Chewing On Everything!!!!!

[DASH]

MY 13 MONTH OLD ROTTIE KEEPS DESTROYING THINGS. HIS NAME IS ZEEK. HE'S GOT A WHOLE FENCED IN YARD WITH BALLS AND BONES. AND TOYS. WHEN HE'S ALONE HE KEEPS CHEWING UP EVERY THING FROM THE PHONE TO A COUCH THAT WAS BEING STORED OUT IN THE GARAGE. HE EVEN CHEWS UP MY 5 MONTH OLD BABIES TOY AND BLANKETS. I SKOLD HIM WHEN HE'S CAUGHT IN THE ACT, BUT HE KEEPS DOING IT. MY WIFE IS GETING REALY TICKED. AND I NEED HELP TO GET HIM TO STOP!! OTHER THAN THAT HE'S A GOOD BOY. PLEASE OFFER ANY HELP THAT CAN HELP ZEEK AND I.
THANK YOU, DASH

[Chantal]

Have you tried crate training him? If so, maybe he's not ready to be left out alone yet!!

[Judy Chrusch]

Hi Dash,
I have a 14 month old and lucky for me he doesn't chew things but then again I don't give him the opportunity to do so. When he isn't supervised he's in a crate. Some dogs can have the run of the house others can't. Both my other rotties were perfectly fine having the run of the age at 7 months but we chose to crate this one , mainly for piece of mind and to keep him safe bc we don't trust him yet so if you don't have a crate it would be a great benefit to you and your dog. This is one behavior you can control, there's no use waiting for a tragedy. There's too many things that can hurt them and potentially be fatal. I would never take that chance plus they depend on us to make the right decisions for them and to protect them from any harm. He also sounds as though he's bored and possibly not enough exercise. If they are content they usually won't chew or destroy and he's alittle old to be starting this or has he always been like this? In a days time what type of exercise does he get? It seems like he needs more to do and perhaps some type of job, like tracking, agility, anything to stimulate his mind. Playing in the yard with balls etc. isn't enough. They have to get out in different situations, see people, walk in different areas, etc. As I said my boy is 14 months and we walk 2-3 miles a day, once in the a.m and then at night and 3-4 days a week he is off lead while on his walks which is when he runs at his own speed but all our walks are at a fast pace, I have to jog to keep up with is trot . So try crating him and make sure he has enough exercise bc a tired pup is a good pup :D. Trust me if you make sure of the exercise you will see a different dog. Stimulation is the key, you wouldn't just sit a child in a room with toys and expect them to learn and thrive, same thing goes for our animals, they need human interacting. Sorry this got so long, I hope it helps a alittle. Let us know how things are going.

Judy

[CDLittle]

I came to this thread because I have the same problem with Dakota. He chews stuff outside. He has chewed into the screen door, pulled the lattice off the door, chewed the kids swing set and has started on my husbands weight bench. Nothing inside though, he is crated when we are not with him. I assumed he was getting exercise because my older children walk him twice a day. I recently found out they walk him to the park and let him RIDE the merry go round. ( The dog is smarter than the kids because he sits while they push) When they get tired, everyone comes home. I have since began walking him and the behavior has improved. ( not gone though) We start puppy school again next month, so maybe that will help.

[Judy Chrusch]

Chris, trust me this does work. You'd be surprised what trouble they can get in when their bored or don't get the proper exercise. It's a big commitment having a rottweiler, they need everyday conditioning, some more then others. Mine happens to need 2-3 miles a day, every day:D. It's something we've done from the beginning and we have a very content and happy now 15 month old male :D. DASH hasen't been back lately, I'd love to hear how things are going. I hope things have improved for him and all is well.

Judy

[CarolineS]

I've had Dresden two months, she's 11 months old, and so far her score is one rubber plant, one scatter rug, corner of area rug and side of magazine rack! She managed to do most of this while in plain sight. LOL Her technique is to get a dog toy, lay near the forbidden item, then transfer her mouth from dog toy to forbidden item. She's a very smart little girl.;) It took me a while to catch on, so now I make sure to check closer.

On a serious note, she's wreaked this havoc on days when I've been held up taking her for her walk. Once she's been exercised, she's a little angel for the rest of the day. Three or four times a week we go for off-leash walks (runs!) in the nearby conservation area for 40 or more minutes. On the days we don't go there, she gets a minimum 30 minute brisk walk on the leash.

As everyone else has said, a crate is also essential for those times when no one can be there to watch.

[canismaximus]

A problem I can definitely relate to. Maximus has successfully eaten: a work boot(left the sole), two slippers, 3 barbies, 1 wallet, one pr of jeans(left treats in the pocket, oops), a belt, one sleeping bag(his) and one down comforter(mine...just the corner but it still left a big mess) and several feet of victorian baseboard. All my fault. Bottom line, when crated, he can do no harm. He does however sleep hard when he plays hard, so if you can't crate your dog, expend that energy on something besides his jaws.

DC

[Sheenagirl]

Sheena ate three large holes in the hallway (pulling out insulation also), chewed on the bathroom door, wood shelf unit in the bathroom, carpet, ripped up the linoleum in the bathroom, chewed on the bottom of the wood chairs in the dining room, shreds newpapers, magazines and anything that might be on the floor. All before I got smart and starting crating her also. Worked like a charm - and I might add she did outgrow this destructive behavior. But, thanks to Sheena I got an upgrade to the interior of my house - new ceramic tile, new carpet, redid the hallway, etc. - thanks Sheena!! :D

[livertw]

Maybe if I smear gravy on the awful carpet in my den, Daisy will eat a few holes in it and I can get a new rug!!!! Great idea! Thanks for the tip! :D

[codglvr]

I thought Balder would be safe in his crate, one night, he pulled the down comforter into the crate and chewed a hole. Seeing a 16 week old puppy in a crate with these big apologetic eyes and down from head to toe was hilarious! Needless to say, we watch what we put near the crate.

[MybabyZeus]

One thing I've noticed about Zeus is when he is not happy he chews my stuff. Shoes to be exact. B/C your dog is 14 months and around the same age I can relate. It really gets under our skin b/c there isn't a toy that they don't have. We make sure that he has alot of options. He tends to ignore that fact when he is ticked off at me. Example: We moved into our new house, he chewed three pairs of my shoes. When we got spike he chewed some more of my shoes. And yes, when we brought Zena home I went through yet another pair of shoes. I know he is acting out b/c he only chews MY stuff and he only chews when something in the household changes. I hope he outgrows this, I'm running out of shoes and it is not like I have 60 bucks to run out and buy a new pair everytime!

[mooses-mom]

get a bitter apple spray. you can get all natural ones so as to not worry about harming your dog. just spray it on whatever he's been chewing - shoes, furniture, etc. its relatively cheap (not expensive, and certainly cheaper than new furniture!), you cant smell it, and it tastes awful (apparently - i haven't had any direct experiences with it!! :D ). this will discourage the dog from chewing on things, and that learned behavior will follow him into adulthood. tried and true!!

[CDLittle]

I bought that Bitter Apple because it worked for my lab. Not so for Dakota, I found the bottle, out in the yard ( he had taken it off the shelf), chewed up. I was able to save a bit of it and it works great for my 5 y/o daughter who refuses to stop sucking her thumb! As for Dakota, he has now turned his attention to the grill knobs ( all gone) and the wooden swing set.