Chewing problems
What is the best way to stop my corgi from chewing up the wooden trim and wood panels in my home? Lily has chewed on every corner downstairs and this morning she was shredding off pieces of the wood paneling she even bit a little spot on our wooden steps. I went to petsmart today and bought some bitter apple spray. Just wondering if that works any or if anyone has another suggestion. I'm pretty sure she does it because she is bored but its hard to give her exercise with it snowing every few days and the snow on the ground being taller then her. I also bought more bones for her to chew so she could focus on those and not the house. If anyone has any input i would appreciate it. thanks
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
It sounds like she has unearned freedom. How old is she? She may simply be too young to be loose alone, or being loose may be stressful for her.
A dog earns its freedom at the point when it is not destroying things or eliminating when no one is watching, and it's earned in gradually increasing stages. The freedom can be revoked at any time til the problem is sorted out, and some dogs are never ok left loose.
-
Permalink Reply by Emily & Lily on
-
she is 9 months. she is only allowed unwatched downstairs b/c it is an unfinished room so she can do damage with out to much harm b/c we have yet to redo it and furnish it
-
-
I see. Well, I can certainly understand your thinking! However, a dog's mind does not work like yours.
From your point of view, she us unsupervised in a room that you will be redoing anyway, so not much harm is being done.
From Lily's point of view, she has now learned that chewing on the corners of walls or floors is more or less ok, because she is given the opportunity to do so unsupervised. Later on, when you are trying to let her loose in the main part of the home, she won't really understand that what was ok downstairs in the unfinished room is NOT ok upstairs, in the finished room.
Here's how I've dealt with the animals I've had: when they are young, confinement is the key--- simply not giving them the opportunity to do things I don't want them to do, so that they don't develop bad habits.
I do most of my corrections in a normal, but lower, tone of voice; I also keep corrections to a minimum. I speak to them quietly, praise them quietly, etc.
When they are a bit older (for a puppy, say about 7 months) and they start earning very closely supervised freedom, I watch them like a hawk. And if I see them going for something very important (the sofa or coffee table or trim is very important; a tissue lying on the floor is not), I give a very loud (for me) WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!?!? NOOOOO! that is dramatic enough to startle them.
Since they never get yelled at for much of anything to this point (because my confining them, and following them around the whole time they are loose and playing, has meant they haven't had much opportunity to need yelling at), this dramatic scold seems to make a fairly permanent impression on them that Chewing the Coffee Table is an Awful Crime. For my cat, she learned that Clawing the Speakers Was an Awful Crime. And since they really never saw "Mom" get mad, the handful of things I did get mad at them for definitely made an impact.
Usually, it only takes one or two loud scolds for a young animal to get the point that large, solid objects are not toys. But it works well only if they are hardly ever yelled at (so it's a big surprise) and if they are old enough to have some level of self-control.
-
Permalink Reply by Deborah Smith on
-
Both of my corgis got used to the bitter apple and the pepper spray pretty quickly. Then acted like it was just seasoning. Gandalf chewed every baseboard corner & even a leather chair down to the wood (while my 10 y/o daughter was sitting in it allegedly 'watching' him!). Gwenny didn't chew as much as he did but it was still a problem. Neither cared for fake bones but loved the smaller real beef bones. Basically, I would move them away from any wood they got close to & stick the bone in his or her mouth.
I agree with Beth about unearned freedom and I was fairly diligent about putting them in their crates if I couldn't keep an eye on them. One upside to that was they learned very quickly that the crate was 'their' safe space and became very comfortable with it. Because of their chewing habits, it was several years before I left them loose in the house.
-
-
Jack would avoid anything sprayed with Bitter Apple for the two minutes while it was wet, then go right back at it. The main thing he kept trying to chew was the baby gates used to block off the kitchen, and he was tenacious (this was when he was about 4 months old).
I knew just how bossy he'd grow up to be because he got to the point that when he'd see me coming with the Bitter Apple, he'd start barking at the bottle! Little brat. :-)
-
-
Just remember, too, that EVERYTHING at this age is a learning experience.
Unfortunately, Lily has now learned that shredding baseboards is fun. You can't undo the past, but the best cure is prevention. A dog who is never given a chance to chew baseboards will never learn it's fun.
I would go back at this point to confining her when you are not right there to watch, and consistently correct her whenever she goes for the wood, and then replace it with something appropriate to chew.
-
Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
-
Cow bones and kongs with a little cheese or peanut butter in them will help her learn to chew on the right things. Crating when she is alone with a kong (I use a little spray cheese in it) will help but the best deterrent for chewing up the house is exercise. I walk mine in the snow but if you really can't teach her tricks and play fetch. A tired corgi does not destroy things. I used to give Sparty empty cereal boxes and milk cartons too. Take them away after they destroy them though.
-
-
Jack would spend a half hour tearing up a big box. That's a very good suggestion; it was one of the only things that would occupy him for long if he was really on a tear!
-
Permalink Reply by Wally, Jessica, and Olive on
-
Olive has learned pretty quick with a louder scold and the apple spray. She only gnawed on my grandparents coffee table for a few days before she got it. Also, she's always supervised. We made the mistake only a few times about letting her roam free throughout the house... cleaning up surprise messes around the corner is no bueno! She's just over three months, and we've just now started to allow her to stay in the living while we go for a quick walk or shower/get ready for work. So I guess I agree with a little bit of everyone, as we've implemented pretty much everything that other's use.
Also, we use a container with a few pennies in it to shake at her when she's biting/nipping us or doing something else undesirable. Has to be a container she doesn't normally see, or every similiar container will spook her! So spray, varying loudness of NO, and couple it with a penny jar and you've got yourself something they're pretty sure not to do again! We rarely use it now, as just picking it up sends the message across!
Bones good. Bully sticks stinky... :-/
-
Permalink Reply by Staci B & Howie on
-
I think you've gotten wonderful advice thus far, and I don't want to repeat everyone else, but crating is definitely a good idea. the other thing I wanted to address what that you said you aren't able to exercise your dog as much as you would like because of the weather currently. Even if you can't give your dog physical exercise, you can give her mental exercise by working on obedience with her for 10-15 minutes daily. By stimulating her brain and challenging her it gives a mental workout, leading to less boredom, and hopefully less chewing. Hope this helps!
-
Permalink Reply by Aber, Ragnar and Kelso on
-
When I read the title of the thread, I immediately thought "Bitter Apple". It does work. Unless your dog likes bitter things, of course :). Just spritz it on everything she chews. If it doesn't work, try a little hot sauce. The problem with that is it stains and some dogs actually like spicy foods. And some do---our dog when I was a kid was a huge chewer and my parents knew next to nothing about training big dogs. When she chewed, they put hot pepper paste on everything. She chewed all the more :D.
But as someone else has suggested, confinement is good, and shifting her attention to appropriate things. So, all is not lost if the bitter apple is something she finds tasty.
-
Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
-
Al doesn't have any chewing problems. It's one of the things he does best. :)
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
