Posted by Roger Mugford - The Mindspert on the 8th December 2009
Jackie has a problem with her dogs chewing the furniture. She asked the petsperts®:
“We have two rescued dogs, a very well behaved 6 year old English Bull Terrier x Dalmation and an 8 month old American Bulldog (parents were Pedigree Johnsons American Bulldogs).
She is going through a very chewy stage, even if left for a few minutes. She has destroyed their beds, blankets, the sofas and the TV stand. We cannot seem to stop her chewing things. We have tried sprays on the furniture to no avail. Please help.”
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Hi Jackie,
Don’t despair! Many young dogs (and almost all Labradors) go through this extraordinary and very expensive oral phase, which can be likened to an obsession and an oral stereotypy just as in young children that never grow out of the dummy sucking phase.
First the good news: most such dogs self- resolve with no need for intervention or systematic therapy.
But the bad news is that some DONT get better: they continue to be at risk and make expensive companions!
This is my advice:
1. No matter what the provocation, do not punish her when you return AFTER the damage has been done (i.e. if the chewing was not witnessed).
2. Switch ALL feeding to a hard-to-get-at slow dispense system via Kongs or similar device (you will need at least an XL size in both the standard red Kong + a giant dental Kong). These can be filled with your dogs standard rations, which if a dry kibble should be wetted and frozen. This will give her a chewing challenge to maintain normal food intake. She may need to have up to 10 such double Kong chew episodes, i.e. 10 meals per day and that will be hard work!
3. Teach her that items made from wood, fabric etc are strictly out of bounds, to be removed by you with a scold, possibly with overt or better covert punishment. An example of the former might be to shake or throw a rattle can when she picks up the “forbidden” item, or covertly the hiss of a Pet Corrector spray.
4 Most important of all is that this young bitch has an interesting and exhausting life: lots of walks, games and training and having positive interactions with you the owner.
5. Then there is the possibility of crate training, or environmental restriction. If you didn’t start off with crate training when she was a young puppy, she will probably find it stressful now. However, there may be a room or space that is clear of tempting items, which with chewable toys like the Kong, can still make a pleasant environment for the dog.
6. Finally, it may be that your dog is simply missing human company and being alone in the house distresses her. There are well tried and tested ways of reducing these over-attachments . Visit my website for advice on treating separation disorders in dogs: www.companyofanimals.co.uk .
Good luck and write again if further help is needed.
Roger Mugford
Animal Psychologist and petspert®
