How do you get a dog to stop eating things?

[KidsHappen]

Our new dog has chewed up two frisbees and one soccer ball. He has devoured whole four socks, one pair of panties and one dog toy. I have managed to remove from his mouth one marker, several rags and or towels, a blanket, a few stuffed animals, a bookmark, and a few other things that I am forgetting right now. This morning he got a tube of medicine of the bathroom counter and eat it. And then proceded to throw up on my bedroom carpet at least five time. He is still drooling and I know have to shampoo the carpet. Many of the things that he has eaten have not been left out but put away and shelf, bed and tables. There is no possible way I can go through the house and put everything up above his reach so he has to learn to not eat things that are not food.

 

We are also still having a horrible time trying to keep him from attacking the cats. He has tried to bite them. I can get him to release an item if I see him get it before he eats it but if I am not watching him constantly then I miss things. And when he is attacking the cats, it is almost impossible to get him to stop. Please someone offer me some useful advice.

[Michelle T]

Puppies love to chew. Chewing is what they do! Anything that is on the floor, and can get into the mouth, usually will.

 

You just do your best to monitor the puppy at all times, keep things off the floor/out of reach, and scold the puppy WHEN YOU CATCH HIM IN THE ACT of chewing something forbidden. Also, get him plenty of chew toys to keep him busy. Our puppy loves gross things like bully sticks, pig tails, lamb ears, any of the yucky, natural-type chews. No rawhide, though.

 

We also have a puppy, although thankfully he isn't the worst chewer I've had. But he does his share of chewing! Most puppies will slow down their need to chew around six months old, and be a lot better by a year or so.

Michelle T

[CKaye]

We just got a dog in December, a German Shephard. I wanted to share what I am learning, or what has helped in hopes that it may help you with your dog. I take her on a walk every morning, then I do some dog training (like sit, down, wait, etc...), and then we play fetch to wear her out. She eats her breakfast and goes outside to play for a bit while I doing morning stuff. When I let her in I try to keep doors shut where I can beacause she is big and can get whatever she wants off the counter in the bathroom etc... (of course this is a challenge with kids always leaving doors open, but we are working on it). The kitchen is the hardest place to keep things out of reach, she helps me to keep up on my kitchen dishes. I use a spray bottle filled with a little vinegar, mostly water mixed. I bought a good spray bottle (from a janitorial supply company) that I can aim with acuracy from far away lol. I lease her to a door knob, put her in the laundry room, kennel or outside if needed so I can get some of our school done without interuption. The biggest thing is that I make sure I know where she is and what she is doing all the time. Because we kept her leased as a puppy to a door knob she doesn't wander too much around the house and has a few favorite napping spots. She is terrible when I'm making meals, she is so determined to get some food so I put her outside in the laudry room to have her lunch. I don't feel bad leasing her or putting her in her kennel for a while because my brother who works all day keeps his dog in a kennel all day. His mother-in-law does let her out once a day at lunchtime.

 

We love having her hang out with us when she is calm and worn out. I think the everyday walk helps with that. I should probably take her on a walk at night too, but haven't yet. Dogs are a lot of work, but already it is so worth it! My dd was sick one night and I let the dog stay out of her kennel and she just laid by my daughter and licked her hand and my daughter felt better just having the dog by her side. The dog was also calming for me just being there with me. I had to clean up throw up and thought I had got it all, but the dog found a bit I missed :tongue_smilie:, but I was glad she found it.

 

My kids are loving our dog so much. My oldest ds was afraid of dogs before we got our dog, but I watch him and am so happy that he is learning how to handle a large dog without fear. His confidence level has gone way up! Puppies are like toddlers, worse because they can use there teeth to tear things up, but the toddler age ends and they eventually mature and calm down.

I just wanted to say hang in there, I relate to what your going through.

I read in an earlier email before that you have a golden retriever. They are great family dogs, it will just take time before he matures and settles down. :001_smile:

[I talk to the trees]

Make sure that he has plenty of items that are okay to chew on. I highly recommend Kong toys with a couple of smudges of peanut butter on the inside. And Buster Cubes or a similar toy if you can find one. After losing 2 pair of nice leather shoes, my all-time favorite wool sweater, and a large chunk of the wall in our *rented* duplex (ACK!!) we finally figured out that our two needed some entertainment while we were away. The investment in chew toys was worth it!

 

Also try to crate the pup when you're not around to keep an eye on him. If he's crated, he's not getting into anything. When you do catch him in the act, a cap gun, water gun, or coin in a can can be effective punishment. There are sprays that you can put on large items (furniture) to prevent chewing. Unfortunately, some dogs (like ours) actually like the taste. I have a coffee table and a piano to prove it. Other than that, be patient. Puppy adolescence, like human adolescence, does eventually come to an end. No, really. It does. I think.

 

-Robin

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

You don't get a dog to stop eating things. You just replace the things you would rather he didn't eat with things that are appropriate for him to eat.

 

Here's my tried and true method.

 

When you catch him chewing or eating something he shouldn't, tell him, "NO CHEW!" Then firmly use the command, "GIVE." In the beginning, you will probably have to pry the item out of his mouth yourself. As you do so, repeat the give command. (Within two days of working on this command, my puppy will open and drop immediately when he hears the word give.)

 

So, when he's popped out what he should not chew on, immediately give him something he may chew on. Then praise him lavishly when he takes it and tell him, "Good chew!" You absolutely MUST have lots of stuff around specifically for him to chew on and it should be conveniently located so that he can access the chews himself. You have to give him an opportunity to be good. Seriously, leave chews laying around in his usual spots. When you see him chewing on his toys, you tell him, "Good chew! Good boy!" Lots of praise.

 

The advice to keep all doors closed is good. Consider him a toddler, a hazard to himself. It's your job to keep him and your things safe. My kids were taught that it was their fault as much as Milo's if something of theirs got chewed up. We would specifically take outings to pick up new chews for Milo. He really enjoys those marrow bones and the Kong toy.

 

Good luck!

 

ETA: Sorry, I don't have any cat attack advice except to say that if I had a dog for whom this was a problem, I would use a crate and not let him out without supervision. When he showed any hostility toward the cats when out of the crate, I would scold and lock him up. Hopefully, he would develop an understanding. That's a tough problem.

Edited February 26, 2009 by Alte Veste Academy

[KidsHappen]

Ok, dog is 16 months old, just new to us. He has several Kong toys, and a few other chew toys. He goes for a walk everyday and plays in the yard several times per day. We do use an indoor leash hook and dog crate. He is always crated if he has to be left at home alone. Otherwise he is never left unattended and he does not roam the house alone. We have a dog gate at the top of the stairs and he roams freely upstairs when we are up here. Sometimes he is contained in my room with me. We do our very best to keep everything out of his reach but honestly if we aren't paying attention to him for even a few minutes, say when we are doing school work, he will find a way to get something other than his toys to chew on. I do scold him if I catch him and like I said I can get him to release if I offer a treat instead. But I am at my wits end about this. It is just a matter of time before he eats something that is going to require surgery or something poisinous.

[SonshineLearner]

I pm'md you, but I forgot to say, last year when we first got our dog, he had to stay crated for periods of time throughout the day...for a few hours at a time. Also, of course, don't have blankets in his crate until he's past the chewing...

About the cat, I was told to make our cat alpha, by doing things like feeding the cat first...greeting the cat first...etc. Whatever happened....worked. Our little 10lb cat, is in charge of when and how they play!

Carrie:-)

[RoughCollie]

We put a drop or two of clove oil on the things our dog liked to chew -- including shoes on feet.

 

I hated the smell of cloves, but it did the trick.

 

I don't know if it would would work on your cats, though.

 

Also, it is a lot easier to clean up dog vomit if you use a spatula (pancake turner, egg turner -- whatever you call it).

[staceyobu]

They make a spray. It's called "apple..." something. I can't remember. They sell it at Petco/Petsmart. It's safe for them to eat it but tastes bad. When we adopted a two year old beagle, I sprayed everything in the house except his toys. He had been in a foster home that gave him stuffed toys to chew on... when he came to our house all the stuffed toys belonged to the kids and they did NOT like him chewing on them. I sprayed all their toys. After a few times of spraying EVERYTHING, he learned and it was a non issue. I didn't even use the entire initial spray bottle.

[RoughCollie]

They make a spray. It's called "apple..." something.

 

It's called bitter apple. My dog didn't mind it in the least, that's why we used clove oil. Past dogs of mine hated bitter apple, though, which is the idea.

[staceyobu]

It's called bitter apple. My dog didn't mind it in the least, that's why we used clove oil. Past dogs of mine hated bitter apple, though, which is the idea.

 

Yep... that's it. I sprayed the couches, everything with it. I couldn't smell it at all, but it warded off our beagle. And he'll eat anything... and he still hated it.