It has been a while

[michelle8702]

Hi all I just wanted some suggestions from you guys... Dozer and I got back from germany and now he has a HUGE yard to run in and a nice little rescued Girlfriend named Rosie! She is older than him but she still has enough energy to run around with him for a while. Here is what has been going on. I am not sure if this is behavioral (sp?) or not... In the morning I let them out he does his buisness and the proceeds to tear the Latice off of my deck and chew it up... It is not for lack of toys out there either cause they have a ton of bones and rope toys out there.... He isn';t bored because he doesn't have time to be but I did spray it with that bitter apple spray stuff and he actually seems to ENJOY it! It is either that or it is wearing off or something!

I took him to the vet to make sure he was getting enough vitamins and such from his food and they said that he was fine.... Any suggestions?

 

[MinPin2Boxer]

Not sure if I know what to do. Maybe watch him and when he tries going after it redirect him with one of his toys and praise him when he plays with it. For awhile you might have to make sure you are around him that way you can catch him in the act. Maybe someone else might have other ideas?

 

[Jan]

Bitter Apple only works for a short period of time. You also need to shake it up very well as the bitters sink to the bottom. You also need to give him a taste of it. Spray some on you finger and put it in his mouth. They he will know what it tastes and smells like and will try and avoid it. I'm not sure that Bitter Apple is the best thing for wood that is outside. I believe that there are some pastes that you can get for wood.

The best thing might be is to be outside with him and redirect every time he goes for the wood.

Good luck!

 

[Cholbert]

Oh so familiar!

My Siren LOVES wood.....and she did the exact same thing - ate ALL the lattice work off the deck, chewed on the deck - none of our trees have bark left on them - her doghouse trim is slowly disappearing and fence pickets - WATCH OUT. She loved bitter apple too, habanero peppers and jalapenos. So....when she started on the wood siding on the house.....that was the straw that broke the camels back. Some people say it's that the dog has some kind of deficiency (related to vitamins) and some people get wood to let their dogs chew on, but I hate the possibility of splinters in a dogs tummy. Ready for my solution. A product called McNasty's. It's for horse - for cribbing. What is that you say? Horses chew on their corral - this is a spray that stops them. I use it - Siren HATES it. It's natural and won't hurt the dog - but I suggest getting something to cover your face when you spray it (or don't stand downwind like I, ahem, might have) and wash your hands - because it's hard to get the taste out of your mouth! If you can't find it anywhere - let me know and I can get it for you!~