Spaniel chewing things!

[fireplaceburning]

Our Sprocker, 16 months, still finds stuff to pick up and chew. He's got much better but if I leave a slipper on the floor he'll decide to get it.

We try really hard to not leave anything but it's not fully possible. Does this mean I just need to watch him all the time? He has time when he is really happy snoozing in his bed but then will pop up with a glove he has found from somewhere 🙄.

He has a chew root which he likes but doesn't always compete with a sock off the airer (at the top which he has jumped to get!)

Have you tried him with lots of different natural chews?

Things like pigs ears, chicken feet, trachea, lambs trotters, fish skins, pizzle sticks, cows hooves - some people find them a bit gross (and they do smell) but they're healthy and natural and really good for dogs who like to chew.

My beagle gets one daily and doesn't chew anything else anymore :)

Yeah our dog is two and will still get slippers etc if they’re left in his reach, he’s better than he was and he has a tonne of chew toys but if something more interesting (eg he knows isn’t his!) he can’t help himself, if you don’t want him to have something keep it out of his way

Yeah we have a spaniel and he will grab everything. I suppose it’s their breed instinct. There is a good YouTube video called “it’s yer choice” which we’ve started doing with him to encourage him to only pick things up that he is given or directed to get and it’s a work in progress.
Honestly I do think it’s the breed though. They want stuff in their mouth!

Lol you are right I do think it's the breed, it's just exhausting trying to keep everything out of his way. This is why we have a crate (I know people have mixed opinions) as I can sit in bed after I've fed him for 30 mins with a cuppa without worrying about him hurting himself! It's a really big crate so he has space but I was hoping to get rid of it.

I'll take a look at that YouTube video

It does seem that he likes to chew soft things from your post eg slippers and socks.

You are giving him hard chews. Can you look at giving him alternatives to chew?

My sprocker is 5 and is sitting here right now with a shoe in her mouth.

@PollyRoulson do you have any recommendations? When he's had soft chew toys he has wrecked them in minutes and then they've not become safe- fluff everywhere

To be fair I’m not sure whether it’s the right approach but I just take the view that if I’ve left it in his reach it’s my fault that he gets it. We’re lucky in that he’s never actually swallowed something (maybe because we’ve never tried to get it off him without a fair swap) so he just has it.
I never quite realised what the term ‘puppy proofing’ meant until I had a Sprocker. When he goes to daycare it feels so naughty for me to just leave my trainers by the back door instead of putting them away! 🤣

OP I asked earlier but you didn't respond - have you tried him on natural animal chews?

I was always told that if you catch him chewing something he's not supposed to have, take it off him an replace with a toy he is allowed. Not sure if others agree, but my spaniel is not a chewer so somethings worked!

Good luck.

@sunflowersandbuttercups sorry.

He's had fish skins, venison twist things and yakers but I've not tried him with anything else. I'll look into pigs ears!

@Claudia84 you are right, we spend ages trying to keep things out of the way but I always seem to forget something 🤦🏼‍♀️. He's ok with our shoes but will want slippers and our garden crocs! We never had to do this with our lab when he was alive so it's come as a shock! Our field spaniel is fine and doesn't chew at all.

@mellongoose that's worth a try!!

Would really recommend antlers as good natural chew for spaniels. They last for ages unlike most other things which my WCS can nosh through in minutes.

[quote fireplaceburning]@sunflowersandbuttercups sorry.

He's had fish skins, venison twist things and yakers but I've not tried him with anything else. I'll look into pigs ears! [/quote]
No worries, it's easy to miss things :)

Pigs ears, trachea, lambs trotters etc. go down very well here. JRPetProducts is a great website.

@Tournesol oh yes we've done antlers but they are chewed so quickly, I'm wondering if I'm buying the wrong ones

@sunflowersandbuttercups I'll take a look, thanks

We have loads of natural chews for our dog as sunflowersandbuttercups has suggested. Trachea and chicken feet always a winner here. Keeps them busy😊