH AH! As soon as you have his attention, rush him in a happy way to the toy box, and make sure he finds a BAITED TOY. In increase in physical exercise, and MENTAL exercise (positive reward based obedience training!) can also help many dogs with boredom issues that can lead to destructive chewing. :signthankspin: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
enchantedmountain 2 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 I agree with redyrerotties. none have mine have ruined anything, but I don't ever let it get to that point. If I see them start to chew on something they are not supposed too then I scold them, just the same as potty training and then give them one of their toys and pet them and praise them. I never leave mine running around the house unattended. I have a doggy room for them while I am gone or crate if they are not potty trained. training them not to chew on anything except their toys is just as important as potty training.I have 4 under the age of 1 at this point and I can honestly say (knock on wood). They chew and play only with their toys. Now that is not to say that a few of the corners of the books in the books shelf didn't get tested first. Seriously I would leave things out on purpous that I didn't want them to chew on and if they tried they got scolded. I have a huge pile of dog toys that I keep in the same spot, if they are not playing with them I put them all back in the "doggy corner" and they always know where they are. I kid you not, my kids will leave the playstation out and the controllers and the guitar hero guitar and non of the dogs touch it. They just know what there toys are, but then again they do not have free run of the house while I am not present either. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FairyTail Josette 14 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 The root of the chewing is separation anxiety and boredom. These areas must be addressed in order to be successful. Walk your furbaby, this is very important. They need physical exercise. Also, mental exercise with kongs full of treats, etc or any toy that involves mental stimulation while at home and when they are alone. They also need bones, so, they can chew, again, while you're home and they are alone. When you're not present, confine in an area with as above posts have mentioned. How many hours a day is your furbaby alone? Just a thought...my niece does the doggy day care a couple days of week, their dog comes home EXHAUSTED. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
My2Cuties 0 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 (edited) Dixie did this when she was teething at about 8 months of age. It was mostly when she was locked up in the laundry room with a baby gate, she chewed the moldings, nothing real bad but enough to where i had to re paint it. She did it a few times even when i was home right next to me while i was cooking. She had DOZENS of chews, rawhides, frozen cloths, chew bones, kongs etc. I bought just about every kind imaginable plus a whole variety of different texture toys. She did it anyhow. I walked her, played with her and tried to where her out. I did everything!!! I sprayed the spots with the repellent spray and she never did it again. She is now 7 years old. Edited January 13, 2009 by Tammyblue Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Harleysmyboy 0 Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Thank you for all the great advise,I'm going to continue to try the Bitter Yuk a little while longer,if he still chews I will try some of the other things you all recommended.He has a variaty of toys,I bought him a kong and the peanut butter stuff that goes in it and he was not interested at all,maybe I should try to fill it with something else. Harley is crate trained,he is in the crate when we are away.He does the chewing while we are at home.I didn't realize that he could be getting his adult teeth in. I've read about some of you that have expens,I think I know what your talking about but not sure.Where do you get these? Do you think that these are better for the furbabie than a crate,pros,cons I have always heard not to give your dog rawhide of any kind so I have never given Harley a bone other than the rubber type.Is there a safe bone other than rubber I could give him? I really want to do what is best for Harley,he brings such joy to our house.I will send you all a update and let you know how the chewing issue is going,again thank you all very much for all your great advise. :dede: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tzukeeper 12 Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 I use the x-pens when I have to be gone for more than a couple of hours. It gives them more space to move about and I can put an old towel (I don't use potty pads....mine eat them) in it for them to potty on if need be. They also fold up and can be put under a bed, in a trunk or in a closet. You can attach the crate to the x-pen as well. I bought mine through Petedge (link below). I have seen them at Petsmart before. http://homeandkennel.petedge.com/Midwest-B...bCategoryId=381 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RedyreRotties 1 Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 HOWever and WHATever you must do, you MUST prevent his opportunities to do this!!! If you are not actively watching him, he should be confined in a manner so that he cannot CAN NOT do this. This bears repeating: EACH TIME he is allowed to do this, he is MANY TIMES MORE LIKELY to do it AGAIN. Prevent it. Use your brain. Pay attention. Stop his opportunities. :dede: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kcsheperd 13 Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 You can give them bully sticks..They are made out of all beef. Just look for chews that are not rawhide, or full of crappy ingredients..I put puffed liver in the KONG and Payslee goes freakin crazy for it! There are several folks on here that good bones from the butcher, but I'm not sure which ones you ask for when you get them. They also have toys that you can freeze and they supposedly feel good on their teeth when they are chewing them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Harleysmyboy 0 Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 I use the x-pens when I have to be gone for more than a couple of hours. It gives them more space to move about and I can put an old towel (I don't use potty pads....mine eat them) in it for them to potty on if need be. They also fold up and can be put under a bed, in a trunk or in a closet. You can attach the crate to the x-pen as well. I bought mine through Petedge (link below). I have seen them at Petsmart before. http://homeandkennel.petedge.com/Midwest-B...bCategoryId=381 Tracy-What size is your pen? Does your furbabie try to jump out,my Harley can jump pretty high.I could imagine what my walls would look like if that happened.He is in his crate about 6hrs during the weekday while we are at work and just thought this would be nice for him so he could have some room to play with his toys,although we are still working on potty training him and he is doing very well,do you know if this would be a bad thing to put him in a pen with his crate open since he is not yet fully house trained? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tzukeeper 12 Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 I have 2 different sizes....24 inch tall and 36 inch tall. The 36 inch one is for Emi because she can climb out of the smaller one. You can decrease the size of the pen depending on how you set it up. As far as it interferring with potty training....it could. But what you could do is just increase his space as he gets better at the potty thing. Mine have never pottied in their crates and only one has ever pottied in his x-pen and that was because I was gone for about 8 hours and he just could not hold it. But that's the exact reason I prefer the x-pen over the crates. I don't want them holding their urine for extended amounts of time. I've been down the road of bladder infections and bladder stones and don't want to go there again. Not to say that holding urine causes it because frankly I don't know what causes it but I am going to do everything I can to prevent it from happening again. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kcsheperd 13 Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 I use an Xpen too..and mine is 24wx42h..Rally is 10, and he could jump over baby gates like nothing..so I had to get something really tall to stop him..and it did. I put Payslee in there by herself when I'm at work, and like Tracy said, I just didn't feel like she could hold it for the time that I'm at work..so she stays in there with a pee pee pad, and she has done really well with that..I had to remove the blanket out of there though, because at first she was using the blanket instead of the pee pad, but now she has figured it out.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
borzoimom 24 Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 What diet are you feeding your dog? Foods with corn in them adds gas in the gut with some dogs making them feel antsy so to speak and they do this in an effort to relieve it. Second I would spray watered down tabasco sauce if the puppy wont respect the bitter apple. Was the bitter apple introduced properly? How you introduce it is get a q tip. Dip it in the bitter apple, let the dog smell it first, then with no expression on your face at alllllllll ( none) open the dogs mouth and lightly swab the tongue. When the dog bolts away like " HOLY COW" do not laugh!!!!! You need to be ready for a poker face and let the dog leave the room. When the dog comes back later, let the dog smell the swab. The result should be a " quick back out " the odor... Lesson learned... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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