chewing on furniture

[Roccco'sMom]

My rott, Rocco, is a very smart, lovey, hyper, and very friendly but for some reason no matter how many chew toys he has he chews on the furniture, the wall trim and the carpet. I can't seem to break him of this. He is 5 months old and we have broke him of a lot of bad habbits. He learns very quick. He has been potty trained since he was 3 1/2 months old. We broke him of digging in the yard with no problem. but the furniture thing is really stressing me. he also wont quite jumping on people when they come over.
I would really appreciate any advice on this little problem.
Thank you
Heidi

[DaveS]

We bought some bitter apple spray at Petco that was recommended by our trainer. Just spray the bitter apple spray on anything you don't want the puppy to chew on. We wait until he puts his mouth on the sprayed area and give a sharp NO. It has worked wonders on furniture legs, leash, shoes, ect. We then give him one of his toys and let him know that it ok to chew on these items. It has got to the point where he releases an item as soon as he sees us coming with the bottle of spray.

[kerry grant]

Sorry i cant really help you as i am also having the same problems with my 5month old girl Bailey Bear.Please could you let me know how you stopped the digging because that is driving me mad,its only a matter of time before she reaches Australia,lol,.thanks kerry.

[jenn8five]

my 8 month old, JB, is the same way. bitter spray doesn't work w/ her. any other suggestions? i've heard of a cayenne pepper + water solution, but i'm concerned about it coloring the things i spray.

[jakesfostermom]

Heidi - can you keep him leashed to you when he is out and about in the house? (Other times he can/should be safely crated) Then you can redirect when you catch him "in the act". That would include the inappropriate chewing and jumping on people. This way, he has about 4-5 feet of "freedom" but can't wander off without you in tow Lots of great adult dogs spent a lot of time tethered to their owners when they were pups.

[2rotties2luv]

Originally Posted by jakesfostermom

Heidi - can you keep him leashed to you when he is out and about in the house? (Other times he can/should be safely crated) Then you can redirect when you catch him "in the act". That would include the inappropriate chewing and jumping on people. This way, he has about 4-5 feet of "freedom" but can't wander off without you in tow Lots of great adult dogs spent a lot of time tethered to their owners when they were pups.

This worked great for me when my rotties were pups. I had very little inappropriate chewing - what did occur was largely my own fault. Like the time I was watching TV with Jazz on a leash lying beside my recliner chair - I fell asleep and he took advantage of the situation to chew up the wood recliner handle.

As far as jumping, if he's on a leash you give him the "sit" command and reward. If you aren't yet in obedience classes, it's time to sign up. He'll learn that when you give a command you mean business. If he's as smart as you say, he'll quickly learn to greet people with a sit so he'll get treats and pats.

[spoiledbabies3]

Originally Posted by jakesfostermom

Lots of great adult dogs spent a lot of time tethered to their owners when they were pups.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I was beginning to think Deja Vu is my "wild child"...she is STILL tethered to me. Dad made the mistake of "giving her some freedom" yesterday and I am minus 1 area rug! Oh my, when will my "wild child" become one of those responsible adults...

I agree with Vicki...tethering your rott to you will help tremendously. And it will help to create a strong bond between the two of you. When I was teaching door manners I used the leash as a tool...I stood on the leash (giving very little room to move) and then practiced meeting different people at the door. It has taken time, patience and practice but now they are doing much better...when the doorbell rings, they bark to acknowledge it and this is followed by "sit" and "wait". Once in sitting position, I open the door and they are not allowed to be greeted by the visitors unless they maintain the "sit". Deja's little behind is the one that has the hardest time with this...she is convinced that absolutely everyone that visits has come to see her! Good luck!

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by Roccco'sMom

My rott...no matter how many chew toys he has he chews on the furniture, the wall trim and the carpet. I can't seem to break him of this. He is 5 months old...

If he was leashed to you or crated when you can't watch him, it would be virtually impossible for Rocco to chew anything you didn't want him to chew.

How much physical and mental exercise is Rocco getting? Is he in class? It's been my experience, over and over again, that a puppy or dog that's tired from being exercised, both mentally and physically, is more interested in sleeping and napping than doing much of anything else.

Originally Posted by Roccco'sMom

he also wont quite jumping on people when they come over.

If he's leashed to you, it would again, be virtually impossible for Rocco to be able to jump up on anyone or anything.

And if he's in class, you and he will learn Sit Stay.

[Roccco'sMom]

Originally Posted by kerry grant

Sorry i cant really help you as i am also having the same problems with my 5month old girl Bailey Bear.Please could you let me know how you stopped the digging because that is driving me mad,its only a matter of time before she reaches Australia,lol,.thanks kerry.

To stop him from digging, when we cleaned up his poop in the yard we would put it in the holes he dug and then fill the holes back up. Dogs don't like the smell of their own poop. After filling a couple of his holes up like that he stopped digging all together. I read this little trick in a puppy training book. And it worked very well for us.
Heidi

[kerry grant]

Thanks Heidi i will try that one.kerry.