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My eight-month old Mini Australian Shepherd is a chewer. I've had chewers before, but she is a regular champion and I need help before she completely destroys my house.
She does have all of her adult teeth, so that's not the issue. She is in a household with one other dog and two cats. She plays and roughhouses with the other dog and one of the cats, so it's not lack of company that's driving her to chew. She has free run of a good-sized backyard and we take both dogs on a one-hour walk every day. I have knee bones, and hooves everywhere and replace them as they become small enough that she could bite off a piece and choke on them. I have also bough her numerous toys. She will tear through any toy with a squeaker in it. That's okay. That's pretty much what I bought them for, but she can utterly demolish one in an hour. She has zero interest in rubber or Nylabone chews.
Her favorite things to chew are (1) the expensive grasscloth wallpaper in our master bedroom, (2) area rugs (starting at the edges and working inwards), (3) upholstered furniture, (4) elaborate handwork on throw pillows done by my late-mother, and (5) dog beds/cushions.
I bought some "Bitter Yuck" and put a tiny, tiny drop on my finger so that I could taste it. It is the single most vile-tasting substance I have ever tasted. Even if I inhale the fumes, a horrible taste settles in my throat and stays for hours. Convinced that one taste of it on something would permanently cure her of chewing on that object. I started by spraying some on three pieces of kibble and tossing them on the floor. She went down on them and eagerly looked up waiting for more.
Will she outgrow this habit or is it just breed specific? Do any of you have any ideas? Anything that's worked for you?
My eight-month old Mini Australian Shepherd is a chewer. I've had chewers before, but she is a regular champion and I need help before she completely destroys my house.
She does have all of her adult teeth, so that's not the issue. She is in a household with one other dog and two cats. She plays and roughhouses with the other dog and one of the cats, so it's not lack of company that's driving her to chew. She has free run of a good-sized backyard and we take both dogs on a one-hour walk every day. I have knee bones, and hooves everywhere and replace them as they become small enough that she could bite off a piece and choke on them. I have also bough her numerous toys. She will tear through any toy with a squeaker in it. That's okay. That's pretty much what I bought them for, but she can utterly demolish one in an hour. She has zero interest in rubber or Nylabone chews.
Her favorite things to chew are (1) the expensive grasscloth wallpaper in our master bedroom, (2) area rugs (starting at the edges and working inwards), (3) upholstered furniture, (4) elaborate handwork on throw pillows done by my late-mother, and (5) dog beds/cushions.
I bought some "Bitter Yuck" and put a tiny, tiny drop on my finger so that I could taste it. It is the single most vile-tasting substance I have ever tasted. Even if I inhale the fumes, a horrible taste settles in my throat and stays for hours. Convinced that one taste of it on something would permanently cure her of chewing on that object. I started by spraying some on three pieces of kibble and tossing them on the floor. She went down on them and eagerly looked up waiting for more.
Will she outgrow this habit or is it just breed specific? Do any of you have any ideas? Anything that's worked for you?
Is she being walked everyday for at least an hour ? she sounds like a pup with a lot of pent up energy and you need to expel that energy which means exercise . I walk my border and my shepherd together for at least one hour twice a day and then they come home and take a rest and then they go out in the yard for their potty and then they play with each other and then another rest time and they are good for the day and evening . This dog has too much energy and that is why she is chewing everything boredom and pent up energy .
Is she being walked everyday for at least an hour ?
I already said that she is.
Quote:
she sounds like a pup with a lot of pent up energy and you need to expel that energy which means exercise . I walk my border and my shepherd together for at least one hour twice a day and then they come home and take a rest and then they go out in the yard for their potty and then they play with each other and then another rest time and they are good for the day and evening . This dog has too much energy and that is why she is chewing everything boredom and pent up energy .
Yes, we walk both dogs and they play together and we give them plenty of attention. She also has plenty of appropriate things to chew on.
My kelpie chewed through ALL of the cords in my house, it seemed like. He was well past the puppy teething stage when I adopted him. My Catahoula/pit mix would select books off the lower shelves in my house and proceed to chow down on them.
I think this is normal for intense herding breeds. The solution, imo, is to crate when you're not home and keep the dog with you when you are. When she chews something inappropriate, she should be told no and given an acceptable chew toy and praised when she engages with the correct toy.
An hour walk might not be enough. Some "balls out" running after a ball might be a good solution, or some trick training to really work that brain. Try a class or two maybe?
I think she'll grow out of it. My two don't really chew on anything as adults now. I"m even going to try leaving them out of their crates soon when I leave the house.
To me, it sounds like she's not getting nearly enough mental/physical stimulus. The one hour walking sessions may need to be amped up to include an extra half an hour each time with intensive running/ball chasing/whatever it is that will get her to expend energy, along with some indoor mental challenges (finding hidden toys, hide-and-seek with the humans, puzzle toys, etc.).
Some dogs simply have far higher activity levels than others (imo) and those who challenge us will need that extra time spent meeting those levels. Otherwise, all the walks and crate training in the world may not be enough.
I look at it this way: If a dog is constantly getting into things, tearing up or chewing things, they're essentially saying "I'm B.O.R.E.D.!" So even if the owner does have a fairly high exercise program, it will need to be re-addressed to meet those higher needs of the particular dog. These dogs also need to be taught how to do down time once the outdoor walks/runs/playtime is over. *Also, I suspect that the 8-12-month period for some breeds can be highly challenging too, as the 'teenage' years can include sudden 'inability to hear', sudden 'forgot about the rules', and sudden 'But I just don't wanna!!!' Keep persevering though, as eventually it will tone down. Eventually.
Some of it is due to her age imo but I also think she needs more exercise. A good puppy is a tired puppy.
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