chews everything

[MileHiRocky]

please help, Rocky has chewed up my daughters head gear and two pair of eye glasses all in two weeks time. He is getting food left on table or counters and if its not nailed down he eats it. Loves stuffed animals. We have a ton of toys laying all around the house for him to chew on and play with. What too do? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks

 

[Grimmja]

we've used "bitter apple" (in petstores) with some success, also we try to make sure he has plenty of his own toys and when we're not watching him or we're gone, ALL available things are put away. we have a 1 year old son, so that's lots of toys to put away, but we've gotten good at organizing them in totes on shelves and stacking toy boxes so they aren't accessible to the dog! it takes a lot of extra vigilance...how old is your dog? if a puppy, they go through chewing stages i hear...

 

[Jan]

We have a ton of toys laying all around the house for him to chew on and play with.

Big mistake. The same toys lying around all the time soon get boring. Pick them up and only give them a couple of toys at a time.

Don't leave any food out, put it away. You are just teaching him to counter surf. They don't know that it's not allowed.

Everyone in your house needs to learn to put things away, where the dog can't get it. You can shut the bedroom doors, but eventually one is going to get left open and the boxer will have fun. :(

 

[tyson&ali]

We quickly figured out what Tyson and Ali loved and we gave them plenty with much success! Tsyon loves rawhide and while it looks grose he will chew it and enjoy it, we keep these laying around about 4 at a time in case they lose one or two under the couch they have spares. We also give them soup bones and while at first they are not carpet friendly, as soon as they dry out we let them in the house! Ali will work on these forever! In between we give them pig ears, and petite greenies. We have been lucky I must say because the only shoe Ali got was one she could have!
I should also say that we have been on our toes because if the dogs chew something it is our fault not theirs. We do give them people food along with their dog food but NEVER while we are eating! Is it possible that your dog needs more than he is getting from his food? Vitamins etc? We found a tasty treat that gives them all the vitamins and veggies they need and they love it! plus as we are switching to a better food we are noticing tons of chances for the better! best of luck to you!

 

[tyson&ali]

I just remembered there was a post somewhere else about a puzzle ball type toy that drops treats when the babies roll them around and apparently it offers hours of entertainment! I intend to try this toy as soon as I find it! maybe give this a try!?! Tyson and Ali's mom

 

[Cami]

If you have the patience and time you can do what a friend of mine did with a rescue. This was an older german shepard. They sorta set-up the dog in the family room with desirable and undesirable items. It took about 2 months before the destruction of undesirables disappeared. They would place items in the room in the evening... newspapers, gloves, socks, etc....along with some exciting dog toys. Anytime the dog went for something that it shouldn't have it was told no, that item was removed and replaced with a toy. Eventually the dog figured out that when he played with his own toys that everything was good, if he grabbed something that was not his it was taken away, but replaced with something else.

I know there are other ways of doing this but this was the first thing that came to mind.

 

[Simba's Clan]

Rotate the stock

I agree with everyone that you need to rotate your stock frequently. Additionally, we still crate our 1 yr old male whenever we can not have him right by our side. I think you have to assume that they will destroy anything they want and our job is to see that it is next to impossible for them to do it!

 

[cam7867]

We had a bout with the same issue. I got some great advice from Jan. I went back and found it for you. I hope this helps. I did a cute/paste)

09-08-2004, 09:45 PM
Jan
Reasonable Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Burnaby, B.C. Canada
Posts: 3,875


Try rotating the toys. They often get bored with toys that they have all the time. If they have a different selection everyday and they are ones that they haven't seen for a couple of weeks they are like new toys to them.

You could try hiding some treats in her room in the room and she will have funds looking for them. You also might try a Buster Cube filled with treats and a frozen stuffed kong.

A dog walker might be a good idea as well. It would give he a chance to relieve herself during the day and it would break up her boredom.

Good Luck!

 

[Flexi's Mom]

I have heard that rawhides and pig ears are not healthy for the boxer breed, we usually give our boxer the corn starch bones as an alternative and she loves them...she will sit there for hours until she is finished with it. She also likes nylabones!

 

[ROMMEL'S MOM]

Rommel is a chewer too. I'm still trying different approaches to the problem but found that introducing "fresh" toys (rotating) is a WINNER! Also, he loves rawhide bones. He'll even save one of the end knots and play with it like a ball for a few days.

I haven't heard that rawhides aren't good for Boxers. I'd like a little more info on that, Flexi's mom, if it's available.

I totally agree that if the chew something they shouldn't, it's not their fault. It's the way of the dog to chew. We are the ones who supply the options. The idea of a midday walk is great, if that's possible for anyone.

I found a great wholesale pet supply online with a fabulous selection of toys and treats. Reasonable prices and quick delivery.