Help, Dogs Chewing!!!

[renfest]

I hasve a very active 7 month old Shep/Chow and even the walks are not enough I take about an hour severasl times a day and have time w/him working from home makes it that way at times it is not easy. When we started that he was chewing all the time I got some hooves and he loves them to the poing he knows when it's our time and he will bring it to me where ever I am, correct and direct is the way to go .. if he has toys use them as well

rennie

[bckrazy]

I admire you for at least seeking out help, not just dumping them off at the pound!

However, just letting the problem fix itself or being apathetic about it is almost just as bad. The more your dogs are allowed to chew, the more they will chew. My advice is (and this might be difficult, but I think it'll be a lot less painful than being chewed out of house and home)...

*Get enrolled in a good Obedience class, now! If you must, bring one dog at a time, on different days of the week. The class experience and one-on-one demonstration with a trainer is essential. You should really consider getting at least one at-home visit from a dog behaviorist.

*Get up 30 minutes early and run your dogs!

*Get a dog-walker, have your husband go home on his lunch break, or you go home on your lunch break, to exercise the dogs. Do whatever is possible. They are obviously very bored and unhappy sitting around by themselves all day... would you expect a 3-year-old child to sit peacefully in a room all day? They need exercise and attention! Consider crating them, or setting up a secure pen that they can stay in while they aren't supervised. Not only is chewing bad for you, it's SUPER dangerous for hard chewers! Pieces of wood or plastic can become lodged and can cause death, very quickly.

*Suck it up and be an alpha. It's hurting your dogs, and confusing them, to not know who the leader is in their family! Both you and your husband need to use strict NILIF (Nothing in life is free training) with your dogs, give them very limited access to privileges, and treat them like dogs - not people! This doesn't mean you need be abusive or negative at all. It means you need to clearly establish what you expect of them... they need to earn everything - their food, treats, petting, everything - by either sitting or laying down. They come last - they eat after you, walk through doors after you, and they do not pull you along when you're on a walk with them.

[beyond_me]

Thank you. Spaz has been doing a lot better with knowing we are the boss. I've only had her for about 1 1/2 months. I think with her it helps that she goes in the kennel at night. My other dogs think that they are human though. Roxy our boxer was riased by my husbands family, and my mother in law always wanted a 3rd kid so she was that to her. And Cali I've had for half a year is totally spoiled but pretty good other then chewing. It took a while to potty train her, but I've heard her breed can be normally hard to potty train. But she listens pretty good. We are taken them on longer walks at night, and my husband is playing more with them when we get home while I'm cooking dinner. We should get up earlier, but I already have a hard time getting up, not a good enough reason, but right now I'm happy that we are walken them more at night. 1 step at a time. They have been doing pretty good lately. Spaz if getting fixed this saturday so that should help. It totally calmed down Cali. I do need to work on the dogs letting me go through a door first, and us eating first. Usually I have to move out of their way. But I do see things changen and I'm doing better at making them sit before they get a treat and before we go for a walk. When we walk I'm telling them to do stuff just to make them know they need to listen to me all the time, and to stop Cali from pulling, they are doing good. My husband has been helping me out a lot more. He's being more understanding and helpful. We normally walked them, but now we are running with them and getting them (and us) worn out.

Also does anyone know of any tricks to get Spaz to stop barking at at my cats? They stay in the laundry room in the day because I have a dog door and my cats are house cats, so Spaz doesn't see them that much. I usually let her visit them but they don't come out much when she is around. They mostly come out at night now when she is in her kennel. I'm just wondering how to speed things up with her leaving them alone.

We work about an hour away from home. So we really don't have the time or the money for gas to go home for a luch break. I have thought about kenneling, but I hate to do that because I know dogs need to play and do stuff for their health. I would hate to make them hold it for 14 hours most days.

About the trainer, I would love to but money wise I can't really afford it. Also I know that when you get a trainer you are being trained too. You have to keep doing what the trained does for it to work. Which is fine but hard. I have a gentle leader for Cali, and my sister was training to be a dog trainer but had to stop because things came up, but she has shown me how to stop her from pulling, I just don't like to do that. But I should though huh? Also I know how to stop a dog from jumping with using a leash, I just need to do it. So I rather try and do things myself with advice if possible.

[Dixieland Dancer]

my sister was training to be a dog trainer but had to stop because things came up, but she has shown me how to stop her from pulling, I just don't like to do that. But I should though huh?

So I rather try and do things myself with advice if possible.

If you ignore the advice, why should we continue to give it? Just curious!

You are basically admitting that if the advice you are given doesn't fit your needs, you ignore it. You have been given the BEST advice possible for you and your dogs situation. I believe it doesn't fit what you want to hear so you are going to keep asking until someone says what you want to hear. It doesn't work that way. Sorry.

[beyond_me]

not everyone can afford a trainer!!!

[Dixieland Dancer]

But you have been given FREE advice from people on this board and your sister. Can you spare getting up 1/2 hour earlier or giving the dog an hour of your time in the evening? It is important. You may come home one day to find something chewed and your dog seriously ill or worse, dead from something it ate. You have to do SOMETHING!

Perhaps you can ask hubby if he will "walk with you" in the evenings and then each of you can "take a dog along" just because. However and whatever you do, you need to exercise and stimulate the dogs more.

[beyond_me]

Me and my hubby do take the dogs out for a walk at night. We were just walken, but now that we are in a little more better shape we jog with them, and play with them during the walk. Also when we get home when I'm cooking dinner my hubby plays with them. They adore playing with him. Cali not so much because I babied her and she likes to sit and watch but Roxy loves it and Spaz is learning. The morning though Cali wouldn't want to go out anyways, and I already do not get enough sleep. I'm about ready to fall asleep when I'm driving, and I drive a lot for work, so I need my sleep, but I do play with them in the morning and give them a lot of attention when I'm getting ready.
I know them chewing is very Dangerous!!! My sister has told me ways to stop my dogs from pulling and jumping, but I have a hard time doing those things, and have tried other things that are working. I am thankful for everyones advice, it helps give me ideas on what to do!!! That is what I am looking for. I have to do what works for me and my dogs. I know I can't keep doing what I have been doing, I have been changing, but it's not going to be over night. I have been a push over all my life with animals. It's going to take time for me to step up, and I am!They have been a lot better. They don't jump on the screen that keeps them in the kitchen anymore, which I use to never stop them, they are learning not to jump unless I say give ten, Cali isn't pulling much anymore, and they sit everytime I tell them to,and things are a lot better. Cali comes everytime I call her. Roxy not always, because my hubby is her alpha, she's jealouse of me, and Spaz just now knows her name so she'll be learning to also.
I have been around dogs my whole life, and do know a lot about them. I just have never had to be the one that was alpha, but I am learning!!!

[catnapper]

not everyone can afford a trainer!!!

Sooo.... its cheaper to replace all the items they broke and destroyed from chewing and jumping than to pay for a trainer?

I'm going today to get my dog training certificate. I've worked hard the past few months and let me tell you, training is NOT as expensive as people initially think. Get past the fee for the class and realize that this could help you save your sanity and you'll come to enjoy living with your dogs again. If that happens, how can you put a price on that?

As for the tips... honestly I didn't read through this whole hoopla. There are dozens of ideas and theories as to how to get your dog to stop jumping up. All require the same thing: consistency, consistency, consistency.

And DD is right -- give them something in the crate to keep them busy. They need to be mentally stimulated, and something like a Kong (you don't load it with food, just a spoonful is plenty) is awesome to keep them entertained while you're not there. A dog that is mentally active instead of bored all the time will be less likely to have severe beahvioral issues