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Author Topic : Carpet chewing problem......does anyone have any advice??
 Keavine Dobies
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9/11/2007 5:44:34 PM reply with quote send message to Keavine Dobies Object to Post   

Hi - Just wanting to see if anyone has ever had the same problem with a puppy and what products anyone can reccomend or any advice on how to end a problem.....
My dobermann puppy has recently decided she likes to lick carpet.....diodnt become an issue until she started to chew the carpet and leave us with patches where I can see the floorboards underneath.....Its only an issue when she is left at home without her humans!! She has another dog to play with and plenty of toys so I dont think boredom is the problem....
I have used two different stop chewing sprays but the taste of them doesnt seem to deter her....and the chemical smells are horrible....would love to know if there is anything else I can do....Id rather not use chemicals as I have a little baby.
Does anyone know of a natural product or anything that has actually stopped thier dogs chewing habit??
Would love to get some advice....Its a bit hard having the carpet eaten when Im renting my house and the dogs are supposed to live outside!!
 Canadienne
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9/11/2007 6:22:03 PM reply with quote send message to Canadienne Object to Post

Crate training is essential for (most importantly) the puppy's safety and will keep your house intact.

www.sfspca.org/behavior/dog_library/crating.pdf
 hunterclub
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9/11/2007 6:44:32 PM reply with quote send message to hunterclub Object to Post

my dog chews everything so just buy bitter apple and spray where ever the dog is chewing if that does'nt work try to cath your dog in the act of it then spray him in the face with water or if that does'nt work just spray your dog in the butt
 petzlover25
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9/14/2007 6:13:11 PM reply with quote send message to petzlover25 Object to Post

wen you chatch them doing it , just keep them in a craet. a short time at firts the a longer time every time they do it. like time out11
 petzlover25
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9/14/2007 6:13:46 PM reply with quote send message to petzlover25 Object to Post

wen you chatch them doing it , just keep them in a craet. a short time at firts the a longer time every time they do it. like time out!!
 jayne544
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9/14/2007 10:47:54 PM reply with quote send message to jayne544 Object to Post

my dog had the same prob....wen u c the mess hes made grab him sho him the damage n smack him.
 honcho
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9/15/2007 12:29:41 AM reply with quote send message to honcho Object to Post

quote
posted by jayne544
my dog had the same prob....wen u c the mess hes made grab him sho him the damage n smack him.
OH YA that will really help. NOT!!!! If you want your dog to be scared of your hand then go for it.
I would try the bitter apple, there is another spray on the market which actually doesnt ware off for a while it is called bitter yuck, just be careful about getting it on your hands because it doesnt come off very easily.
 K-9 Heaven
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9/15/2007 5:08:53 AM reply with quote send message to K-9 Heaven Object to Post

quote
posted by honcho
quote
posted by jayne544
my dog had the same prob....wen u c the mess hes made grab him sho him the damage n smack him.
OH YA that will really help. NOT!!!! If you want your dog to be scared of your hand then go for it.
I would try the bitter apple, there is another spray on the market which actually doesnt ware off for a while it is called bitter yuck, just be careful about getting it on your hands because it doesnt come off very easily.

I have used bitter yuck. I did crate my beagle pup when I was in school, and my step mother will let him out for 2 hours around 12'. In the mean time he got bored while he was in the crate and would naw and paw at the wall the crate was against. I moved it against another wall, and he continued with the problem. So I sprayed the part of the wall the crate was against with "Bitter Yuck" and he despised it. The wall was painted blue, and the paint didnt run when I applied the bitter yuck. Didnt have such a bad smell as well. I highly recomend this product.

KH
 Whispering Elms Kennels
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9/15/2007 5:50:16 AM reply with quote send message to Whispering Elms Kennels Object to Post

I agree with the crate training, especially with a puppy. If she is only chewing when unsupervised, she needs to be in a crate. Most dogs like their crates after they get used to them.
 tomcat1
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9/15/2007 5:55:55 AM reply with quote send message to tomcat1 Object to Post

quote
posted by petzlover25
wen you chatch them doing it , just keep them in a craet. a short time at firts the a longer time every time they do it. like time out!!
I wouldn't recommend that approach to crate training, as its a good way to make the dog come to hate the crate.

I'd recommend getting a crate, and at first, leaving the door open, with lots of things in the crate for the pup - eg a filled kong, a chew bone, his dinner. Then over time, once the pup'll go in the crate, shut the door for a few seconds, then open it, gradually getting longer until you can shut the door for up to an hour with the pup happy inside working at the kong etc with you in the room.

THEN you go back to just shutting the door briefly, leaving the room, then coming back, until again you can leave for an hour or more (but no longer then 2 or 3hrs MAX) with the pup being happy.
 Wolf claw
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9/15/2007 10:22:54 AM reply with quote send message to Wolf claw Object to Post

quote
posted by K-9 Heaven
quote
posted by honcho
quote
posted by jayne544
my dog had the same prob....wen u c the mess hes made grab him sho him the damage n smack him.
OH YA that will really help. NOT!!!! If you want your dog to be scared of your hand then go for it.
I would try the bitter apple, there is another spray on the market which actually doesnt ware off for a while it is called bitter yuck, just be careful about getting it on your hands because it doesnt come off very easily.

I have used bitter yuck. I did crate my beagle pup when I was in school, and my step mother will let him out for 2 hours around 12'. In the mean time he got bored while he was in the crate and would naw and paw at the wall the crate was against. I moved it against another wall, and he continued with the problem. So I sprayed the part of the wall the crate was against with "Bitter Yuck" and he despised it. The wall was painted blue, and the paint didnt run when I applied the bitter yuck. Didnt have such a bad smell as well. I highly recomend this product.

KH

Well i watch my dog 24/7. so when your watching the dog tell him or her no and swat them on the but . not hard but to the point where the dogs gives you there attenion. if that doesn't work buy lots of chewing toys like kongs.
 Keavine Dobies
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9/15/2007 9:33:46 PM reply with quote send message to Keavine Dobies Object to Post

I might try the bitter apple.....the puppy should know better by now....I always tell her no and occasioanlly if Im at the end of my tether with her she gets a little smack on the bum....but only if she keeps chewing when I have told her NO!!

I dont agree with using a crate with my dogs....plus who has the room for a massive crate for each of your dogs in thier house? I would need two of them and my house is not big enough!! Plus the pup would only end up eating the crate!! She already chews on the concrete outside if she is frustrated.

I have plenty of kongs and other toys in my house and allover the garden for her....but kongs and even toys that are supposed to be indestructible are being eaten.....At least they come back out the other end!!

She is a very well trained puppy in every other aspect.........just not when it comes to eating carpet!!
 Arkadian Utopia
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9/19/2007 6:08:17 AM reply with quote send message to Arkadian Utopia Object to Post

I would say that if she only does it when you are gone then it may be a bit of separation anxiaty?
Does she go balistic (jumping, overly happy) when you get home? Get upseat when you go?
I read a book a little while ago called "the dog whisperer" by a lady in england Jan Fennell.
She studied wolves after her dog bit her son and was put down. She worked on the idea that most problems like this are related to pack heirachy; that things like separation anxiaty only realy affect dogs who beleive that they are tha alpha, since an alpha dog must be responsable for you, whenever you go, the dog wories about you since it can't do its "job" and care for you.
But if you are the dominat "dog" in your pack, then it won't worry, it is all now your problem.
You should read the book, she helped a woman whos dog was litterally eating through her doors whenever she was gone.
I have used some of her tecniques with my dogs, and though they didn't have any problems, they now obey me beter than before.
I realy recomend that you ask if your local library can get it, because it realy is an awesome book, I loved it. Actually I photocopied the entire thing! laugh :D
Hope everything works out OK!
Best regards
Bianca
 Keavine Dobies
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9/19/2007 4:45:51 PM reply with quote send message to Keavine Dobies Object to Post

Thanks - will have to get myself a copy of the book.......pup does get over excited when I come home....but she does the same thing If I turn on the vaccuum or flush the toilet too - Im not sure if its seperation anxiety as much as just being overly excited about pretty much everything - And It shouldnt be boredom - although for the next few weeks she will be bored as her sister has a broken leg!!
 anthemforafallenstar
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10/25/2007 7:09:09 PM reply with quote send message to anthemforafallenstar Object to Post

hi, my puppy used to chew EVERYTHING! I sprayed tobasco sauce on the thing he likes to chew most...like the table and chair legs. This worked as he didnt like the sauce. hope this helps
 Keavine Dobies
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10/26/2007 5:16:55 PM reply with quote send message to Keavine Dobies Object to Post

Thanks for the advice but Im not going to try with tobasco sauce.....thats actually quite cruel!! Like people who put pepper in thier garden so thier dogs dont eat thier plants.....Ive been told by many vets that spicy things such as chilli and pepper can do alot of damage to a dog.....as you have to remember there are alot of nerves around the nose....which can affect thier smell and thier vision!! So I dont think tobasco sauce is the most humane way to train my pup!!

Thankyou to everyone for thier input on this problem.......my puppy is slowly calming down and has stopped eating my house....as now my son is crawling she has decided it is just much more fun to steal his toys and destroy them instead!!!
 anthemforafallenstar
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10/29/2007 9:49:11 PM reply with quote send message to anthemforafallenstar Object to Post

I forgot to mention the sauce was watered down A lot.
whoops
*embarrassed*
 Wildsyde
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10/29/2007 10:20:12 PM reply with quote send message to Wildsyde Object to Post

Young dogs left unattended at home need to be safely in a crate, Xpen, or room where they can't do damage. For their safety and the safety of your flooring/walls/furnature. They could otherwise be getting into electrical cords, major $$ damage, accidentally consuming things that wreck havoc on their gut, etc. Just make sure they get enough exercise when you get home.

At about 2yrs of age they can typically be trusted with the run of the house.

I wouldn't bother with bitter apple, etc on the carpet. That's a lot of stuff you'd have to stick on the whole carpet every day! I wouldn't want to live in a house covered with such stuff, and think of the poor dog having to lay in such nose burning stuff all day too.
 shortie_tall
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10/30/2007 5:28:46 AM reply with quote send message to shortie_tall Object to Post

quote
posted by jayne544
my dog had the same prob....wen u c the mess hes made grab him sho him the damage n smack him.
DONT do this. Especially if you found the mess after a while. Even after the dog has done it. Timing is essential. You must catch them in the act, or they will think they are getting in trouble for some other reason.
 Keavine Dobies
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10/30/2007 6:22:52 AM reply with quote send message to Keavine Dobies Object to Post

I dont think the pup is chewing the carpet because of seperation anxiety.....Im at home all the time as Ive got a little bub.....I generally dont go out for more than a few hours and thats only normally once or twice a week - so she has people at home with her almost all the time!!

I wont smack her unless I catch her doing something really really naughty - But now she is getting a bit older I just have to tell her NO and she generally knows what Im talking about - but then again being a dobie she thinks she is the boss of me and normally gets a case of selective hearing with most things!!

Im not going to even bother with bitter apple or anything like that now as my son has just started crawling - would hate for him to get anything like that in his mouth - the last horrid tasting thing I used to make a dog stop chewing at stitches was horrible - I accidentally got some on my hand and it ended up in my mouth - YUKKKKKY

Also Im glad to hear you watered down the tobasco sauce you used to make your dog stop chewing things - But I would never use that method no matter how watered down - still seems quite cruel!!

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The sit for exam is a modified version of the Stand for Exam. It is generally used in novice level classes and requires the handler to order the dog to sit and then to move away from the dog the length of the leash. The judge will then approach the dog and pet the dog's head.