Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on June 17, 2012 at 4:11am

Hi Ash,

Puppies like to chew, sounds like you are doing the right thing by offering him other toys instead of inappropriate stuff he shouldn't chew like shoes and so on.  You also are right about giving him excercise. 

If you can't supervise him, are you putting him a crate, or you could put him on a leash and have him follow you, so you are able to keep an eye on him.  The less opportunity for Jax to chew on stuff the better. 

Too much freedom too soon, also can lead to a destructive corgi, refer to my suggestions above.  :)

I did use Apple bitter spray on my wood cabinets when Lance was a puppy, that luckily discouraged him from chewing on the wood.  I also crate trained Lance for his safety as well. 

They do sell puzzle toys that you can google and also freeze yogurt in kongs with some kibble as well.  If I come across the links later I will post them here for you.   There are all kinds of things you can freeze in kongs.  

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Snickmom on June 17, 2012 at 5:06am

Even though my dogs are adults, 5 and 9 years old, they still spend time chewing everyday. Have you read the discussions on antlers and himalayan chews? They are edible, so the dog feels like he is destroying something. My dogs love the Hartz Chew N Clean. Other people like bones from the butcher. You can search past discussions by hovering your mouse over members at the top of the page and clicking forums. There is a search box where you can put key words like chewing.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on June 17, 2012 at 9:03am

If you are leaving him free in the house while you are gone, don't! He's a baby and still chewing and not old enough to be trusted in the house loose. He should be crated or at least confined in a room that is puppy-proofed. Baby gate him away from areas you can't see when you are home with him. Too much freedom too soon leads to a naughty puppy and dog.

Puppies and kids really like limits. They feel much better if they know where they can go and what they can do. His crate is not a prison but a safe place for him to be in when you are not around. He should be in there at night also until he has proven that he can be good for long periods of time.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Marcie on June 17, 2012 at 9:44am

I can so relate to your problem. Becca was 8 months when I got her. At that time she was great about not chewing inappropriate items. Since then she has turned into Ms. Destructive. She is well exercised and I keep her mind active. She just likes to chew. If I am going to be gone more than an hour she has to be in her crate. I have tried letting her have a room or two. She got a few magazines and books, she LOVES to shred paper. The last strike was when she started on the woodwork. I bought a huge bottle of Bitter Apple,  backed off on her freedom and increased her exercise. School gets out this week and I will have much more time to spend with her. Hopefully I can continue to rein things in. (She only got a sock this week, stole it from my clothes pile while I was in the shower.)

I posted a thread last week about appropriate chewing options last week. Becca goes through consumable chews fast. Frozen kongs are a favorite for crate time.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on June 17, 2012 at 5:30pm

Kirby is a very big chewer and also a very anxious dog that will destroy anything and everything he can get his teeth on. Snce he is a rescue I have no idea what his past was like. I do know though, that despite my feelings about crating a dog all day (I don't like to) that is my only option with Kirby. You may just have to back off on Jax's freedom and begin crating him when you can't watch him. The Chuck-It Flying Squirrel is a very durable toy I've found. Its made of heavy canvas and while ti can be destroyed, it seems to take a long time to do it. Kirby likes antlers and himalayan chews. I've found the himalayan chews arent' really worth the money I spend on them even though he likes them because they are gone so quickly. The antlers last a long time. The stuffing free toys are also a big favorite because they have a squeeker but have no stuffing so the dogs don't tend to attempt to shred them like all their other toys. I also have one of those hide-a-squirrel toys adn while the squirrels get destroyed quickly my dogs LOVE the stump the squirrels hide in. It is a bit tore up but not completely destroyed yet and both dogs have been working on it here and there for quite a while now.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mai on June 18, 2012 at 4:16am

Well, my Chuckie is not even that many months yet(he's 3 months) but, I've found that whenever I need a break from him or for him to stay in one place so I could keep an eye on him while I'm doing other things, I give him a bully stick.  It's a bull's penis that's been dried basically.  I tried rawhide but, he didn't like it so, he lost interest fast.

When I gave him his first bully stick, he worked on it for 1 hour plus NONSTOP and finished it! (It was a really skinny one though that's why he was able to go through it in one hour.)  He was so happy and focused on chewing the bully stick he ignored me completely. He even dipped it into his water bowl, laid on his back with the stick in his mouth chewing on it and basically rolled around the floor with it in his mouth.

Honestly though, THEY STINK LIKE HELL!  I didn't know that they smell so, the first time I gave it to him I started noticing a foul odor 10-15 minutes into his chewing session.  He was on his belly a few feet away from me so, I started sniffing the air trying to follow the smell and when I sniffed around him,  the odor was the strongest so, I pulled the stick from his mouth and sniffed it. Yeah.....don't do that while it's been chewed on and mixed with saliva....it's not a pleasant smell. 

I was gonna toss it right then and there but, he was enjoying it so much and he got up so fast when I took it that I gave it back to him.  Not only that but, bully sticks can be PRICEY so, that made me not want to toss the rest.  I have seen some online that promises to be odorless but, I haven't been able to find any at my local pet stores so, I can't say for sure if they ARE odorless and the customer reviews for the odorless bully sticks were mixed as in some said it still stank while some said it didn't.

I was reading some reviews online about bully sticks stinking and some people said it stank up their whole room but, I didn't find that to be true in my situation.  I could only smell it if I was close enough to him and he would smell like the bully stick for 5-10 minutes and then the smell goes away in his case.

I definitely found a puppy-sitter.  It keeps him occupied but, since the other ones I have are thicker, it's taking him longer to chew. After some time he'll leave it and I'll pick it up and put it away so, he doesn't become bored with the sticks. I only give it to him when I need breaks.  I'm willing to put up with the smell because it's better than him chewing on my stuff that might not be replaceable

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by aronna welsh on June 18, 2012 at 6:12pm

My Butters is 4 months old and can eat a pigear in 5 min. So I ordered some elk antelers on ebay. They came today my other dogs looked at me them and walked away. Within 3 min. Butters had all 4 in his den trying to chew them all. He acts like he has chewed them all of his life. He carries one around all the time and so far has touched nothing else.

• ▶ Reply