How do I stop him chewing?

[sb6699]

My lab is now 10 mo and I thought the chewing stage would be coming to an end - but if anything it is getting worse.

He will chew anything - toys, remote controls, shoes, he even chewed my dd's school skirt that had been left out overnight for her and I had to bin it!

We do try to put everything outwith his reach but he is really big and seems find a way to get things he wants - he can jump on top of our dining table for instance.

It's not just the damage he's doing but I'm getting worried that he could hurt himself if he swallows something the shouldnt.

He has plenty of exercise and I have 3 dc's who play with him. We also give him toys which he ignores.

What can I do?

Hallo

You are right to be worried - lots of labs (and other dogs!)end up on operating tables because they eat something they shouldn't

Possible reasons are for him doing this are -

attention seeking (is he pretty much guaranteed to get your attention if he does this?)

boredom (lots of exercise and playing is often not enough for a young dog) - does he have interesting toys, which are rotated? If you leave a toy out every day he'll soon get bored of it.

Does he only do this when left alone (even if only in the next room)?

He does it constantly not just when he is left alone and I do get the impression it is attention seeking rather than boredom.

We do offer different toys (he has lots because we're still trying to find one he will play with) but he just isnt interested and will happily leave one of his toys to go and chew something he shouldnt.

So any ideas what I should do if it is attention seeking. I cant really ignore it if he is chewing something that could hurt him or for instance one of the dc's favourite toys but at the same time if I go chasing after him, telling him off I am giving him the attention he's after - catch 22!!!

Have you seen "Marley and Me"?!

Have you tried bitter apple spray? - tastes foul to most dogs, but there are always the exceptions to that rule so not 100% guaranteed. You should be able to get from pet shops - just spray onto the things you don't want him to touch, and now and again make sure you just respray these things. Hopefully he will soon learn that these things taste bad and give up. Worked a treat for my old lab back when she was a pup. Also though I did make sure at times she was likely to be bored and therefore chew more she did have an appropriate chew too - rawhide chews great for such occasions.
I'm sure he does get lots of exercise too but if you can try and get him out just a bit more and wear him out a little bit better - tends to help them improve behaviour!

Thank you both.

Havent seen Marley & Me - but the trailer does remind me of us

Will try the apple spray - but what about clothes and cushions - will it stain them?

I never had a problem on furnishings, but you should test a small corner first just to be on the safe side.

You can also try a firm 'no' when he picks up anything he shouldn't, and replace it with a toy. Plus lots of praise when he picks up a toy, as opposed to your best shoes

Rubbing any toy between your hands puts your scent on it and makes it more attractive to your dog.

In the meantime put anything dangerous/valuable out of reach.

A 'tug -a -jug' toy is really good - they have to work very hard to get treats out, and it keeps them occupied for ages.

Best of luck

Beautiful girls - he's only allowed a certain amount of exercise each day because he has hip dysplasia and I am already exceeding that so cant really do much more. We live on the edge of a field and we walk round that 3 times a day which takes a good 45 minutes (we're supposed to limit to 20 mins). I suppose if I was tiring him out a bit more he would just want to sleep but when his hips go he really is in a lot of pain and its just not worth it.

Hi Bella, think I will try rubbing the toys with my scent - he does seem to prefer my clothes!!!

When he was tiny he used to pull my stuff out of the washing basket with his teeth and sleep on them rather than his bed - suppose its something to do with the fact that its me who normally does the feeds/walks so he looks to me as his "carer".

He does have a Kong toy but he can get the chews out really quickly so no good for if I'm out. Have seen the Tug-a-Jug mentioned on here before so will maybe order one of those.

Thanks again.

Ok sounds simple but I know how hard this is. Only let him have things he can chew. Lock away shoes, toys etc put up gates to stop him going into rooms where there may be chewy objects.

Give him things he can chew kongs are fantastic for this, wipe peanut butter on things he can chew to encourage him.

Teach a leave it command so if he does goet hold of the wrong thing a bright and breezy leave it and he will happily give up what he is chewing for you to praise him and replace it with something yummy he can chew.

Some labs are real chewers and I would never totally trust them for about 2 years. If you do need to leave him alone make sure he has an area that is free from objects that he can do damage to.

It will stop but for some dogs it can take time. We have quite a lot of barbie dolls that are legless and toeless thanks to a lab I had!

I know it seems like it but he is not delibrately finding your things to chew to annoy you he just likes chewing and if you also chase him to get it back fantastic game!

You will find the more exercise he gets the "better" he becomes a good lab is vertainly a sleeping one. So maybe put in an extra walk or some clicker training only 10 mins of this will tire him out.

Thanks minimu. Have put everything I can away, but we do live in a tiny cottage so not everything can fit into cupboards (ours are already of the type that they are so full you have beware of doors flying open as you walk past).

The peanut butter thing on his toys might be a good idea - he seems to ignore the things he is allowed and goes straight for the things he shouldnt touch.

I have taught him to sit and drop (he responds most of the time but has his cheeky moments) but normally by the time I have realised he is chewing, what he has is already past saving!!

I know the extra exercise would probably do the world of good but I really dont want to do anything that would make his hip dysplasia any worse. The vet says they will sort it out when he is fully grown but that seems a LOOOOONG way off.