Trouble

[BestBuddy]

Speaking of chewing...!! My well behaved dog Buddy chewed up an old pair of my pants, and a shoe lace overnight! I was stunned. He has NEVER done anything like this in 7 years. He is about 9 now and has always been so well behaved. I thought maybe he was a little nervous because the wind was howling and he might have thought it was some kind of intruder. I could hardly get mad at him since he has always been so good.

I am fearful now that maybe he is getting some kind of doggy Alzheimers disease. Hopefully not but I guess these things happen. Maybe this was just a one time thing. If it happens again I will have to ask the veterinarian. Anyone else have dogs with a major change in behavior as they near senior citizen status?

For now he will have to sleep in the hall at night, and I will make sure no clothing or anything else important is within the range of his teeth.

[Canis-Lupess]

I know somebody who's growing pup learned to chew on purpose just to get attention because she realised that whenever she went to chew the table, they would react. Like children, dogs don't care whether the attention they get is good or bad.

You have to be careful to not advertantly teach her to chew in order to get your attention.

I agree that training classes would be great for you and your pup. You'll both benefit immensely from it and I hope your dad does agree to it but make sure you find a good place because some trainers are so clueless and cruel, they shouldn't be trainers. Ask your vet if they have any recommendations.

Another thing that people don't realise is that growing pups go through a second teething process at about 6 months or a bit later where the adult teeth are settling into the jawline and this can cause chewing as well. It generally settles down as the dog gets older.
The lad I know who's pup I mentioned above is now much better.

[angelchampy]

My Sherry started chewing the rug at 13. One thought was that she was bored (which she was). They start getting destructive when they're bored, plus she had severe separation anxiety. Chewing can also be anxiety. But when she started doing it right in front of me (obviously not anxious - I was home), among other symptoms, we figured she had CCD (Canine Cognitive Disfunction). This is the equivalent to Alzheimers or Dementia. Our conclusion of CCD was due to her age, among other symptoms, and the behaviorist agreed. But anxiety and boredom are many times the reason. Maybe if you buy a kong and put some treats or peanut butter in it (for the boredom). If you think it's anxiety, let me know. That's a whole other ballgame. I could write a book on it.

[angelchampy]

By the way - my previous reply was for Best Buddy!