Cable protection from dog?

robinph

What kind of cable protection would people recommend to save us from a dog?

So far has chewed threw the power cable for our doorbell and the video monitor that I'd setup to keep an eye on them, and also through the already protected cables at the bottom of the treadmill. Now going for the mains cables themselves as well.

There are woven cable covers I've seen available on Amazon, but that just seems like the same as what was already on the treadmill cabling they destroyed. Anything else seems to just be what looks like easy to get through plastic, or shiny plastic that is pretending to be metal.

Is there any metal cable protection available, or something disgusting we can coat the cables in to prevent chewing? There is only so many times I can patch the cables back together.

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117958541#Comment_117958541

I would, not sure if the wife would.

Wizard!

https://www.cesarsway.com/5-steps-to-correct-inappropriate-dog-chewing/

Sprinkle some chilli powder on any exposed cable.

boardlady

Provide appropriate toys for the dog. He/she is probably teething so you need to provide alternatives to chew on! Do you keep the dog in one room when you are out of the house? This is the best way to control/monitor behaviour you don't like. Make a utility room or similar their 'bedroom' and shut them in there when you are out or when they need to sleep. Provide good chew toys for the moment to help prevent chewing on anything else. Those Kong toys where you fill them will treats are good to occupy a dog when you are out.

em_cat

As per boardlady, maybe try training him not to chew the cables by providing appropriate chewing toys. Putting a muzzle on a dog to prevent him from chewing on cables is not an appropriate use of the muzzle.

In all honesty, using a muzzle to prevent dogs from doing something that can be very easily trained, is down right lazy.

teach your dog(s) to leave it, then when that is learned, when you see them approach the cables, you can say leave it and give them an appropriate thing to chew on instead.

there is absolutely no need to scold them for doing something that is very natural behaviour for dogs, especially when it’s our job to teach them appropriate chewing outlets.

robinph

Most of the day the dog is quietly snoozing on the office floor between our desks. The moment I pop out of the office at any point though they are up and rummaging through my office bin and I come back to find it balanced on top of my keyboard where my wife has moved it too. If I go for a coffee they don't move, if I head out of the house though they start attacking various things.

Usually when I'm about I'll notice the moment when they start chewing something they shouldn't and they quickly stop. They do have a few good chew toys they enjoy using, but maybe need more.

My wife rarely notices things around the house getting chewed though, combination of constantly on the phone and claims of poor hearing. The dog also seems less inclined to believe instructions of NO from my wife.

deadlybuzzman

Kong toys are a godsend. Your dog needs to chew something so if you give it something more enjoyable to chew it will forget about the cables.

After obliterating a few things as a pup, I gotmy dog the original kong cone and i threw a little peanut butter into it too just to get her into the habit of chewing the toy rather than anything else and she's never bothered chewing anything else since

em_cat

how many dogs and how old? Where are they kept when you leave? Ours head straight to our bedroom, both or dogs are crate trained too so both generally will get whatever game or toys I’ve given them, take them to their own beds play, eat do whatever, but I know they sleep on the bed, one on each pillow, like you we’ve a wee camera too.

It’s the same I ours, dogs listen to me and not my OH. But then again, I’m the one who plays with them and trains them. Although my OH feeds them sometimes & walks the sometime, it’s not the same as if I feed and walk them, bc when I feed them, they get to hunt, find, tear open stuff, destroy to get that tasty treat…., when we go for walks, it’s not a boring poop walk like when my OH does.

I digress though, you may need to look at moving the cables to somewhere they can not get to them, leave one out that isn’t connected to mains and use that to train them to leave it. It truly is one of the best cues you can teach a dog. You can also try to teach your wife, but in all honesty I believe that only works if the OH actually has any interest.

The other thing is that we have special toys that are given to them when we are out. They only get them at that time so they are way more interested in them that’s anything else.

I like to think of it like baby proofing, but dog proofing.

Somepeople

It sounds little your dog has separation anxiety. What age is it?

If he can't get at cables, he might move to something else, possibly carpet or furniture.

Maybe you'll have to consider a crate until he matures a bit.

sillysmiles

@robinph can you set up a safe area with a playpen type set up, where you can leave the dog when you are going out so that he can't chew.

What age is the dog and how long have you had him? Has he always done this?

Can you set up a camera to see what he does and what behaviour to he's showing before he's starting to chew - to see if it is separation anxiety.

I think you need to deal with the cause not the symptom.