Dog is an agressive chewer - help!

Cunning Stunt

Hi all,

we have a 9 mnth old labrador and he is a very sweet dog - his ony issue seems to be his very aggressive chewing habit. He destroys any toys we give him within hours and whenever he is home alone, he goes on a chewing rampage - we moved into a lovely house last year and now we have damage to the stairs, parts of skirting boards ripped off and chewed - door jams damaged, cupboards destroyed - if it's wooden, he'll eat it. He doesn't do it when we are home but only when we are not there, and it's regardless of what toys or distractions we try to give him to keep him occupied.
I read that it can also be unused energy he has, which can also lead him to do what he does. We bring him on a long wallk twice a day - some evenings we bring him to a local dog park where he can run around like a lunatic. But he still has this terrible habit and I honestly think it might be separation anxiety - but we can't be at home with him all of the time!

Has anyone had this issue with their dog and how did you deal with it?
Any advice appreciated.

Justask

Been were you are.....and my house has still got teeth marks everywhere...

The only thing that worked for us was, long walks before we left the house and filling a dog kong with peanut butter, put it in the freezer over nite (obviously you have to have 2 kongs)

One in the freezer one with the dog.

Sorry cant help ya anymore with soe great secret but they grow out of it.

Best of luck

piperh

Labradors are often chewers until they're around 2, have you considered crate training him? It'll save your house and stop him from chewing anything that can cause harm. Chewing in general can be boredom or just general "well you left me" so i would try the frozen kongs and nylabones.

cjf

+1 on the crate training my chap chewed through window sills, plaster wall a kitchen table and 2 chairs when he was younger we crate trained him and now he gets his frozen kong and some chew bones in his crate when we go out. Not one scratch or chew mark on his crate and we have it 2 years. He just goes in and goes to sleep I often come back to untouched chew bones - he seems to like the security of his crate and it's great knowing he is not stressed niw if we have to go out.

suziwalsh

All normal its his teeth Id say......try diluted tea tree oil and spray on all the wood. Then get him a wooden dumbbell from any good pet shop or some drift wood from the beach (not from woods as it will splinter) and give him those as his own any time you catch him chewing something he shouldn't say no and replace with something he is allowed to chew. Kongs also excellent Idea and freeze them so they last longer.

Start doing more training in general with him at every opportunity. Metal exhaustion is always good to tire a dog!

Shanao

suziwalsh wrote: »

All normal its his teeth Id say......try diluted tea tree oil and spray on all the wood. Then get him a wooden dumbbell from any good pet shop or some drift wood from the beach (not from woods as it will splinter) and give him those as his own any time you catch him chewing something he shouldn't say no and replace with something he is allowed to chew. Kongs also excellent Idea and freeze them so they last longer.

Start doing more training in general with him at every opportunity. Metal exhaustion is always good to tire a dog!

Just on the bolded part, most often these wooden dumbells are training aids, NOT chewtoys as they will splinter when chewed.

+1 Definitely on the crate training. Both of mine are crate-trained and no problems chewing anything. Frozen kongs are the way to go, but I would definitely consider getting a crate. At least you'll know you wont be coming home to anymore messes.

suziwalsh

Well wooden dumb bells worked perfect for me and my many many chews with no splintering at all...but best I suppose to err on the side of safety...I just feel that nothing else satifies the urge to chew wood except more wood....

Cunning Stunt

Thanks all for the replies. I see there is light at the end of the tunnel. Will try the frozen kongs - funny you mentioned them, we just ordered an ''extreme kong'' on the net, but think we will need 2 of them now, as one poster pointed out. If that doesnt work, then we might go for the crate training. I just don't like the idea of him being so confined if we are away for a few hours

tk123

Cunning Stunt wrote: »

Thanks all for the replies. I see there is light at the end of the tunnel. Will try the frozen kongs - funny you mentioned them, we just ordered an ''extreme kong'' on the net, but think we will need 2 of them now, as one poster pointed out. If that doesnt work, then we might go for the crate training. I just don't like the idea of him being so confined if we are away for a few hours

We have 4 of the XL extreme ones lol I started with one then realized if I got a second one I could have one on the go and one in the dishwasher...then when he was on crate rest we had 2 on the go and 2 in the dishwasher :pac: Also I found it best to go a size up from what Kong recommend. i've found nylabones very good for our retriever - he's 2 in 2 weeks and the house was never chewed to bits. I rub a litle bit of peanut butter/marmite or kong paste into the groves of the nylabone. It may take a few times liking the bone before he starts chewing but my guy often gets into his bed in the evenings and has a good chew of it.

Shhh

My JR chews through every kong and dog toy in existence, we've now trained him to chew his own fleece blanket and nothing else. he's quite happy with that and has to drag the blanket with him wherever he goes in the house - we've a couple on the go - one alwys in the wash and we've a smaller one for travelling.

scarlet_mandy

Just found this thread as was about to post a similar one today! Thanks for all suggestions that have come up so far, our 8 month old Lab has the place destroyed! She gets Kongs every time we go to work, frozen or unfrozen, we mix and match, and she gets a chewy bone, and toys, yet apparently my books are waaay more tasty :rolleyes: came home yesterday and apparently she took issue with 'We need to talk about Kevin' so now it has no spine! Also my nieces Mickey Mouse teddy had a very unfortunate end, honestly it was like a scene from a horror movie

Will try a Nylabone, though her one from when she was a puppy she just looked at and played with for less than a day, now she ignores it completely.... Talk about being fussy!

andreac

Crate training, it really is the best solution for a chewer.

RubyGirl

I have a 6mt old lab, she crate trained alright but she has the place wrecked aswell, she shares a crate and is let out in the morning for his "busy, busy" as we call it and I spent a small fortune on fencing out the back so as when my husband lets them out the back in the morning they (4 in total) can stay out until I get up. But little Miss has chewed through various parts in the fence and has gotten out and usually one other will follow through.
She has eaten both saddles off the childrens bikes, chewed and dug anything she can.
They are all walked and the others are content in sleeping or playing after but she wont, she'll pace the fence until she's out.
I keep her inside now and she is fine when the kids are out back playing when the back door is open she's always in beside me.
So when you say crate trained, should she be kept in it as the reason I put the fence up was to keep her outside during the day when I not home, but now I cant and her crate partner now has to be kept with her because she wont stay in it alone.

Sorry for rant, any advice.