Hello, everyone!
Our Pembroke, Ein, is 16 months old and is a really great dog. He's been through puppy class and is responsive, attentive, and generally well-behaved (though of course, we still have some things to work on!). Recently, though, I've started to find things he's secretly chewed on... namely, clothes and fabric.
He is crated during the day, and sleeps next to our bed at night. We keep the door to the bedroom mostly closed so he doesn't roam unattended. The things I've found chewed have been the occasional book/magazine, a few socks, and my new favorite sweater (which he pulled down and chewed, probably in a rare unsupervised moment during the evening). As a puppy, he was crated at night and we didn't give him soft bedding for a long time because he just ate it. Some of the things he's chewed up (like our bed skirt) have been eaten because I've noticed they, er, came out the other side. He's always liked to pick apart fabric, which is why he hasn't had a soft toy in a long time. He has lots of kong toys, solid rubber, and natural bone and he chews all of these frequently. But he seems to have a craving for the soft stuff. He's just started doing this "forbidden chewing" about a month ago.
I think this change is just adolescence hitting us hard (he was neutered a bit late, around eight months), and I know we'll get through it, but I can't figure out what the best way is. I have only caught him red-handed once or twice, and removed what he was chewing and said "No", but otherwise it doesn't seem to make sense to try to punish him after the fact. I've considered getting him a soft toy that he can have while we monitor him, but I am really concerned about him eating fabric (of course, if he's doing it anyway...)
Any tips? Advice? Toy suggestions? I'd like to stop this as soon as possible so it doesn't follow him into adulthood.
Thanks!
- Jess
ETA: I should have mentioned, we are working on ramping up the outdoor activity and so on now that the weather is good again, in case this is a boredom issue. Since we both work, this is sometimes a challenge. But I did want to mention that it's one piece we're already working on!