puppy problems!?
i have a puppy who chews everything she can find! you name it, and shell chew it. socks, cellphones, wires, wrappers! anything u can think of. she is one. how do i make her stop? we buy her and our other dog so many chew toys, and dog bones!!
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
You should start by crating your puppy when you are away. This will prevent her from chewing anything that you do not want her chewing (especially from chewing something dangerous such as a power cord!), and it will also aid in housetraining. Any time you cannot keep an eye on here when you are home, either keep her in the crate or keep her on a leash held in your hand. Provide her with acceptable toys to chew on, and praise her when she uses them. When you do catch her chewing something inappropriate, reprimand her with a sharp "NO!" and give her something that she can chew one. Praise her for it. Eventually, if done persistently, you should be able to train her to only chew on things she is allowed to chew on.
And PS--I know a lot of people think it is "cruel" to use a crate on a dog, and it can be if your dog is ALWAYS in the crate. When used correctly, though, I think the crate can be the most invaluable puppy-training tool out there!
Keep all the things you don't want her to chew away from your puppy. Buy specific teething toys, not all toys are hard/soft enough for good teething. As your puppy gets older, ween her off of chew toys so she doesn't form a chewing habit.
Edit: The people who said crating works are VERY right. My dog knows to immediately go to her crate when my family is leaving the house. (We use the laundry room as her "room" and place a tall baby gate in front of the door. We don't usually lock her in the crate if everyone is leaving the house, but it's nice for her to be out of the doorway when we leave.) Baby gates are also handy to block your puppy from jumping on couches, going into rooms/the kitchen, or other places that she can swipe things from.
your dog is still teething and doesnt get its last adult teeth until around 14 months old. So, it has a basic need to chew right now.
your responsibility as an owner is to superovise your dog and its environment. Its chewing things because it has access to them. CLEAN UP THE CLUTTER!!!!!
just like human parents put child locks on cabinet doors to keep toddlers out of cleaning pupplies etc, you have to puppy proof your house, and as the "adult" you are responsible to provide a safe environement.
If your dog does chew something thats not appropriate, exchange it for the correct chewing item. Punishing the dog for your lack of superovision or neatness only teaches the dog not to trust you, and that you cause it pain for things it doesnt understand.
Candice
You really just have to puppy proof! Anything within reach is subject to getting chewed up. So you have to be on constant watch and keep things picked up and out of reach. When you do catch the pup chewing on something , squirt it with water and then give the pup something that it CAN chew on. It will learn with some training.
Sounds like my puppy there is really nothing you can do but wait it out. As they get older they well have a less need to chew on things. My puppy knows how to open the cupboard to the garbage can it’s really anoying. We bought toys too but she found things she wasn’t spouse to chew on more interesting.
Crate train her when you are out. Walk her more, exercise her more. Obedience training is another way to mentally stimulate your dog and it also tires them out so they are less likely to chew things.