The chewing HAS to stop! Any suggestions please - getting desperate!

[sb6699]

Have posted about this before but really thought we had turned a corner.

My lab has always been a chewer and would run away with things so we couldnt get them back. We have now taught him to drop and reward and about a month ago it seemed to have calmed down (although not stopped completely). We took him to my mums for 10 days over the New Year and he didnt even touch a thing.

Now we're home, he has started again with a vengence. Toy Story Woody (DD2's Christmas present) is missing an arm and a boot) and have just come home to find he has chewed though DD1's new ready bed which was in its bag in the corner of the room.

DH wants to muzzle him when we go out and I really dont want to do this but can see his point - it is costing us a fortune to replace everything the dog eats and as he doesn't seem to mind what he's chewing I just know he's going to end up hurting himself.

Any suggestions on how we can stop this would be gratefully received.

Have you ever used a crate for him? I am very new to this dog training thing but our vet advised us to crate our new pup whenever we went out so that she can't run rampage through the house. But also to make it a sanctuary for her to escape to when she wanted time away from us too.

I'm sure somebody far more knowledgeable than me will be along soon (Bella??? Minimu??? )

Thanks tulpe. I have seriously considered a crate but he is a very large lab and we would have to get one large enough that he could move around in it to get comfortable (he has hip displasia and subsequent arthritis).

I'm not sure we have anywhere we could fit a big enough one or even whether they make them big enough but might have a google to see what's available.

If he's an older dog he probably won't react too well to crating, I think it works better when they're young, although I could be wrong.

I think the first call coulld be a trip to the vet just to rule out any problems with his teeth etc that are making him want to chew again suddenly (i.e. he's not chewing through pain and it is pure naughtiness).

Other than that, I think you'll just have to go back to basics unfortunately, as much of a pain as it is - confining him to one room, putting everything away so there's nothing to ruin, giving him a stuffed kong whenever you leave to keep him entertained (tastes better than plastic ), spraying surfaces with anti-chew spray etc etc, like he's a puppy again. At least this time he'll learn a bit quicker!

It's always worse when you think you've got it cracked and they take ten steps backwards!

He's just turned 12 months MrsL.

I do try to put everything way but somehow he always manages to find something!

Does he chew when you are out? Did he not chew at your mum's because you were all around more? It could be anxiety.

I think you would need to find a safe enclosed space for him, perhaps behind a baby gate somewhere, so you can at least contain the chewing.

My dog was a terrible chewer when a pup, at first it coincided with teething, then it stopped, then started again with a vengence between 9-12 months. But he grew out of it by about 15 months. Often he would do it if we were getting ready to go out and he was anxious to come with us.

We have a crate for him which was a godsend and eventually I think he matured enough to learn that if we went out we would come back. He got into our 'routine' if you like.
Feel for you though, labs can be terrible chewers.

How long is he left for when you go out and how much is he walked per day? (no of walks, how many minutes and what type of exercise, on/off lead?)

Is he from working or show stock?

He's never left very long - school/nursery run, supermarket that type of thing.

He gets 3 20 minutes walk each day but is out in the garden most of the time we are home (although we have a miniscule house our garden is huge!). The vet advised us not to walk him off the lead any longer than this as it will cause further cartillage damage which might limit the success of the operation he is due to have when he turns 2 to fix the HD.

I dont think its boredom. We play with him ALOT and we do training in the garden. Everything else seems to be going fine. He understands his commands (and responds "most" of the time and really happy and affectionate.

He didnt chew anything at all at my mum's midori. As everyone there works he had the same amount of company there as he has here. The chewing isnt just when we're out but when we are home too - but at least if we are there we can get whatever he has off him before he does any damage/hurts himself.

He is from working stock.

Ah, I wasn't aware he had hip dysplacia. This is aside from what you have asked, but were his parents both hip scored?

As for the chewing... dogs chew because it releases endorphines and relaxes them. They will chew anything and everything and until taught otherwise, will not realise the difference between chewing their own toys, or your sofa, possesions etc, so will chew whatever is to hand, regardless of how many toys they have.

I do think his lack of exercise is probably a big factor here, especially as he is from working lines, but as he has HD, there isn't much you can do about that really, other than try and occupy him in other ways, which is seems you are doing.

If it were me, I would either crate train him, or confine him to a room such as the kitchen when you are out. As well as that, keep a bone of stuffed kong that you only give him when you go out, so it remains a novelty for him, and maybe also certain toys he can have when you're out only. Also, make sure you don't leave anything where he can get it.

I thought the exercise might have something to do with it, suppose I'll just have to my best to deal with it until his OP.

We were very naive when we bought him. His parents are KC registered but we bought him without papers. We met someone who got their pup from the same breeder and she has HD to. Probably why my dog's litter werent registered - the breeders reasoning was that this litter was an accident and wanted to sell them quickly as his wife was pregnant and didnt want them in the house.

We assumed that as his parents were KC registered he would have been completely healthy.

Despite the chewing and problem hips - he is a lovely, handsome affectionate dog.

Just thanking my lucky stars we got him insured - not sure what we would have done if we hadnt, this OP and the meds for the arthritis will total around £5-6K by the time is "fixed" and even then there is no guarantee how long he will stay well for.

Off topic again, but did you know you can take his breeder to court? (maybe along with the owners of the other puppy with HD)

More than several 'breeders' (and I use the term loosely) have been successfully taken to court and the judge ruled that the breeder was legally liable for the state of their pups health, since they could have had the hips cores done, but chose not to, so didn't therefore do everything they could to produce healthy puppies.

I hope things work out with your pups op and he makes a good recovery.

Tbh, I think dh was more interested in seeing him again face-to-face iykwim. He was really worried about what had happened to the other pups if they hadnt been insured.

If they're owners dont have £5k in the bank, I suppose their only option would be pts

I was just a bit that he didnt do it at all at my mums and was wondering if I was doing something wrong at home.

Thanks for the advice btw.

I would definatley get a crate and then I would positively encourage the chewing but oviously on things that are suitable.

TWo reasons for the crate.
One no more chewing!
Two you can be quaranteed that he will be getting the rest he requires.

You will easily be able to get one big enough if you can't let me know and I will find you a link.

Have you tried swimming for exercise there any many doggy aquapools around that if the vet agrees will help burn off the energy without hurting him.

Crating is not cruel - just think of the damage he could do to himself when he is chewing the wrong things.

Get a kong get a juicy filling put him in the crate and he is in heaven uninterrupted chewing time.

I know you said you did not have space but I would seriously move the table out of the kitchen in preference!

Our kitchen is literally the size of a cupboard minimu - no space in there!

The swimming is a really good idea - he would be too exhausted after a session to even look at another remote control. I will go and search to see if there's one near here. Dont suppose you have any idea how much it would cost?

It can vary hugely so shop around one near to here charges £25.00!!!!! but another one £4.25 per hour,

If a crate really is out of the question I would make one room dog friendly (maybe the small kitchen?) then if the dog can not be supervised that is where he is put even when you pop to the loo or out of his sight for a minute.

Any consolation we also have an armless woody and one winged Buzz and several barbie dolls without legs!

My lab is 2 next month and has always been a chewer. Like you I got so sick of dreading coming home to discover more carnage, we tried a crate when he was 9 months - BIG mistake as he hated it and moved around so violently in it the whole crate moved accross the room. So, we got a kennel, and when we go out he is in the yard with fresh water, a weather proof kennel with loads of blankets and loads of toys/bones. Then everyone is happy.

I regressed on this recently as I was only nipping out for 20 mins so I left him in the house. When I came back he had decapitated 2 Ninja Turtles and totally mutilated Spiderman......

So my advice is get a kennel!

I think you really do need to worry quite seriously about what's going to happen to him if he keeps on chewing things he shouldn't.

I know we all laugh about Barbies with no legs etc but when you've seen the horribly infected guts of dogs who've done that, and when you've seen them die in agony as a result, it kind of loses its humour.

Put anything that he shoudln't have out of reach. Way out of reach.

I'd introduce a crate gradually and carefully, with the help of a behaviourist if need be.

Never tell him off after the event. I'm assuming you don't, but if you did that would create anxiety which could make him chew more. Dogs cannot connect being told off with anything except their behaviour at that precise instant.

Perhaps try a DAP collar to help soothe and calm him.

Provide plenty of new and varied chew toys. Raw beef marrowbones are the best - he will spend hours with one of those.

I hate to be so grim but seeing dogs die of peritonitis caused by foreign bodies is just awful. I have a 20 month lab and he's never eaten anything he shouldn't, because I've made sure he couldn't get hold of anything he shouldn't while he was younger, and now he can be left for 4 hours in the kitchen with his toys, and will not destroy anything else. I know your job has been made harder by his HD but you need to keep things out of reach, if nothing else.

HTH

Sorry sb I didn't realise he was only 12 months, I assumed he was older. Our 8 month old lab has ED so she doesn't get exercised as much as we'd like either, so I understand the frustration of having a (huge) hyper puppy! In our case the ED isn't genetic (we chose a reputable breeder through our vet who has had several litters from the same parents, and none have had ED in the past) and we think it is a result of her landing badly after accidentally jumping out of the car when she was a few months old. Coupled with that, she grew very fast despite managing her diet (she was 26kg when she was last weighed in November, god knows what she is now!) She's not overweight, in fact she's very slim, she's just big in general! She also has very clicky hips, although these have been x-rayed and checked by the consultant and he says they're OK, "not the best but not the worst" was how he put it. He's hoping she'll grow out of it and won't need an op.

Have you considered getting him a kennel outside? You can get some great ones now (the igloo ones are particularly good, but one of the big wooden ones with a built in run would keep him contained while you're away). He obviously enjoys being in the garden, and it sounds like you have plenty of space out there. So if he's only ever left for an hour or so at a time, it could be a good solution.

Ours are contained to our (biggish) kitchen when we're out, and have a doggy door to get out into the garden whenever they like. Unfortunately that means on days like today, my kitchen floor ends up knee deep in mud! So our kitchen is like a giant kennel at the moment. I felt guilty about putting them out in a kennel, but I've just had 3 weeks off over christmas and soon realised that they spend 90% of the day outside anyway, whatever the weather! Sitting out in the rain seems to be their favourite pastime, so I'm seriously reconsidering the kennel idea!

I really do worry about what is chewing and whether he will hurt himself - our vet warned us when he was a puppy (she is a lab breeder) that they can be notorious chewers and she has seen hundreds coming to her with internal injuries.

I think I said before that I do try to put everything out of his way and he is shut in the living room when we are out but because he is so big there isnt much he cant reach and with the house being so small there are only so many places we can put things.

Bella, what is DAP collar and where could I get one? Dont think I've seen one in the pet shop.

We spend a fortune on bones and toys but even when are left out for him, he will ignore these if he sees something else he fancies!

DrNotherner - a kennel sounds a good idea but he barks at all the rabbits, pheasants, mice that come into our garden so not sure my neighbour would be pleased if we left him out although I think the dog would be!

Minimu - meant to add I found a hydrotherapy pool! Its close enough that I could use it every couple of weeks when DH has a Monday off but not close enough that it could be any more regular than that as I have to be close by for nursery pick up at 12 and again for school at 3.

I think he would really enjoy this and it would help get rid of his pent up energy whilst being easy on his joints.

Everybody - thanks for all the tips. I feel a bit calmer and more positive than I did earlier.

If you think of any more keep them coming

Meant to add sb6699, your insurance will cover the hydrotherapy if your vet signs off on it as part of his treatment. Our local one is very good as it overs physio in the pool rather than just letting them swim (they need a vet's referral for this though). It's worth asking your vet, as there could be a private hydro place nearer than the one you've found (the one we used only worked on vet's referrals and therefore didn't need to advertise outside of this).

Glad you found a pool. Even better if insurance would pay.

Re the kennel it may not be a good idea cos of the HD as he could be charging around outside unless of course you go to the expense of fencing in a small area.

He is still young and as his activity can increase you will see a huge improvement.

We're due to go back to the vet in around 4 weeks for more x-rays (so he can assess if there has been any further deterioration and talk about when the OP should be done etc) so will mention the pool to him when I'm there.

Am going to phone the hydrotherapy centre in the morning to see how much it costs - if not too much I think I'll start before the vet trip anyway.

Really worried about my poor pup's OP (really shouldnt google things I know nothing about). It sounds really invasive although the results are supposedly amazing and if it doesnt work they'll just give him a whole new hip

I would personally be worried about leaving a dog outside when I went out in case it got stolen. More and more dogs are being stolen from gardens.

our lab used to chew as well. but we realised later that it was due to (a) excessive boredom (b) energy not being worked off.
longer walks and meeting other dogs (not just tossing the ball/ off the lead running) really helped.