Please help me with chewing 😭

[Sidhdbej]

I am at my wits end with my dog and I don't know what to do, she chews and steals everything. She is a fox hound and will be 2 in May if that's relevant.

We have a 5 year old and it really isn't as simple as saying move stuff out of her reach, I honestly try my best but I can't physically check the 5 year old hasn't left anything out constantly and it's always her stuff the dog chews and we remind her and remind her and remind her but she is 5 and everytime it happens she breaks her heart and I cant keep watching it happen.

Its always irreplaceable too, today's was a watch we bought in America and I cant find a replacement for love nor money.

I understand it isn't the dogs fault and that she doesn't know what she's doing but I don't know what to do and I can't keep on replacing everything and having a heartbroken child.

So far we have tried,

Distraction
Treats when she goes to get something and we say leave
Spray bottle
Time in her bed
Stern words
And in my less fine moments crying at her to just behave.

She has toys but the only toys she wants are soft toys which she destroys in literal seconds and I cant afford £5 a day on teddies for her to destroy. Even the big massive ropes she can destroy in a day or two (we do but her one of these a week) we have tried the really hard nylon bones but she just isn't interested, she won't even chew hide bones.

Please help, I have had dogs before but nothing as destructive as this one. I know it's my fault but I don't know how to help the dog learn. The spray bottle works ok but it only stops her chewing that one specific item (I.e. the sofa) so it doesn't really work for toys as they are destroyed too fast

(I love the dog very much, she is walked 2 or 3 times a day in open fields and when she isn't breaking my child's heart we are best friends)

Keep ddog out of rooms that have stuff in they can reach… sorry it’s a blunt response but you cannot expect a dog to know what it can and can’t chew if it’s left in its reach

Long lasting chews things like lambs horn/ olive branches/ pizzles you could look at.

Why do you think she’s chewing is she bored / does she get enough sleep? 2/3 walks a day is a lot so possibly she’s over stimulated?

Nerf do ddog toys. Even husky proof ime!!

It sounds as though you've tried lots of things, it hasn't had an immediate effect, so you've moved onto the next thing, which just confuses the dog to be honest. Try one thing, a positive thing (not shouting, and definitely not a spray bottle) and be consistent. It will take time.

Does she get a lot of sniffing time? She is a hound, she's a working dog really, an independent breed designed to get a scent and do their own thing. As well as walks, does she get many brain game time? Scent games could suit her. Encouraging her to use her brain, will tire her out more than any walk (in fact many long walks just creates a super fit dog!) and mean she has less time to think about creating her own entertainment.

Fox hounds don't often make ideal pets. As said they are working dogs and need a huge amount of exercise and mental stimulation.

Tough toys, bones, puzzle feeders may all help but it's possible you will never have a really quiet family pet.

Foxhounds are not really family pets. They weren't bred to be companion animals and that has not changed. I think you are fighting a losing battle.

Foxhounds are scent dogs and need lots of mental as well as physical stimulation.

So, rather than trying to punish her for chewing (please, please stop spraying her with water, it won't help), you need to look at how stimulating the rest of her life is. What are her walks like? Is she allowed off the lead to run? Do you do anything with her to stimulate her brain like scent work, agility, training on walks etc?

I have a beagle so he's fairly similar to a foxhound - he loves natural chews - the smellier the better. Things like stuffed cows hooves, beef tendons, lamb braids, pizzles, pigs ears, hairy cows ears, beef skins - he has at least one of those a day. You could also try her with stuffed kongs, snuffle mats and lick-e-mats to help keep her busy - ideally feed all her meals that way too.

You have to remember that chewing is a calming behaviour for dogs and it's instinctive - if you don't tire her out she will chew because that's what dogs do, especially if you leave loads of tempting things within her reach.

So, as well as mental/physical stimulation, you need to work on your environment. If the dog can't be trusted around your daughters' toys, then she needs to be shut out of the room unless you're right there to supervise. We used baby gates even now my beagle is four to keep him away from certain items - dogs can't resist temptation and it's unfair to expect them to do so IMO. Set them up for success, not failure.

Good luck. This is solvable but you need to look at fixing your environment as well as changing what you give your dog to help her succeed.

I’m no expert but I can share what has worked well with my working springer spaniel.

Consistent redirection and positive reinforcement. If he picks up anything that is not his, immediately stand up and make a startling “ah” sound. Remove forbidden object and make him interested in his own toy. “Sit”, “leave”, “go on then”. Ddog is now so focused on his new prize and doesn’t object to losing the first object.

Also, I have gradually removed Ddog soft toys and replaced with rope, nylabone, tasty one, etc. Less destruction. You need to play with the dog so that he uses the toys properly. Only chew toys and bones should be chewed. Balls are thrown/ retrieved (outside only). Rope toys are usually for playing tug of war. I don’t really see the point in giving soft toys to an adult dog - the only fun game seems to be “find the squeaker” which is destructive and potentially hazardous. If he begins ripping a rope toy to shreds, we do the same thing as above and replace it with a nylabone.

We started this from day one so of course it may be different for your adult dog. However, Ddog did have a small relapse at 1yo when my son was born and lots of baby toys arrived (understandably, it was difficult for ddog to differentiate at first but he seems to know now which toys are his). What helped us with this is that we have always made a bit of a game of introducing new dog toys to Ddog. We’d never just leave it in his bed for him to come across. Our logic is, that helps him to understand what is for him and what is not.

You have my sympathies, my sister and I have brother dogs and they are both chewy little monsters. Mine has destroyed a lot less stuff than hers simply because I have no children and so it's much easier to keep stuff out of reach. I know your daughter is young but teaching her to keep precious stuff out of reach is the only way to guarantee this not happening. Maybe in her room and shut the door when no one in there.

I agree with the suggestions of natural chews- Amazon does large bags of things like furry rabbit ears and bully sticks which my boy loves. My local butcher has raw bones for 50p which occupy him for ages. Also cheap stuffed toys- Poundland is good for squashy nylon toys which take longer to destroy. Also once mine had ripped something I often clear out the stuffing and give it back to him as he still enjoys chewing it so I don't replace as fast as I used to. Charity shops also good but make sure they are pet safe.