Advice regarding puppy chewing?
Our little Oscar is 13 weeks now, and is for the most part a phenomenally well-behaved young Cardigan. Like any puppy, however, he does like to chew on things. The last few days, he's gotten into the habit of ripping up the potty-training pad in his ex-pen, rather than using it for its intended purpose. The bitter spray we bought doesn't seem to deter this. When we're home we take him outside to do his "business" and he's catching on to that really well, but when we're at work or sleeping he stays in the pen, which is attached to his crate, and uses the pads when he needs to go. I'm not sure if he's ripping up the pad out of stress, boredom, or just because it's there-- but he has no shortage of toys to chew on.
Any ideas about how to get him to stop ripping up the pad? Or alternatives to the pad that might be less easy to destroy?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Priss, Charlie & Kaylee (PK) on
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I first have to ask, how long are you leaving him in his area between potty breaks? Oscar should be good for at least 4 hours now, especially if you keep him in the crate rather than the expen area. I came home during lunch for this stage in Kaylee's training. It was a very "business only" lunch break but it won't last much longer.
I've heard ok things about the Potty Patch. Does anyone else have experience with something like this?
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Kate Rosen on
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When we're home we take him out every couple of hours, or whenever he seems to be trying to get our attention because he needs to go out. I work an 8-hour day and I always take him out right before I go and first thing when I get home, but I'm unable to get home for lunch so I haven't been putting him in his crate-- I know he can't hold it that long.
It would probably be a good idea to practice some crate training on weekends though, or whenever we're going to be out for 4 hours or less, so he gets the idea. Eventually I'd like to remove the pen and just use the crate (and baby-gates for wherever we don't want him to go by himself.)
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I understand. I was lucky to work nearby and have semi-flexible hours. It shouldn't be too long until you get to gates/crate only while you are gone. However, depending on the pup, you might be stuck at gates for a long time. ^_^ Kaylee is over a year now and we can NOT trust her alone with free rein in the house.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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The pads are probably alot more fun than the toys. I always used newspapers instead of pads.I think newspapers may be less fun. Try a Kong with cheese spread or peanut butter smeared on the inside when you leave, it will give him something soothing to do. Also, be sure to walk him before you leave. A tired puppy gets into less things.
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You can set up the Kong the night before and freeze it. I think it lasts longer that way too.
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That's a great idea, thanks to both of you! We just got him a Kong and he loves it, but I hadn't tried freezing it yet. I used the newspapers at first but I found that the ink from the newsprint would get all over the floor and his toys. Still, shredded paper might be preferable to the bits of fuzz I keep finding from the pads.
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Permalink Reply by Cathie on
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I doubt if there's any way to stop him from doing it. I use newspaper, but Sky sometimes rips it up into tiny pieces. At least it's cheaper than the pads.
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That's for sure! But we bought so many of the pads, he might be done teething before we run out. I can't really complain too much about it-- there are much worse things he could be chewing up.
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