Can I stop 1yr old dog chewing. . .

[WorkingtoohardMama]

The dc's toys??

Our gorgeous chihuahua miniature pinscher is a year old, has got a lovely temperament, is brilliant with the dc and house trained but - the dc can't put anything down for a second without him chewing it.

We encourage the dc to play with anything small at the table and not to leave anything on the floor, but it seems that no matter how careful we are, he finds a way.

So many of their toys have been ruined, and today he chewed one of dd's shoes (brand new - I nearly cried!).

He has got plenty of toys and gets lots of attention and exercise, do is there anything else we can do or just accept that it's all part of having a dog in the house!

Anyone??

Ah you have yourself a chewer - unfortunately, so do we! Our 2 year old lab has shredded many og beds and anything else left in her path, and it really gets you down - constantly buying things only for them to be ruined by a dog! She is otherwise trained in every other way!

The only thing I can suggest is when you catch him chewing something he shouldn't be, instead of scolding him, immediately replace that item with something that is ok to chew (one of his toys or bones). I'm afraid, other than that, pretty much the only thing I can suggest is keep doing what you're doing - keeping stuff out of his way!

If left to her own devices, my lab would have the whole kitchen in shreds so we crate her when we leave her alone. Sorry I couldn't offer anything better!

It might be an age thing - our labs stopped chewing when they were about 14 - 15 months old. The Kennel Club guide for new owners says that chewing should stop around about 14 months old too. Clearly Bangers your dog hasn't read this.

And I agree with what Bangers said - replace the offending item with something that can be chewed. Dogs release serotonin when chewing, and it makes them all happy, hence they need to chew. I give my younger dogs pigs ears and rawhide chews to eat to distract them from the furniture.

Haha my dog definately hasnt read this but she's brill with everything else so I shouldn't whinge really :)

Thank you so much for your replies, brilliant advice! Will definitely try replacing whatever he's chewing and I'll keep my fingers crossed that he grows out of it!

Good luck :)