Chewing problem

Dear Dog People Readers

I hope you all can help me out here. I bought a small terrier mix dog at the pound. She looks like a part Chihuahua/Dachund with some terrier from the markings under her short white coat on her chest. She weighs 10 pounds and is about 3 or 4 years old according to the vet. Yes she is spayed. I got her about 3 weeks ago or so. I had bought her a bone shaped stuffed toy with a squeaker inside. She also has one other toy (rubber) she plays with.


Whoever dumped her at the pound must not have had the money to have her spayed , I had her spayed.
Up until this last week she was the BEST well behaved dog I had ever seen. She was paper trained , let you know when she wanted to eat or go outside or play , no chewing or anything.

Now here's a real problem and hopefully somebody can help me. Since she has completely chewed that stuffed toy I mentioned above she has been on a chewing spree ever since.

After being such a good girl , she has ripped her new dog bed , chewed a hole in the couch cushion and the small rug by the door.
I feel like I have taught her to go back to her bad habit if that's what she has done before.

I don't mind keeping her in her dog crate. I had prefer she'd have the run of the house whether I'm here or not.
Yes , I'm home most of the time and I don't ever see her chewing to stop her.
The pet store recommended I buy a bottle of boundry. The only draw back is I don't want her staying off the furniture I just want to stop her chewing.

I hope some or all of you can help me out on this. :(
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When dogs are bored, they chew. Do you play with her a lot. How many walks do you have a day. Maybe playing with her more will get her to stop. If you want buy more toys to chew on. Hope this helps and good luck!

Hi,

chewing can get very annoying, i know! I also think that some exercise could help a lot. Do you take her out for longer walks? That would be a good idea anyway because usually dogs like getting tired from outside experiences - there is so much to smell outside, they can run and jump there and play ...
A tired dog is much less likely to chew on something.
You say you are home a lot - try to observe her and as soon as you find her chewing on something she is not allowed to, take it away and say a strong "no". But this only makes sense when you really interrupt her, some time after she already has ruined it, makes no sense, because she would not know what you are referring to.
When you play with her, after you were walking her and she is tired already, she can chew her stuff, and that is good, but then she will be even more tired and chewing should not be of any interest for her any more.
I hope this helps!
All the best
Michael

Thanks for your advise. My backyard 100' X 108' is fenced in and I let her out a few times a day specially in the mornings and late afternoon. She spins around that whole yard going about 30 to 40 miles an hours just a zooming. Oh yes I believe she can beat RoadRunner the cartoon on TV. It really worries me thinking she's going to have a massive heart attack one of these days.

She's a mix breed and she looks almost like a whippet. She has a head of a chihuahua and a body of a dachund. She's about 3 or 4 years old and weighs 10 pounds.

I have taken other peoples suggestion to buy her more toys and chew bones. That seems to help some and again she seems to tear them toys a pieces in a day or two. I can't afford to keep buying toys all the time.

I'm doing all I can. If you think of any other ideas please let me know.

Thanks again , Bill

Hi Bill,

it is certainly very good that your dog has the opportunity to run in your backyard. Nevertheless I think it would be good if the two of you could explore some other areas as well. I'm sure your dog wants to smell something new every day. She won't be able to do that in the backyard, I suppose.
So I think it would be very good to go out, maybe you have some nice areas in your neighbourhood (?), grass, fields, woods, or just places, where other dogs have gone before you and so she can collect some information. I think this is essential for a dog.

Whenever i leave home, i put some small treats in a lavatory roll (just the roll without the paper!). One treat my dog gets directly from me and the other two or three i put in the roll - then i close the roll and give it to her. She loves to bite it, to tear it apart and finally finds the treats.
Maybe this would be something interesting for your dog as well. Maybe she realizes that the other stuff she chews or bites has nothing special to offer ...

I hope this is some help for you.

All the best and

nice greetings from Vienna

Michael

Id also suggest buying a Kong for her. Bunny and Eli are chewers.. and we have three Kongs (various shapes and sizes) and they are pretty indestructible. They are more expensive than other toys, but they last forever.. so it all evens out in the end. I know people do freeze treats in them or fill them with peanut butter as well..

You'll just have to watch her closer and if she chews something thats not a toy.. you need to let her know.. Not everything on the floor is hers. =) Eli used to think that all socks were his socks...

I haven't read what everyone else said so someone else might have have already told you but I'd get her some more toys to chew on since you said she started this 'after' she chewed her other toy up!

When she's chewing on something she shouldn't, give her a toy that she CAN chew on as a trade. Kongs are worth the investment. Or try a cow hoof. They are inexpensive and last a long time. They don't smell very good, though. Nylabones are pretty good, too. I wouldn't give her rawhide, though. It's less expensive than a kong or Nylabone, but they stink, get slimy and can get caught in her throat.

Hmmmm...we have something in common with chewing. I am going through the same thing with my new little chihuahua. He is teething though so hopefully he will outgrow it. What I do is always keep him in the same room as me. I make a game of it by making him run after me. When I get to the room I want to be in I place all his toys all over the floor. When I catch him chewing something he is not suppose to I clap my hands really loud and say NO! He will usually stop look around and go to do it again. I clap again really loud and say NO! Most of the time he stops after the second clap. If he does not I take one of his toys and distract him with it or remove him from the object of his desire. Then he usually leaves whatever the "nonchewable item" was alone. If your home alot just try to get your dog to stay with you as much as you can, even going into the bathroom. This way you are making her get up and move around keeping her occupied but also being able to keep a closer eye on her. Maybe stop buying her stuffed toys. Some dogs don't know the difference and think they can chew anything that is material. The Kong is a good idea, maybe even rubber tug toys that she cannot chew threw. Good luck.