# How "mouthy" is your Hav?



## Skye (Jan 23, 2010)

I am still in the researching mode here. I do not have a Hav yet. In the past, I had 2 German Shepherds that were littermates, and a longhaired dachshund. Once out of the puppy stage, none of these dogs were destructive at all. They didn't "get into things", chew or scratch. Can you tell me how typical this behavior is for a Hav, or is it really just the individual dog? I am looking at this breed because it is allergy/kid friendly, and have fallen in love with it. I am just trying to get the best overall "picture" of this breed that I can! Thank you!


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

My experience has been that after the puppy stage, they are not destructive at all. Of course all bets can be off if there's a roll of toilet paper anywhere within their reach.


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## pixie's mom (Dec 27, 2009)

Keep a plenty supply of chew toys and it kept and is keeping my pups happy. That's not to say they didn't "borrow" a few flip flops, socks, and sneakers. My goldens were much more into furniture legs.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kodi is my only Hav, and he's not full grown yet. But I can tell you our experience with him! He has never touched furniture. We had problems with him chewing fabric things (think pillows and rug fringe) when he was younger, and he's still death on his own stuffed animals. Now, at 10 months, he seems to be mostly past this. As others have said, I make sure he has a number of "approved" chew items around so that he does have appropriate outlets for his need to chew.

I think his NEED to chew is quite strong... I've had him chew THROUGH the black (heavy-duty) Kongs. But he seems to have a clear idea of what things are OK for him to chew (HIS things) and which are off-limits (OUR things<g>). From what I've read on the forum, I also think he's got a stronger drive to chew than a lot of Havs... I know a bunch of people talk about their dogs still having stuffed animals they had as babies. Kodi only has PIECES of the stuffed animals he had as a baby.<g>


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Mine aren't destructive or chewy, but they do scratch! Mine love to scratch at a spot to sit to rumple it up and sometimes that's a dog bed or a blanket, but sometimes it's the carpeting or my leather recliners. :fear:


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## Skye (Jan 23, 2010)

good buddy said:


> Mine aren't destructive or chewy, but they do scratch! Mine love to scratch at a spot to sit to rumple it up and sometimes that's a dog bed or a blanket, but sometimes it's the carpeting or my leather recliners. :fear:


My dachshund would sometimes scratch the carpet or her pillow before circling to lay down! But not doors, furniture, etc....

It's just really good to know and understand as much as I can about this breed before I bring one home!


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## hav2 (Feb 26, 2010)

We keep a large toy box in our living room that is full of approved toys for Izzy. Anything from kongs, to small tennis balls, and stuffed animals. She likes to steal socks and paper and sometimes she will run off with the girls stuffed toys but she doesn't destroy anything but paper, which seems to be loved by all Havanese. I have never had a problem with her chewing things that she was not supposed to, but her toys have always been readily available to her.


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

hav2 said:


> We keep a large toy box in our living room that is full of approved toys for Izzy. Anything from kongs, to small tennis balls, and stuffed animals. She likes to steal socks and paper and sometimes she will run off with the girls stuffed toys but she doesn't destroy anything but paper, which seems to be loved by all Havanese. I have never had a problem with her chewing things that she was not supposed to, but her toys have always been readily available to her.


Oh yeah anything paper is NOT safe! Napkins, toilet paper, cardboard boxes and we've had a couple nasty homework incidents.


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## oohbetty (Mar 2, 2009)

We call our 15mo old Hav a chewing machine. He LOVES to chew! He knows what he's allowed to chew and is pretty good about only chewing his toys but some things are irresistible like my daughter's toys and our socks. We have to be very careful to keep our bedroom doors closed.


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## susieg (Aug 28, 2009)

I'm not sure if that's a breed-specific trait or if its how you teach your dog what's appropriate to chew and not to chew at a young age. It seems like most forum members have put in a lot of time training & working with their havs....so that could be why you're getting a response that they don't chew what they're not supposed to.

Lola is 9 months and isn't a destructive chewer. When she chewed something "bad" as a puppy I said no and gave her something she could chew and she learned quickly. She chews her toys and my ugg boots [b/c I let her even though I shouldn't]. When she was little she chewed up a shoe when I wasn't looking....but that's my fault for letting her chew my ugg boots & the occasional flip flop or sneaker. Have a feeling if I left the closet door open, our shoes would be fair game. And she loves tp, tissues, napkins, socks & such like others have mentioned. I have to keep the bathroom door closed, or the tp of its holder on the back of the toilet so she can't reach it and tp the house


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Our Dizzie is a great chewer, but only of approved toys,he has never been destructive,although he is a great shredder,no need to have a shredding machine if you have a Hav,oh by the way he has just had his first B'day,and is sitting snuggled up next to me chewing his chew.If there is nothing to hand for him to chew on he tend to try and mouth my hand although he is gentle when he does this,and we discourage it.


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## ksj123 (Jun 17, 2009)

Havs are wonderful little creatures.... but, I would suggest keeping any paper away from them. As you can see in Harley's picture, he has one of my bills in his mouth that he has shredded. Maybe now I won't have to pay that bill!


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## Skye (Jan 23, 2010)

Some of these answers remind me of Golden Retrievers. I lived with my aunt and uncle awhile back, and they had a mother/daughter. They would take paper towels all through the house. (I remember hanging a Mother Goose and Grimm comic on the refrigerator. It had the dog, Grimm, pulling toilet paper all through the house, and having it all over himself. He was imagining he was Lassie with a rope.) They also liked to eat bars of soap of all things!


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

Well...many of you know Kipling's weakness....socks....but he will chew anything plastic (think toys, sunglasses, food containers) if they are left unattended. So as long as he's kept occupied with approved chew items he is fine...he has never chewed furniture or ruined anything fabric.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Abby is nearly three now and as a puppy she liked magazines and books so we learned very quickly just to keep them up but now everything is safe unless she spots a kleenex!


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## Phoebs (May 28, 2009)

Phoebe really likes to chew a lot, but she limits it to items that she knows are ok. We keep bully sticks, bully braids, flossies and other chew toys around for her use. I agree that paper is a temptation she can't resist. Once and a while she will test the binding of a book if we leave it around. She also will sometimes try digging on our fabric sofa. I'm very pleased that she's basically a non-destructive gal. When I was young we had a bichon mix dog- she would sometimes get loved items and destroy them. I now look back and think that was separation anxiety behavior. I'm leaving Phoebe home alone more often now, and I make sure to give her a carrot or food ball with chicken breast or other treat. This keeps her busy and I do not sense that she is having problems with separation.


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## Anne Streeter (Apr 14, 2009)

Luci (13 months) is a chewer but has not damaged anything important until last week when she chewed up the 2 week old butter brush that I ordered after reading all the raves on the forum!  Maybe she was expressing her opinion about daily grooming sessions. Now she is back to paper shredding and the brush is on the way to Cherrybrook for repairs.


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

KSC said:


> Well...many of you know Kipling's weakness....socks....but he will chew anything plastic (think toys, sunglasses, food containers) if they are left unattended. So as long as he's kept occupied with approved chew items he is fine...he has never chewed furniture or ruined anything fabric.


ok yeah the plastic comment reminded me--water bottles aren't safe here either. The boys love those and will even try to get them while you're still drinking from them. I can't even keep the larger water bottles down low because Rufus has pierced them before and we had water all over the floor!


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Cicero has never damaged anything. He still has his first toy in his toybox. His only weakness is toilet paper and it now stays propped on a towel bar! He always has a chew stick handy.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Smarty is like Cicero she would still have her very first toy. She never chewed on anything other than a chew stick and paper, or maybe a shoe or two as a puppy. She is a shedder though, give her a chance at the toilet paper or paper towels and she can turn it into a thousand pieces very fast.

Galen on the other hand has destroyed all of the toys, the little appendages are gone on every one. Many have half the original stuffing. We have to watch her as she will pick up anything. This week it was pennies, we found her with 2 and have no idea how or where she got them. Neither of the girls have ever chewed on furniture or woodwork. They do have large rawhides and rib bones in their bone basket and are given Flossies several times a week.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I have one of each  One would chew anything... including the original floor molding on our older home, paper towel, shoes, etc. Luckily she outgrew it when she was about a year old. But in the meantime nothing was safe and as soon as we thought she could be trusted, she would chew up something. She also has an insane ability to sniff including finding mints in purses, empty sandwich containers in back packs, etc. Nothing is safe that once had food. The other never chewed anything in his life. He just doesn't have that need.


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

I have two who get into things. As adults, their only vices are our backyard plants and, of course, toilet paper and in McKenna's case, socks! 
As a puppy, McKenna chewed the baseboards that she could get to inside her expen, she chewed the stucco on the back of the house. She also chewed a table leg (thankfully it was a cheap table we've long since gotten rid of), and the corners of our area rug (also inexpensive, thankfully). This even though she had tons of toys and chew bones. 
Sedona has always been and still is content with the plants and flowers out back. She LOVES her toys and always chewed them instead of the furniture, rugs, or house when she was a puppy.


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## galaxie (Dec 1, 2009)

Roscoe is really good, even as a little baby he didn't chew on anything he wasn't supposed to...except for a little tuft of carpet that was sticking up. But the bitter apple fixed that! That being said, he does chew a fair amount, but only on his toys, especially bully sticks, he loves them.

Maddie on the other hand was a little destroyer when she was a puppy! She chewed up my $600 designer eyeglasses (sigh), and she would try to chew on the furniture. But the bitter apple did the trick with her, too. Little rascal girl she was!


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## Me+Sydney (Mar 5, 2010)

Sydney has decided in the last couple of days that the corner of the baseboards is an appealing chew toy. Ahhh! 

Obviously this is behaviour I want to squash quickly, but she has only done it Friday and this morning while I was at work. The worst of it is, that we are staying at a furnished apartment in Moncton temporarily and THAT'S where she has decided to chew!!!

It first happened on Friday, and I attributed that to boredom/anxiety because I was only able to run home for about 10 minutes at lunch (usually I am there for at least half an hour and we get a quick walk in too). However, this morning I'm not sure what got into her! She is 9 months old now and has never been the least bit destructive. I did bring the Bitter Apple spray back here after the weekend, but I guess maybe it had dried up over the course of the morning...? I was able to move her crate to block the one she had really gone after but there is one other corner exposed. Eeep. 

I am going to fill a couple of cans with pennies tonight and leave them in front of the corners so she has to knock them over to get at them - hopefully that will be enough of a deterrent (the shake can has historically been pretty effective when I have been there to shake it, but we haven't needed that in quite a while).

I also went a bit overboard when I came back to work after lunch and left her with two kongs and her treat ball in an effort to keep her focused on appropriate things to chew.

I really don't want to have to confine her to her crate - she has always been confined to a small room with the crate door open (bathroom here, kitchen in our apartment at home) and would likely make some noise if I were to lock her in the crate... Also not great for not getting kicked out of our temporary lodging!

I am hoping that if I just use a bit of white out to touch up the bits she has chewed that it won't be too noticeable... but I really need to keep her from continuing. 

Anyone have any other suggestions?


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

My 2 Cents worth.....

With Dexter as an only Hav, he liked to test things (a lot more than Jack the new pup). I do not keep the pups in crates, they have free range of the house. Of course, someone is 95% home all the time. I have not put away things in the house with Jack...I guess I have already have pup proofed the house for Jack. 

With Dexter as a pup....I put away chewable stuff that he could get to on the end tables, also push in dining room chairs (they will get on your dining room table). Things that were small that you did not want chewed on... (writing pens, cell phones with covers, papers, envelopes, etc.,) 

I have plenty of toys and bones around the house....Dexter will not play with the toys or bones when we are not home..he would rather look out the window...wondering when we are coming home. 

No destructive behavior...well, the only behavior I have noticed on Dexter was when he wanted attention, he knew he could chew a little on the corner of the end table next to my chair to get my attention. 

Personally, I think the destructive behavior you see in really bad dogs (Not Havs of course) is training problems/lack of exercise problems.

Start the pups early with playing with their toys, divert behavior unwanted behavior and replace that bad behavior with something appropriate, and praise the positive behavior. 

It is JUST LIKE RAISING a rambunctious human toddler getting into everything and running around and you watching these children very closely. You can't say "No!" to everything...the pup will think his name is "No." You want to train behavior to your Havs that is appropriate, so start young.

Training is fun and the reward is worth it!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Me+Sydney said:


> I really don't want to have to confine her to her crate - she has always been confined to a small room with the crate door open (bathroom here, kitchen in our apartment at home) and would likely make some noise if I were to lock her in the crate... Also not great for not getting kicked out of our temporary lodging!
> 
> I am hoping that if I just use a bit of white out to touch up the bits she has chewed that it won't be too noticeable... but I really need to keep her from continuing.
> 
> Anyone have any other suggestions?


First, what about an ex-pen rather than just her crate? It would give her some room to move around, but still keep her from damaging anything, or worse (because if you prevent her from chewing one thing, and you're not there to supervise her, she might very well move on to chew something like an electrical cord) dangerous.

If you feel you MUST leave her loose, and bitter apple doesn't work, try really, really strong hot sauce. (the one we used was Mad Dog Hot Sauce) This doesn't lose it's potency quickly the way way bitter apple does. (though in Kodi's case, he ignored bitter apple when freshly applied too!:biggrin1:


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## Me+Sydney (Mar 5, 2010)

krandall said:


> First, what about an ex-pen rather than just her crate? It would give her some room to move around, but still keep her from damaging anything, or worse (because if you prevent her from chewing one thing, and you're not there to supervise her, she might very well move on to chew something like an electrical cord) dangerous.
> 
> If you feel you MUST leave her loose, and bitter apple doesn't work, try really, really strong hot sauce. (the one we used was Mad Dog Hot Sauce) This doesn't lose it's potency quickly the way way bitter apple does. (though in Kodi's case, he ignored bitter apple when freshly applied too!:biggrin1:


At home, I keep her baby gated in the kitchen. I wasn't able to bring the ex-pen or gate with me to New Brunswick for the couple of months we are out here, so I have been leaving her in the bathroom. That worked fine for the first month, until she found something interesting to do in there! The bathroom is quite puppy proofed, and literally the only thing within reach other than her toys, water and crate are the baseboards.

The good news is, no more chewing this afternoon! Looks like I will just have to ration out her daily food a little differently, distributing less at meal times and more in her kongs / toys during the day. That seemed to keep her engaged and focused on appropriate chewies. It could just be that she has gotten bored with the toys I brought here. She has fewer than normal so they haven't been changed out quite as much.

Good tip on the hot sauce - I will have to keep that in mind if I get desperate!


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## Me+Sydney (Mar 5, 2010)

Good news - no more chewing so far! Since our toy selection is limited, I have been working hard to put a couple away and re-introduce them so they stay interesting. I have also started just scooping her daily food allotment into a separate ziploc each morning. That way I make sure that with the extra treats I am leaving behind during the day, I am not over feeding. I will have a rental car available this weekend so perhaps we will go shopping for something new and interesting for her! Only a couple of weeks left until we get back home to the full stash...


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## Becky Chittenden (Feb 4, 2009)

I have had chewers and most lately one who chewed wall board. Vicks VapoRub on the spots stopped that. After applying this the chewing stopped. I also give them bully sticks, as they really like them. I like the braided ones best as they last longer.


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