chew chew chew chew...swallow?

[Valentine]

Okay as you know both of my dogs got sick from chewing strange stuff....How can I get them to stop chewing the porch and the side of the house? They have chew toys outside and we dont leave them for too long......any suggestions?

I have never caught them yet but if I do I will correct them (but how???)

[moondog]

If you haven't taught the "leave it" command, you need to do that first. Then you supervise, and use your "leave it" command when your dog is nibbling on something he/she shouldn't be. When he/she complies, remember to praise and then redirect to a toy or something else that is okay to chew.

Your puppy is too young to leave outside unsupervised. My puppy is 14 months and it's only been recently that I feel she's reliable enough to go out in the yard by herself without finding mischief, and even then it's only for a few minutes while I'm grabbing laundry, or fish food, or whatever...and then I'm out there with her.

You can't teach if you aren't there, so in order to have a dog that will leave your house/deck/garden in tact, you need to first teach them what's taboo and what's not over a long period of time. If you just put them out there with no guidance, they are going to find their own form of entertainment and as you have discovered, it isn't usually what you'd like.

[lilabet]

I would say you have to deny access to anything they will chew that you don't want them to, whenever you can't supervise them. If they have opportunity to chew these objects, then they are self rewarding and reinforcing the behavior. Give access to these things only when you are there to supervise, so you can interrupt the unwanted chewing and redirect them to what they are allowed to chew. You may have to contain them in a crate or kennel or dog run or fence off a part of the yard that contains only things they may chew. How old are your dogs? The longer they have been doing this, the harder it will be to correct it.

[Silvermarten]

Originally Posted by Valentine

Okay as you know both of my dogs got sick from chewing strange stuff....How can I get them to stop chewing the porch and the side of the house? They have chew toys outside and we dont leave them for too long......any suggestions?

I have never caught them yet but if I do I will correct them (but how???)

First :
I hope they both feel better quickly for you .

Second :
Don't leave them out unsupervised for any time at all .
Currently they don't know to only chew on 'dog' toys . Their world is their 'dog' toy , everything is to be chewed, carried , eaten , flung around , shredded , etc , etc ( you get the picture )

Watch them like a hawk . When they move to grab something off limits a harsh " aah ahh " usually gets a dogs attention . Then redirect their intrest to the appropriate dog toy and be real excited and happy when it's grabbed . Make sure chewing the right thing is reinforced with a big happy party from you .

Third :
If it's necessary to have the dogs out unsupervised , then provide a secure dog proof area until they've learn't what is expected and shown you they can be trusted .
Either fence off an area , or buy one of the chain link dog runs .

Good luck with them .
I'm sure others will chime in with ideas too .

You are not alone in the fun doggy behaviour .
My 9mth old Beauceron is never out alone anymore as the few times I've tried it I've had some fun adventures . I've found her carrying around a sheet of plywood ( was blocking her access to my garden ) . Climbing my 5ft chainlink into my garden ( luckily there is a 6ft wood fence after that so no public adventure) . Then she was half way up in my apple tree
Just last week husband called me to get the phone , in the 10 secs to go from the yard to the house and back to the yard "someone" was trying to climb up the side of the house presumably to get on the roof
( hmm , maybe she's part squirrel ??? )

[AngelBunny]

If you don't want your dogs to chew something, you prevent them from having access to whatever it is.

Crate them when you can't watch them.

Umbilical cord puppies to you so they go where you go.

Put up a kennel arrangement and put your chewer into the kennel.

Fence off a portion of your yard.

[denverday]

Plus keep them occupied enought to tire them out.
I was told that boredom leads to chewing...makes sense to me...try new and stimulating things with the dogs...
OH don't leave them unsupervised.