7 month old puppy destroying our house - HELP!!!

[RykaDawn]

How do my husband and I teach our dog not to chew on anything other than what she KNOWS is hers to chew on? She has already destroyed at least 4 pairs of shoes and our couch.

[LavenderRott]

First off, where are you and what are you doing when your dog is doing the chewing?

Second - what are you doing to try to make her stop?

[Lucky Rescue]

If you expect a 7 month old puppy to "know better" and to chew only what is hers while you are not home, you see the result.

You wouldn't leave a 4 year old child in a room full of toys and tell him to play only with his own, and this situation is comparable.

You need to gate your dog in a bathroom, laundry room or kitchen while you are out, and provide plenty of chewies and bones and keep your shoes out of reach.

I am NOT saying you are doing this, but if you're getting angry and punishing the dog when you arrive home, all that will do is make her fear your arrival.

[OntarioGreys]

This is typical puppy behaviour and the reason so many end up in pounds when the cuteness wears off,
so first thing puppies have lots of energy, a short attention span and get bored easy much like a toddler , so they need lots of exercise both ohysical and mental to wear them out, especially before, if you are going out for a while, so they are tired and will sleep for a while

Like a toddler you don't give them free roam of the place and expect them not to get into trouble even if it is just for a few minutes alone, so like with children playpens are available for dogs to give them a safe confined space to play called an ex-pen , for a larger breed gating in a small puppy proofed can serve as a safe area.

They need toys to keep them occupied , some like kongs and buster cubes offer mental stimulate and food rewards to help keep them busy and focused longer, this helps to make their confinement time not seem so long and boring

Furniture chewing that goes unobserved can sometimes be curtailed using products like bitter apple available at pet stores but it needs to be reapplied often

[Sugar & Spice]

I had that same problem when our dog was a pup. He is only 2 now....but has turned into the smartest and most gentle little guy. We are originally from Calgary too...just got transferred to BC 5 months ago...I miss Calgary like the dickens! We got our little guy at the Petland in Shawnessy. He was a 3 month old rescue pup....Here is what he did to our house....sounds crazy but true!

Bronson couldn't be crated as he worked himself up so much he made himself sick in the crate. So, while we were at work we left him fenced off in a corner of our house...he soon learned to climb the gate. Then we got a bigger gate, nope...jumped that too. Then we put him in our bedroom...ate the walls. Then we bought him an enormous cage...he somehow managed to move the cage over to our bed, pull off our comforter and shredded it. We bought a 2nd comforter and moved his cage further from the bed...nope...still managed to move it and shred the new comforter. We finally came up with a plan to prevent the cage from moving....but over a period of a few days he ate through what was supposed to be a safe cage and got his head stuck . He was ok....but looked so silly. Then we tossed the cage and just left him alone in the bedroom....he ate the walls. After talking to our vet, she said it sounds like he is afraid of being confined in a small space. Give him the run of the downstairs and see what happens. Ya right...after all that I was going to let him have a good ol time in our brand new house!!! Well...it actually worked. Over a period of 2 weeks we gradually introduced him to freedom....BINGO...no problems after that. He was as content as could be. That was when he was 7 months old....and no troubles since.
Now are you giving your dog the run of the house? Pups HAVE TO be supervised 24/7 if possible. It is just like having a child...if not harder. Your little one might even be teething and that is HARD!!! They want to chew on anything & everything in site. Try letting your dog be free in a certain area of the house....make sure there are a bunch of toys to chew on. No plush ones or cheap rubber ones as they can chew through these and end up swallowing peices. I too suggest kongs...they are AMAZING!! There are Kongs for different ages and there is a puppy Kong too. Try looking for a kindergarten/obedience training. Not only do the pups need training, but it is good for moms and dads too.We are still thinking of doing that now qith Bronson,as he still needs to learn to come on command. Right now he only comes when it is convenient for him...LOL. Plus he still really pulls on his leash...crazy little guy!

I do believe Petland has a training course...as well as Pet Planet. Let me know if you need anymore advice about places in Calgary....it makes me feel closer to home....lol

Good luck!

Originally Posted by RykaDawn

How do my husband and I teach our dog not to chew on anything other than what she KNOWS is hers to chew on? She has already destroyed at least 4 pairs of shoes and our couch.

[mafiaprincess]

I've never seen a petland that sold rescue dogs..

[Sugar & Spice]

The Petland in Calgary have an adoption centre in them...so we were able to adopt him. I love my little guy and would recommend a rescue dog to anyone

[SnowDancer]

Sugar & Spice - I think you have my dog's twin - at least in spirit. Mine is a 24 lb. 2 year old American Eskimo with HUGE teeth.

[Sugar & Spice]

AHAHAHAHA, SNOWDANCER...TOO FUNNY!!!!

Here is a pic of my little house destroyer.....


This is Bronson at 3 months...the day we adopted him.


and here he is at 2 yrs....we used to call him Mr. Descructo!

[SunGurl372]

Excuse the slight threadjack....

Sugar & Spice...is Bronson a mix breed? If so, any speculation as to what he is?

Just curious. He's beautiful and has to be one of the most unique looking dogs I have ever seen. With that face and those ears, he looks like a Schnauzer wearing a wolf suit!!!!

[dlp8945]

I'll try to make some suggestions off of the top of my head. Go to a dept store such as Walmart and look for a rubber area rug gripper and put it under the crate so he can't make it "walk" across the floor. If you have carpet it shouldn't be too bad but hardwood floors are another matter. He has learn to run against the side to make it move. Is his crate too big? He needs room to stand, turn around and lay down with a little extra space.
Have you ever tried a Kong stuffed with peanut butter in his crate. That can last for hours and keeps them occupied.
My Labs love their crates and I always make sure their collar is off and that they have a leather chewie to occupy them. Is your crate in a family area where they can access it while with people around so they won't feel isolated. My Labs have learned to go to their crates during the day for a little R and R after playing really hard. I'm lucky though, I've been retired and could never have taken them on as a responsibility under any other circumstance. They are very time demanding!!
Good luck with your endeavor and best of luck with the crate. They really are great once they get used to the having their own den.
Labmomma

[Sugar & Spice]

Thank goodness my pup is past his descrustive stage...all this occured about a year ago. Poor Dawn sounds like she is still going through it. I still think it is best to go to training...just remember...it is natural to chew, destroy and frolick...it's in their nature.

Re: our dog....thank you for the compliments...he is very unique...we have met hundreds of dog owners and they all thay the same thing, "OMG look at that face...what is he...so cute....." The they laugh...hehehehehe. We have been asked twice to put him in a commercial...and we finally applied to have him in a Old Navy commercial...here's hoping

What we think is he is terrier, mixed with Snauzer and maybe sheppard???? he is 38 lbs...so unique

[JessXx]

Well, I can offer some tips, but I may not be of much help because Shyla never really went through a destructive stage, she just liked to steal toys... lol... And Pepper, well we got him when he was already about 3 yrs old... I think... Our other dogs were always outside dogs , so if they were destructive it was not in the house... anyway...
You can try this method,
if you see the dog chewing on something say "NO" or "STOP" and spray your dog... if your dog hates water this will work and soon you won't even have to use the spray bottle because they will understand that "No" means no or "STOP" means to stop it.
Another thing is to try and hide the things you don't want to get chewed up or get a special area for your dog and only allow them in that area until they are a bit older...
Thats what I reccomend...
Good luck