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Permalink Reply by Stephanie on July 2, 2009 at 6:12am

I would start by offering him something appropriate to chew on when you catch him - we use bully sticks or his Kong so that he knows it's okay to chew, but he needs to chew HIS stuff. Also, does he have some squeaker toys or ones with the sound chips inside? Maybe when you catch him chewing you could get one of his toys and squeak it and he'll run to you to play? Bear seems to prefer the sound chip toys and as soon as you make one Moo, Croak, Quack or Screech (monkey) he stops whatever he's doing and comes running.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 2, 2009 at 7:13am

At 6 months most puppies cannot be trusted unattended for any length of time.

When Jack was a few months old, he was very fond of chewing on the wooden baby gates we had up. We used Bitter Apple. It did not last long, and when it was dry it didn't seem to leave a bad taste, but he HATED the smell when it was wet. He hated it so much that if he was chewing on something, and "no" and removing him did not work, and I went to grab the bottle, he would start barking at me because I was ruining his fun. It lasted long enough to distract him from what he was chewing on.

You MUST make sure you keep him confined when he is out of sight, and that EVERY TIME he goes for the carpet you remove him. If you absolutely can't get him to stop, then put him back away. Don't let him develop a habit, or what is probably now just puppy exploration may turn into a lifelong problem. You say "the minute you turn your back" he's right back at it, and I know it's frustrating but right now you cannot turn your back on him, even for that minute.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on July 2, 2009 at 8:02am

Sparty was a very active puppy that needed constant supervision. He was not as much of a chewer as your guy but I gave him lots of things to play with. I should say I am NO expert. Obedience classes helped me a lot as he was my first corgi and I like to say he knew how to kick my butt early on! But I did give him boxes to chew up and put small treats and kibble in empty plastic bottles for him to figure out. I picked the cardboard up before he could eat it all and removed the plasic before he could chew it too much. I kept him confined or attached to me by leash when I could not watch him. He eventually outgrew that stage and generally is a good boy now. I can not stress enough how important classes were. He is an exceptionally smart dog and learns very quickly but even at ten he needs things to do. Cheese in cow bones is his favorite treat when I go away and he no longer looks for trouble all the time. Good luck with your little guy.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 2, 2009 at 8:29am

I wanted to add that at this age, puppies have unlimited energy and, unfortunately, no longer need naps like they did when they were little. It can be a trying time, but remember your pup is not trying to be bold. He's just bored and full of life.

Walks help, and he should be getting at least one long walk a day, but that won't exhaust him. Until he was about 18 months old, Jack needed to play the entire time he was awake.

Experiment with different toys. Jack loved a slightly larger ball that he could run and push in front of him. When we needed a few minutes peace, we would give him a peanut butter-smeared Kong, or a cardboard box. Just be careful; if you give him boxes to destroy, that means that you can't reasonably expect him to understand later on that every box isn't his. Jack loved chasing empty drink bottles or those plastic cups you get at baseball games. We just removed them before he chewed them to bits.

You can get one of those treat-dispensing balls and put a portion of his regular meal in it. He can then push it around to get his food.

Try different games with him. Does he like a chuck-it ball? Frisbee? (Don't let him leap in the air to catch it; he could hurt himself). Jack likes to play soccer in the hall; he plays goalie, and I try to kick it past him. We also taught Jack the name of his favorite toy, and when he was getting into mischief we would send him to find it himself. This gave him an acceptable way to let us know he wants to play.

Remember, dogs can't watch tv, read, or play video games. In a natural environment, they would have same-age littermates to keep him busy. It's up to us to provide that stimulation.

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Permalink Reply by Sam on July 2, 2009 at 8:30am

Some pups have the desire to chew far more than others. Part could be due to teething. Part could be due to boredom and very likely due to a lack of exercise. Corgis need to expend their physical and mental energies. Living life in a crate is not likely to help with training. I understand your need to keep him confined while you are unable to supervise. It would be very good to have a very good exercise routine including walks, retrieve games, play days with other dogs and most important a training class. While you think he knows what he is doing is wrong I fear you are mistaken. He runs because he knows from your body language and voice you are not happy. He has no clue why. Dogs do not instinctively know what is appropriate to chew and not to chew. Part of our job is to teach them. No easy task with the full life that many of us lead but a necessity if one wants to have a good companion. Some chewing is just a part of normal puppy behavior. I have many "redesigned" items in my home from raising many young dogs. I think if you restructure your thoughts to provide the appropriate outlet for your pup you and he will be much happier. Best of luck.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 2, 2009 at 10:14am

I wanted to clarify one thing I said, which I realize is open to misinterpretation: When I said if you can't get him to leave it, to put him away, I meant that as a few-minute thing to break his concentration, not as a permanent fix. With my dog, on rare occasion he would get so single-mindedly focused on something that we could not distract him from it, and if we tried to physically block him from getting to it (no matter how calmly), he would start madly frapping around. When he would do this, we would put him in his pen for 5 minutes til he got his wits back about him.

A young puppy is a full-time hobby, and while they must be confined when you can't supervise, it is up to you to rearrange your lifestyle in the short term so that you usually can be there to supervise. Our yardwork went begging and we did not get out too much during Jack's first year or so. He was confined all day while we were at work, so I was determined that most of his evenings and weekends would be spent exercising and learning and playing.

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Permalink Reply by Boo Buchheit on July 2, 2009 at 10:58am

My guys love to chew on stuff and sometimes it is not the right thing. Keeping the house (their area at least) free of tempting items (throw pillows, rugs, most everything else mobile) out of reach is what I do. Keep working on training..take away forbidden items and replace with acceptable things. They don't stay a puppy forever and there is hope (I hope) for this to stop.

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