# Chewing and Mischief - strategies?



## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

Hi everyone

Kipling is now 8 months and I'm really struggling with his need to chew lately. It seems we can afford him less freedom all the time. The minute he has freedom he seems to wander off and get something he's not supposed to have and he'll chew. My question is, is this a normal part of development? How long will it last and will there come a time when he will simply lounge around and leave things alone? 

In terms of strategies I keep him in the office with me when I'm working. He's good there. He's in the bedroom with us when we're getting ready in the morning - there are things to get into there so he needs to be watched carefully and then otherwise I seem to need to leash him to me or to a stair post near me, or crate him....thoughts anyone?


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

no such thing as mischief. This is normal behaviour. Here is a good article about chewing. http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/destructive-chewing


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

Very helpful Dave - thank you. Of course you know I meant mischief in the most affectionate way right?


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

NO.bitter apple. And giving them something that was acceptable to chew on worked for us...eventually... after Jasper chewed the new french doors, then a year later Cash chewed the other new french doors and the molding on a hutch and the support pole for a wicker chair...which we noticed only because like a little beaver he working away at it til he had a bully stick size piece of wood we had no idea where it came from until we hunted it down. He knawed at one side then the other til he had his stick. 

Good News is, after about a year they got it! so you only have a few months to go with Kipling.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

KSC said:


> Very helpful Dave - thank you. Of course you know I meant mischief in the most affectionate way right?


I know, just wanted to make sure no one else thought that dogs are deliberately mischievous LOL .


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

Dave - LOL....he really looks so satisified and innocent when he's chewing

Missy - thank you...


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## galaxie (Dec 1, 2009)

Maddie was a hardcore chewer until she was about a year and a half old. Once she was about a year she had finally figured out which things were OK to chew and which things were NOT. We used bitter apple religiously which really helped to get her to stop chewing the furniture.

Roscoe likes to find the tiny ends of our berber carpet and try to rip them up. Earlier today I discovered that he had pushed his ex pen off the corner of the plastic floor protector we use. He chewed or clawed (not sure) up about 4 inches of carpet  Thankfully because of the nature of berber carpet it's not super obvious unless you get down on your hands and knees and look for it. Still a big bummer. So I sprayed the entire border of the ex pen with bitter apple, so far he hasn't tried to chew any more.

Good luck with the chewing. I hope Rosoce outgrows this whole carpet destruction phase really FAST. Total bummer because we moved just a month before we got him and our old place had porcelain tile throughout - translation, cannot be chewed!


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

What I find hardest is that we really can't let him wander at all - the minute he's free he roams and finds something he shouldn't have - I am not noticing him being terribly velcro. He's independent and quite adventurous...


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## galaxie (Dec 1, 2009)

Maybe you should wear high socks and stuff some treats in there, ha! That will keep him following you around


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

galaxie said:


> Maybe you should wear high socks and stuff some treats in there, ha! That will keep him following you around


Totally true!! He's my best friend when I have treats in hand


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## Maxmom (Jul 22, 2008)

ound: Natalie!

My boys are two years old now and they are both chewers. As soon as I run my bath, the dogs are roaming the house for forgotten forbidden items left on the floor. If either of them are not watching me take a bath, I know they are up to no good.


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## galaxie (Dec 1, 2009)

^ SO TRUE! This morning as I was getting ready to take a shower, Roscoe tried to steal my undies! He's 14 weeks and hasn't tried to do this before. I was kind of hoping that he wouldn't be an undie thief, I guess that was wishful thinking! LOL


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## waybrook (Sep 13, 2009)

Kipling and Panda are about the same age and seem to be going through these phasses at the same time. I've given up and started putting Panda in her ex pen when I can't keep an eye on her. The biggest problem is remembering to check on her frequently when she is out. She is a "wanderer" and I've got to keep reminding myself to check on her whereabouts. Shoes, tp, dust ruffles - nothing is really safe right now - hopefully this to shall pass.....


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## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

KSC said:


> What I find hardest is that we really can't let him wander at all - the minute he's free he roams and finds something he shouldn't have - I am not noticing him being terribly velcro. He's independent and quite adventurous...


Oh, YEAH! This is Mojo, at least the independent and adventurous part. Mojo is probably not quite as naughty, and I'm able to leave him loose in the house for a couple of hours during the day without trouble. But it depends on the time of day, too. And he gets in terribly wild moods where he seems to be into everything non-stop, and still grabs with his teeth...he's almost nine months old. I'm glad to hear it's not just me....


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## scoobydoo (Oct 5, 2009)

Scooby is almot 9 months. Not a big chewer but really bad for stealing things. If he is out of sight he has a toy,sock shoe etc 
Have a really hard time with him and my 5 year olds toys. Does not chew them more like shake them to death.
Also goes crazy when we have visitors. Makes these weird squealing noises. 
Teenage dogs not for the faint hearted ..........


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## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

Try it with a 2-year-old and her toys. "No, MINE!!! MINE!!! Nan, Mojo have my toy, get it BACK!!"

I came home from a meeting one evening and found my husband desperately in need of my help in retrieving "Max" (as in Where The Wild Things Are), my granddaughter's new puppet from her Christmas stocking. Max's "wolf tail" Mojo found irresistible. 

You know you have a puppy when....

...when Christmas shopping for your grandchild, every item you consider needs to pass the "Will-the-puppy-get-it-or-destroy-it" test.

Max did not pass this test, but my granddaughter is so in love with the classic book that I couldn't resist the puppet. Max is now carefully guarded and is still intact.


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

OMG I'm ROFL with all your comments! I knew it would be good to ask you all about this and I feel so much better! K is chewing his Kong happily now as we speak. I have upped his attention level, I took him for a walk this morning (which I've been avoiding due to cold) and I'm giving him more variety for chewing. So far today he's enjoyed time with a bully stick and now his kong - thanks to Dave for the article which reminded me. I had gotten a little lax on giving him good chewable items. 

Maxmom and Galaxie - same here - not hanging with me watching bath? = in trouble likely chewing unmentionables!

Donna - when you said this I laughed out loud "The biggest problem is remembering to check on her frequently when she is out. She is a "wanderer" and I've got to keep reminding myself to check on her whereabouts." - this is us...our minds will wander and then all of a sudden my husband or I will click in...OMG...where's Kipling...and we all go into desparate search mode usually to find him hovering over a shredded kleenex or a half dead toy....yep - Kipling is a wanderer too!

Jo and Mojo's Mom - so so funny - my dd's room is heaven for Kipling - every morning he helps himself to one of her many many many stuffies. She comes tearing out after him....it's really very funny.

So..I'm glad to hear from you all to know this is a normal part of things for this age. I will use the strategies and ideas offered and will endure our teenager!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Fortunately, there are lots of us going through this together... misery loves company!<g>

Kodi has also become both a chew monster and a thief. When he's quiet and NOT by my feet, I know we are in trouble. When he's just playing, he makes noise and you can tell what he's doing. His favorite toys make noise. If they don't make noise by themselves, he'll find a way to make noise WITH them. If he's silent, you're in trouble!<g>

He's also a wold class burglar. And, I don't know, Dave, he seems to KNOW what things are his, and what things he needs to be sneaky about.<g> Socks are a big favorite, as are any small, choke-able items inadvertently dropped on the floor.

Fortunately, he does not (at least yet!!!) show any interest in furniture chewing. He's death on pillows, though, they are all put away for the time being. He has eaten a couple of computer cords an Ipod cord and a PSP cord (bigger kids, more expensive chew toys ;-) Fortunately, my DH is good at soldering He also was going after all the fringed edges of our oriental rugs.

Bitter Apple has no appreciable effect on him... He sneezes once or twice and is back in business. We HAVE found that really strong hot sauce works very well. We put it on all exposed cords or other hard surfaces with a Q-tip. For soft stuff like pillows and the rug, I pin a piece of cloth to the area he's bothering and put the hot sauce on the cloth. Works wonders!!!

But mostly, our house looks like we live in an armed camp. We have baby gates and extra ex-pens that we put into service to keep him in a fairly contained area near us, and to protect anything that he happens to have fixated on that we can't remove. I would never leave him loose in the house alone at this point, but quite honestly, he wouldn't be happy, either. He feels safe in his ex-pen/crate combination, and that's where he wants to be when we aren't around.


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

OK so Kodi and Kipling were clearly twins separated at birth - so glad to hear how busy he is too.

Who do we have now - Kodi, Mozart, Kipling, Scooby, Panda - all around the 8-9 month mark - who am I missing?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KSC said:


> OK so Kodi and Kipling were clearly twins separated at birth - so glad to hear how busy he is too.
> 
> Who do we have now - Kodi, Mozart, Kipling, Scooby, Panda - all around the 8-9 month mark - who am I missing?


Yep. Definitely separated at birth.<g> Oh, the other thing he chews (through) is leashes, if he's tied up. Your method wouldn't work unless I had him dragging a chain around like a junkyard dog!<g>


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

I'll thank my lucky stars that he's not chewing the leash just yet. He also doesn't touch furniture which I'm happy about.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

you know it's bad when hearing about the chewing phase makes me even more IWAP!!!

although DH and I are finally feeling like we can patch and paint the doors...maybe this winter instead of a vacation.

Just wanted to mention this great chew for aggressive chewers. Nylabone Super Tuff dental chews

Amazon.com: Super Tuff for Little Dogs - Chicken - 2 pk: Home & Garden

They are the perfect size and very hard which my boys really like. and they have no calories...this site is a great price-- when I buy them locally they are 6 bucks for 2.


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

Thanks for the tip Missy - I'll look at them. Are they able to chew any pieces off of them?


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