UGH. My puppy is wonderful, but he chews EVERYTHING. Socks, wood, couches, paper, wires, his training mats...ANYTHING.

Yesterday when I came back from being out for only an hour, he had chewed through the cord that connected to our internet. I hadn't noticed this, so I called my internet service provider to try and find out why my internet wasn't working. I was on the phone for almost an hour trying to figure things out...and I finally realized the cord was ruined.

Fortunately there was a replacement cord that came with the internet package, but I had to sign up for internet service once again like I was a new customer (And I'm not a new customer!)

Long story short, I am sick and tired of my dog chewing through things, especially electronics. Does anyone have any tips?

welcome to the joys of living with a puppy..dogs explore with their mouths...it's how they learn...much like a human baby...also when they are bored, scared, anxious etc.

most puppies (& some dogs) grow out of this...some don't...

suggestions..

=use a crate when you are away...crate training is not a bad thing if used properly. get one of appropriate size, stock it with some good toys & leave the door open all the time so he can get used to going inside. you can even feed him in it so he learns it is his safe spot...

=pick up all your stuff (sound like your mother but it's true)...can't chew what isn't there

=exercise...a tired dog won't get into as much trouble...& more than just walks. that concentrate on peeing & pooping & proper leash walking...real good long fun walks or a good hike or a dog park

=you can buy stuff called bitter apple to spray, coat wires substances etc or you can even use tabasco to deter your puppy...some folks run wires thru a pipe if the distance is short & they can not trust their dogs

=feed him good quality food. feeding crappy food will make him hyper (think sugary cereal without the benefit of milk for nutrition)...all that energy & no place to burn it off

it took how many years before you could be trusted alone in the house? well a puppy is the same way..never forget it is a baby...not doing any damage out of spite or anything but because it is alone, bored, scared & has the attention span of a gnat at times.

you can also ask your breeder or shelter where you got him for advice as well.

good luck. puppyhood is a hard stage..fun but hard...stick with it...your parents did with you...i tell people it's like pay back for all the evil things we did to them as kids...

be patient. step away if need be. & honestly if you can not handle the dog because he is too much turn him in to a responsible rescue...or a shelter...they will make sure he ends up in a safe spot for the rest of his life....something that a person off of a list can not guarrentee .

stumpy

[lynn P.]

We had some adults cats given to us by a customer of my husband and they chewed hundreds of electronic cords ruining many electronics. I couldn't afford them to destroy one more electronic device and cats are harder to train than dogs. We had no choice but to give them back to the lady. First of all this is what puppies do - when Bella was a puppy she chewed many things like the dining wood chairs, clawed the wall down to the dry wall, shoes and eating several non food things.

The first thing you need to do is crate training - so when you're not home he can't destroy things. If he's alone too long then enclose him in a small safe room - safe meaning so there's not things he can get into to. You can get him a nylon chew bone so he has something good to chew. There are also these great plastic toys with holes and you can put treats in them - the dog has to roll the toy around in order for the treat to fall out. This takes time and helps with boredom. You don't want to give total freedom to a puppy when you're not home.

Also make sure your puppy gets adequate exercise - dogs get hyper if they're bored and restless. The next thing to do is train your puppy the 'leave it command' and the 'drop it command'. Bella still gets socks and the occasional inedible item and all we have to do is say "drop it" and we reward her with a couple kibble. When your puppy's out, keep an eye on what he's doing. Its very normal for puppies to chew, so its important to give him a safe chew bone and chew toys.

[(JD)]

I agree USE A CRATE! Even putting him in a confined area of a room will not work at this time. Be sure to give him plenty of toys to chew up.

Put him in the crate while you are home anytime you are not actively handling him. Take him out often and love on him and put him back. Be sure he has water (you might need to hang a dog canteen, if he's apt to knock over a bowl.) Make sure he has plenty of room to stand up and move about in the crate.

Until he gets over his anxiety of you leaving, (which is a matter you might have to have a trainer to help with, should it be an issue) and gets over the need to chew (puppy teeth hurt coming in!) ...he needs to be crated.

It will make everyone's life easier (including puppy's ).

[HereIamBp]

I agree wholeheartedly with the earlier posts. Crate training...puppy in the crate when you can't keep an eye on him. Exercise, exercise exercise. Plenty of chewing toys that are rotated in and out so he doesn't get bored with them. Try keeping him on a cord inside the house that connects you to him when you are moving around and from room to room so you always know where he is at and what he is doing. Prevention is better than correction.

[lynn P.]

I wanted to add something regarding crate training. When I was younger no one used crates so when we got a puppy I thought crates weren't dog friendly, until I got some books on dog training and particularly potty training. Crate training is the best way to potty train a puppy. Of course if a puppy/dog is left too long, that's not good. My dog only goes in when I go grocery shopping and she's never in for more than 1 1/2 hrs.

When its time for me to go, Bella walks in her crate on her own without any prompting from me. During the day she occasionally lays down in her crate with the door open. She's now out all day unless I go somewhere. Dogs who are trained properly with crates actually think of their crate as their den or cozy place, so crate training is very good and can be used as their bed or relaxing place.

Thank you everyone for your responses. To clarify one thing - my dog generally only chews things when I'm out of the house. When I'm there, if I catch him chewing something (very rare), he stops as soon as I tell him to.

Regarding crate training, I have a couple of questions:

1. I have had my puppy for about a month now, and I have let him walk around most of the apartment. Won't he be confused and/or upset about being suddenly confined to a crate?

2. How big are these crates? My puppy is a black lab and growing pretty quickly.

crates come in various sizes...get one that will hold him as an adult...& as far as introducing him to one now...start gradually...sure he won't be happy about it initially but that said...make it a pleasant , safe place..NOT one of punishment.

begin as i mentioned by leaving the door open when he is allowed free range. place toys inside it. feed him inside it & shut the door when he eats. this will serve to re-enforce that it is his spot. you can have him sleep in it at night.

having him upset some is a small price to pay compared to having your belongings destroyed.

you can purchase the crates at most pet stores...or even check free cycle...just make sure you get one large enough for him. some dogs like it covered (a wire one) in which case just toss a sheet or a blanket over the mesh. get a nice crate pad for it as well.

when he is left inside the crate remove his collar. you don't ant him getting caught up on the crate with it & getting tangled.

a suggestion...enroll in a dog obedience class...they will help with some of the basic questions or if nothing else get some books out of the library.
only give him appropriate toys...don't offer him shows, etc to play with...you can get marrow or soup bones from the store...uncooked..these are great for him to keep busy with...no cooked steak bones, or chicken bones.

stumpy

[BlessedRhiannon]

I agree with the other suggestions you've gotten...especially the crate! Also, make sure that your puppy has lots of appropriate things to chew on...he's chewing because he's a) teething and b) exploring his environment. Whenever you catch him chewing on inappropriate things, firmly tell him no (not mean, just firm), remove him from the inappropriate thing, and then give him something appropriate to chew on - a nylabone, a tug toy, a stuffed toy, etc.

1. I have had my puppy for about a month now, and I have let him walk around most of the apartment. Won't he be confused and/or upset about being suddenly confined to a crate?

He won't be upset or confused if you train him to like the crate. I've currently got a 4 month old puppy that loves her crate. I used to foster for a rescue, and crate trained every dog that came in to my house, regardless of their age. The way I like to crate train is to feed the dog their meals in the crate. I start by setting the food bowl just inside the crate door, and let them stand with their head in the crate to eat. Each day, I move it a little farther in until the dog is fully standing inside the crate to eat. Then I start closing the door. At first, it's just setting the door closed but not latching it. Then latch it, but open it as soon as they are done eating. Then, latch it wait a couple minutes after they are done, then open it. When the dog is calmly sitting in their crate after eating, they are fully adjusted to the crate. I also give them a very special treat when ever I put them in the crate when I leave...usually a Kong stuffed with treats and frozen or some tiny treats scattered in the crate or something to keep them occupied. I make it exciting to go in the kennel, usually saying, in an excited voice, "let's go kennel! Oh boy, here's your treat, where's your kennel! Let's get in and get the treat!"

2. How big are these crates? My puppy is a black lab and growing pretty quickly.

They come in all sizes, from itty bitty to great big. For an adult black lab, you'll probably want a 36" long crate. If he's still rather small, you can get a wire crate with a divider panel to make the crate smaller until he grows some more. You want your puppy to have enough room to stand up, lay down, turn around, but not so much room that he can potty in one end of the crate and sleep in the other. Crates come in wire, plastic, and even fabric. For a puppy, you'll probably want either wire or plastic. I like the plastic ones, because if a puppy does have a mess in there, it's contained to the crate and you can just take the crate outside and hose it off.

Puppies are so much fun, but a lot of work! My 4 month old puppy is currently asleep in her crate after a very exhausting day.

[lynn P.]

As BlessedRhiannon said there are crates that have a separator. This is what we bought Bella. With potty training - you don't want the crate too big - it only has to be big enough for the puppy to sit without touching his head, lay down fully and turn around completely. If its too big the puppy may pee or pooh in the crate. Dogs typically won't go potty where they sleep and this is why you don't want it too big. A good quality crate will have a divider that you can remove or adjust as he grows.

He shouldn't stay in the crate all day because he'll have to go potty and that's when it may be better to enclose him in a room where he can't destroy anything. It sounds like he's bored. A good point to remember with crate training is - never punish your dog by putting him in the crate. You want to make the crate a happy place.

[krisakira]

There's some kind of nasty tasting spray to get dogs from chewing on things, but at your puppies age, you'd have to spray literally everything. So that's not ideal. When my dog went through this phase, we just had to make sure all chewable clothes, stuffed animals, cords you name it, off the floor or in reach of the dog. Unfortunately it's not always easy because you can't protect everything. My dad tried to teach my dog with negative reinforcement by hitting her , but eventually she didn't really have the problem, so I think it was just a phase.

Something I just thought of... What if you hid treats around the house (or the room if you enclose the dog in 1 room) while you are away. That way the dog can have fun getting to the treats so thats the focus instead of chewing on everything else. It probably won't work for being away for a long time, but it could work..