Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Mouthing and destruction - help!

6 replies

HairyFairyDogMother · 28/11/2021 12:06

10 month old Springer is becoming very hard to handle. He launches himself at us quite a lot, grabbing and ripping clothes. He's scared my teenage son as he did it on the stairs, nipping him hard on his backside. We tell him no and walk out of the room for him to calm down when possible but he also does this when on lead walks when he needs to leave another dog alone. No amount of high value treats can distract him. He did this as a young pup, calmed down, but upped it as a teenager. He was neutered a month ago.

At home he has taken to chewing the carpet on the stairs (he's already ripped a hole in the sofa). We're pretty sure it's when he is tired, so we put him in his crate. The main issue here though is he wants to chew soft things to calm himself but he eats them. We have had to remove all soft toys and his bedding for fear of bowel obstruction. At this point he does not want his yak milk chew, antler, Kong, coffee wood chew - only soft stuff.

Any advice?

He currently gets a 50min off lead run around in local country parks each morning and 40mins on lead walks (to practice loose lead walking) in the early evening - as well as lots of brain toys and enrichment activities. He is with a dog walker fridays who says he is great with other dogs (he is when off lead with us too).

TLDR - how do we stop the mouthing and clothes ripping, how do we stop the soft furnishing destruction?

OP posts:
icedcoffees · 28/11/2021 14:55

How much sleep does he get?

RedSpotOfJupiter · 28/11/2021 17:01

It's a v spaniel trait. Ours at 15 months will still try grab clothes given half a chance. We had to all consistently turn around when he tried to jump up and grab clothes. The turning around definitely works but you do need to all do it.

In terms of the mouthing soft things, has he learned how to retrieve yet? Once ours learned to use his mouth for a 'purpose', the random mouthing calmed down. I do think they mouth to calm down too.

Faevern · 28/11/2021 17:05

What are his brain toys and enrichment activities, does he hunt or just run? Is he bored?

SweetBabyCheeses99 · 28/11/2021 17:14

Wow I had no idea how many synonyms there were for the word bite! Really surprised that you manage to walk him off the lead. How would you feel if he launched himself at someone else’s child and bit them?

KILM · 29/11/2021 08:03

Our 5 month old working cocker is also a notorious toy destroyer, but only certain toys! Few suggestions below in case you havnt tried them:
Old flannel/towel
A flattie toy like this: (our pup is much less likely to destroy if it already feels like a floppy dead animal... its the gundog in her!)
www.amazon.co.uk/Happy-Unstuffed-Chipmunk-Character-Soft/dp/B004BFX5TS/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?crid=3OG8K8G74DC8V&keywords=dog+flattie+toys&sprefix=dog+flatt%2Caps%2C91&srpt=PET_TOY&qsid=261-9293309-5274738&sres=B005XXZYGO%2CB09CV7PGKR%2CB086LJLNDZ%2CB07X1QJNGJ%2CB004BFX5TS%2CB085SWDM8Y%2CB00422KYDK%2CB08VJ6NK1T%2CB008R7VFVQ%2CB071F9DPYC%2CB07HG3GT15%2CB01C5MXEJO%2CB01MZFZF1T%2CB01LY5709X&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1638172537&sr=8-8
Kong do rope-based ones: www.amazon.co.uk/KONG-Floppy-Knots-Hippo-Medium/dp/B01L0M1G18/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2OQOENQDXDO8&keywords=kong+rope+toy&sprefix=kong+rope+toy%2Caps%2C80&srpt=PET_TOY&qsid=261-9293309-5274738&sres=B01L0M1G18%2CB01L0QSL3A%2CB014JZKVCS%2CB00EAN1OO4%2CB01KU9JXYY%2CB0002AR178%2CB07CPYWWRN%2CB0002AR1AA%2CB004VBC0Z2%2CB0002AR17I%2CB0848G5K9G%2CB004GEARPE%2CB002GJXSQ6%2CB004GEARQ8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1638172283&sr=8-3

And she has a smaller version of this, which if im honest i was expecting to die within a day but its got crinkly legs rather than stuffed and i think because its got a bit more to it than the average soft toy with all the legs and the crinkly sound it distracts her from destroying. If she ever does get into the stuffed head bit i will empty it out then sew it back up.
www.amazon.co.uk/Petface-Dog-Toy-Large-Octopus/dp/B01H3T6TDW/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=TMUAA1ZBTDNU&keywords=octopus+dog+toy&sprefix=octopus+dog+toy%2Caps%2C82&srpt=PET_TOY&qsid=261-9293309-5274738&sres=B01H3T6TDW%2CB08SK38XBD%2CB08RDBL9TX%2CB088DBKKBZ%2CB08H59WXS2%2CB08GKBFQCB%2CB001PLOD6U%2CB08YJJ8BH2%2CB08CRBG2SR%2CB09G2FLD6V%2CB09C5G63X8%2CB092QYK35T%2CB09FPSG6V8%2CB08NT4CVJZ&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1638172745&sr=8-3

KILM · 29/11/2021 08:08

Oh and ours had ripped open and started eating every bed we bought (3 of the bloody things..) but she's had this blanket throughout and has only managed to make a single hole in it so now she sleeps in a hard plastic bed with a couple of these shoved in, if you look through the colours they do small sizes that could be used as a toy/comforter if you tie a knot in it?
www.amazon.co.uk/furrybaby-Premium-Fluffy-Blanket-60x80cm/dp/B077GKH99Z?ref_=ast_sto_dp&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

New posts on this thread. Refresh page