EXTREME chewing at night... what to do?

[sirrahved]

Muffin has been chewing things like you wouldn't believe... last night it was her leash, a bag of cotton balls, and a container of catgrass. She has many toys available to her. I don't know if she gets bored when we are sleeping or what.

I'm wondering if I should start crating/keeping her in the kitchen at night. Luckily she hasn't chewed anything of significant value (her leash cost about $20 and we don't have a lot of money right now. We'll have to scrimp to buy another.)

She doesn't seem to prefer any texture or object, just whatever is around (except her toys of course!). I have read that if you scold for something that has already happened they won't understand. She doesn't chew things other than her toys during the day. How can we teach her that this is wrong?

We'd really like to enroll in an obedience class, but will have a hard time coming up with the $90. We might be able to afford it once the school year starts. We've tried reading books and practicing techniques in them.

[LorraineO]

How old is your lil one? It might be a form of nervousness.. or seperation anxiety..Perhaps a crate in your room at night might be a good idea... We have crate trained our Dobie and she sleeps in our room all the time,, but in her crate... its a safe haven for her and NEVER use the crate as punishment....

Is your pups teething? If all else fails,,, ask the Vet!!

[sirrahved]

Muffin is 8 months old. We just got her from the shelter 3 weeks ago. She does suffer from seperation anxiety, but she is allowed in the bedroom at night and sometimes still chews. Last night I think she WAS shut out, because I had trouble falling asleep and she wanted to play with me. Jason took her outside and then shut her out of the bedroom. How long is the teething process?

[Tonya]

It took Roxy about two years to quit chewing and she still occasionally has a problem. Dusty, he has never chewed. Sarah only chews on her bones and the cat's tail.

I would put her away at night, crate her or something. You don't want her to wind up getting hurt and/or chewing something up that is really important to you.

[Samantha Puppy]

Get rawhide chewies - you can get a bag of 10+ of them for cheap. Whenever you see her chewing something she shouldn't, discipline her and hand her a rawhide chewie. She'll catch on that there are things that are acceptable to chew and things that aren't.

[pitc9]

Both of mine did the same thing when I first brought them home Buddy was already 75 pounds and 1 year old so he did a lot of damage, couch... cell phone.. cordless phone.
But they both grew out of it, unless we get crazy and leave them out of their crates when were gone once in a while.
Then Sierra throws a fit and will chew. And like you, I leave bones, toys, kongs... EVERYTHING for her to chew on, but she has sep anx so this will be a lifelong thing.

[sirrahved]

Originally posted by Samantha Puppy
Get rawhide chewies - you can get a bag of 10+ of them for cheap. Whenever you see her chewing something she shouldn't, discipline her and hand her a rawhide chewie. She'll catch on that there are things that are acceptable to chew and things that aren't.

I wish I could do this! I've never caught her chewing anything during the day *sighs* I guess we'll have to start crating. Part of the reason I wanted a dog was to sleep with *whimpers*

[Kfamr]

Crate her. It's the best, safest thing to do for her and for your things.

With Kiara(16 weeks old) i've kept her on a leash in bed with me. The past few nights, i've left her off leash on my bed, and she's been fine... when I wake up she's in the same exact spot that she was when I fell asleep. We've been very luck (knock on wood) with our lil Kiara.. Few accidents, no chewing, and she basically loves her crate!

Maybe you could get a chain leash.. not one of the sharp chain type things, but a nice, smooth chain, one that she can't chew threw and use that.



I'm sure she'll grow out of it eventually. I don't know how you could sleep through her chewing though.. I wake up when one of my babies moves! And i've slept through the most horrible storms before.

[LorraineO]

It could be also,, she is having pain,, much like babies,,, Try freezing a wet cloth with garlic sprinkled on it,, also icecubed chicken broth is a nice treat,,,

Doing the leash thing in bed is a good suggestion too if youre wanting your pups to sleep with you....

Good for you for doing the rescue thing,,, it could be the pup had a rough beginning you dont know about and is just anxious,, be patient,, I bet it will end eventually,,,,,,

[binka_nugget]

Crate her when you can't watch her. If you catch her chewing something she shouldn't be chewing, discipline her. I usually just give a stern look and say "No! Bad pup!" It seems to work.

I, personally, wouldn't give rawhide though. It's filled with chemicals and often leaves film on their teeth, allowing plaque to build up. There are some great natural alternatives. My dogs LOVE bully sticks. They're.. an odd concept (to say the least) but my dogs go crazy for them. It keeps them nice and busy too.

Don't worry, you could still get her to sleep with you after she gets over her chewing phase. I crated Kai until he grew out of his puppy habits. He now just sleeps wherever he pleases.