Do those sprays you can buy to stop puppies chewing things actually work?

[saltire]

So far this morning puppy has chewed, or tried to chew 2 pencils, 6 clothes pegs, a pair of jeans, 4 shoes and the electric cable for the television

didn't work for us. In the puppy stage sometimes helped to give them those hide chews before we went out to give them something to chew other than our stuff.

it was quite funny to watch though. He'd go up taste it, pull the funniest faces, sneeze then carry on.

Saltire what sort of puppy is it?

The sprays work for some, but TBH a puppy chews if it is bored, play some games, do some training, go for a walk, all puppies chew, it is just a case of keeping them busy so they don't chew.

Also you can try frozen chicken wings raw out of the freezer, the cold will numb his teeth, and it will take him a while to eat it all, so you don't have to spend every second of every day keeping him busy.

I thought you shouldnt feed dogs chicken bones in case of splintering and causing internal injuries.

No, raw bones (any flavour) are fine as long as they are raw, you should never give a dog a cooked bone.

He's an 8 week Border Collie. he is being played with a lot. However it seems as though anything he sees he wants to chew. he is also trying to chew our hands and feet - which is why DS2 is terrifed of pup

My experience is no!

She chewed EVERYTHING. I'd just bought my daughters first pair of school shoes and put her name in them and they got chewed

Dogs Trust told us it was anxiety at being on her own as she would pine for us while we were out. She would sit on the stairs and chew the wood on the spindles on the staircase

I decided to take her out with us in the car and she chewed my handbrake!!!

I can look back and laugh now but really not funny at the time and I could fully understand how she ended up at the Dogs Trust....

All I can say now is that she is the best dog in the world and everyone adores her and says if they could guarantee getting one like her they would. They eventually grow out of it!!

Well he is at my feet just now, chewing furiously on the wheel on the computer chair!
He slept last night on his own, in his cosy little bed, without whining, and was all happy this morning at 6am when he yelped to get let out

Do a search on google for bite inhibition training, that should sort out the biting of hands and feet.

Have you got him booked into any puppy classes? These will really help, especially with such a strong minded and damn clever breed of dog like a BC.

BC's can be a bit OTT, bouncing off the walls type OTT. You need to really concentrate on training, not only because you will end up with a good dog, but because BC's crave the mental stimulation, they really are more clever than people give them credit for.

You also have to remember that these dogs were bred to keep sheep in line, so they will be more likely to learn with their teeth, but it doesn't mean you can't change that, it will just take a lot of hard work and commitment.

The last thing you want is an adult BC who is un-trained and bored, seriously, get him booked into a puppy class if you haven't already, and maybe buy some training books or something so you can be doing some things with him before the classes start.

These first few weeks you have him are the most important part of a dog's life, up until he is around 16-18 weeks he will just take everything in, like a sponge, he needs to see everything and everyone, he needs to know you are boss and he answers to you, but without fearing you.

Have you started basic comands like sit, down, stay?

Also you could look into clicker training, BC's are the perfect breed for it, they are clever enough to understand, and they are very obediant when trained correctly.

Don't let him chew the wheel, stop him and give him one of his toys, if weverytime you see him chew something you shouldn't, you give him something he can chew instead, he will soon get to know what he can, and what he can't chew.

*weverytime even

We had Border Collies in the past - up until last year we had 2, they were both put down within 7 months of each other, one age 16, the other about 14/15. They were 3 and 2 when we got them, so well trained, and past the chewing stage. he is dropping things when we say "leave" and understands (after saying it maybe 2 or 3 times) what NO means

He will pick it up very quickly, but you need to know the best way to get things across to him, and the best thing for that is the puppy classes.

I know they sound a bit OTT, and people will turn their noses up, but they are there for a reason, and there is no saying that if you don't take him to classes that he will never be a good dog, but it will be a hell of a lot easier, and he will love it as well.

You do have to concentrate on the tone of voice you use to train, if you are asking him to do something (e.g. sit) or if you are telling him no or leave, it all has to be the same tone, and when he does as he has been told, get giddy and smiley and tell him what a good boy he is, stroke him, maybe play a game, or give a little treat, make the teaching part a simple almost stern voice, and the reward absolutely fantastic

KONG!!! Get him a Kong (get 2) - fill with meaty treat, freeze.... give to dog once frozen... repeat ad nauseum

Cardboard boxes - loads, scattered around house - he can safely digest that

Plastic bottles (cola types) - remove lid and the ring bit... great for games of "fetch" too.

Train, Train, Train.... train him

All pups chew. Well, most anyway! So keep him busy chewing things he CAN safely chew like those boxes, Kongs etc, but try rawhides too. If you get some different ones you can rotate them and he won't get bored so quickly.

I really don't think you should give him raw chicken bones at all. It sets up bad habits - he might nick a cooked one out of the bin and really hurt himself. That goes for old shoes too - he won't be able to distinguish between the ones he's allowed to chew and your best ones... I remember giving my pup a piece of wood covered with carpet to chew. 10 minutes later I thought, "Why the HELL am I encouraging him to chew carpet? He'll think it's OK to chew ANY carpet...!"

Also, it sounds like he can get hold of an awful lot of things he shouldn't! Pick up everything you wouldn't want him to get at. Sounds harsh, but it's your fault if he's chewing pencils and clothes pegs!

Collies are bred to be working, busy dogs, so you really need to keep him stimulated. He's really young at the moment, but if he's deliberately chewing and stealing things he knows are forbidden later on, it'll be an attention-seeking game. He chews - you find him and pay attention by scolding him. There's his reward. He'll do it again. Play lots of games with him to use up that pup energy and then praise him when settles down to chew something you've given him.

It will pass - don't worry! Ours is 9 months (retriever) and he still loves chewing, but the point is that he's not really interested in anything he's not allowed, because he's always had his own toys/chews and I've spent 7 months clearing every floor of anything I don't want him to have...

God, I sound like some boring git, don't I?

And having said all that, the naughty so-and-so is having a go at DD's pencil case.

OMG sorry but that made me laugh, giving him a raw chicken wing to chew will not lead him to think he can get a cooked one out of the bin. What ever the pup is eating from his bowl will more than likely have a meaty flavour (or ideally actual meat) does that mean he will go and find the same meat in the bin and eat it?

However I do agree with the shoes and carpet thing.

Raw meat and bones are what nature intended for dogs to eat, what would wild dogs live on?

I think the best thing I ever read about living with a puppy is that if they wee on the carpet, chew the sofa to bits, or nick things out of the bin () roll up a news paper, and hit yourself over the head with it, hard. You should be keeping a very careful eye on the puppy, to make sure you see the signs for when he want's to toilet, or when he is chewing something, if you have moved anything he can't have out of harms reach, and then watched him as intently as you would watch an 18 month old child, then none of these 'bad' things will happen, if it happens, then you have lasped.

"I think the best thing I ever read about living with a puppy is that if they wee on the carpet, chew the sofa to bits, or nick things out of the bin () roll up a news paper, and hit yourself over the head with it, hard"

what would that achieve?!! (apart from a headache lol)

A firm "No" (think child running into road) and entertainment he is allowed (kong, cardboard, plastic bottles - nothing material as it will encourage "ooo nice material toy... therefore material things are ok - think I'll just eat a nibble of this slipper". Book training lessons too...

NatalieJane, you obviously have the ANGEL pup who would never sniff around or raid the bin... !

Wild dogs would obviously live off raw meat and bones, but I bet quite a few of them kark it after perforating their gut with a splinter.

When I was a kid we had a beagle who ate a whole chicken in one go off the kitchen table and then spent the rest of the week at the vet's vomiting blood and having its stomach stitched. Wasn't pretty, I have to say.

My Mum and the rest of us - who were clearly slack-jawed watching the A-Team or doing something other than keeping a 24/7 vigil on the table - should surely have been whacking ourselves with that newspaper then, and for the rest of our natural lives. Love that.

(Dog was fine in the end, BTW!)

LewisFan, the idea wasn't to actually hit yourself over the head with a newspaper, but a play on the whole hitting the dog with the rolled up news paper thing....

MillGuff, try doing a little reading up on the BARF (Bones And Raw Food) diet, it is what nature intended dogs to eat. I am sorry your dog was poorly with it, but I expect a whole chicken in a Beagles small belly would cause that damage just because there was too much.

And I don't have a dog anymore.

I suppose raising dog's is in the same vein as raising children, everyone has a different way of doing it, and their way is better than anyone elses, it is always good to learn new things though and not to get too bogged down in one trail of thought.

Saltire, good luck with the pup, BC puppies are soooo cute

Will do - thanks for the tip

You can try squeeking at him when he chews hands, feet, toes and so can DC when they get chewed. It has to be high pitched short squeek. ( pups do this to each other when one is being to rough, and so pup will know that he is hurting you).

For a real contant chewer on not allowed items a little squirt of water works wonders.
I was told to use a Jif lemon lemon IYSWIM... but empty the lemon out.. rinse out the lemon and fill with water. Apparently these hide well in the hand and pup has no idea that the water is coming from you. Only that the chewy thing squirts him!
Apart from that have a great time with pups and remember to socialise, take him in car, buses, roads where lorries go by and to meet postmen and police etc.. some dogs hate the flourecent jackets so its a good idea to get him used to them asap.

My friends Labrador puppy ate through their kitchen wall....

However, my dogs when they were puppy's have eaten their way through various shoes (until I learned to put them away.... and why is it always one shoe from a pair), numerous cushions, a bean bag, a Sophie Ellis Bextor cd (thank god they've got taste), two cartons of pineapple juice, a pouch of tobacco, dh's smoking additive (hmm) and one spindle on the banister.....

and I meant to say but pressed post by mistake definately Kong's are the best things ever made.... It's the only thing they haven't destroyed.....

Lol too at not giving dogs raw chicken bones. Our dogs are fed on barf (raw meat and bones) and can eat several whole chicken carcasses in one go. The danger is cooked bones and we are very careful how we dispose of these but they have never shown any particular interest in them over any other piece of tasty food.