Stop Chewing

[sfeliz]

Hello Everyone,

I have a almost 3 year old male boxer, who has been an amazing pet. This past February we had to keep him in our finished basement while we are at work and he was ok, he has all his toys there and couches etc...
In the last 2 weeks he has been chewing our stair case and we had brought it to his attention and said NO, BAD TYSON and nothing, he continues to chew it to a point that we will more likely have to purchase a new stair case.
Hubby is getting fed up and already advising me that I have to do something or we will have to give Tyson away which is so devestating to me, he is my baby.
Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions how to correct this.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Gilbert]

Maybe some bitter spray on the stair case can make him stop.

 

[johann]

He sounds bored. More exercise for him will help get rid of the chewing. How much activity does he get in a day? Going for a walk before you go to work and then giving him a kong or raw bone to chew on could be all it takes to stop the chewing.

A downside to using bitter apple is that he'll find something else to chew on. Trust me, been there, done that....now have a new couch.

Please think of other options before letting your husband get rid of him. He could always go back to being crated during the day while you're at work.

I would increase his exercise and start giving him appropriate things to chew on (kong stuffed with food/PB/etc and raw bones).

 

[Cami]

Bringing something to his attention AFTER the fact and telling him NO at that time is a waste of energy on your part. Unless you can catch him in the act and correct immediately he has no idea that you don't want him to do something or that what he did when you were gone was a bad decision on his part.

Not trying to be mean but wanting to re-home a dog that chews is insane! Certain behaviors can more often than not be attributed to HUMAN error. A bored dog will find things to do. If they are left outside they will dig. They might bark. They might take up gardening and tear out your prized rose bushes. A bored dog in the basement will.....chew up stair cases or finished walls even door frames.

If he has used up energy prior to being put in the basement he won't have the energy or desire to create his own game. He won't be bored... he will be TIRED.
A tired Boxer is a GOOD Boxer!

If you are being 100% honest with yourself can you pinpoint anything that changed just prior to this new behavior starting? Was he getting a little less exercise than he got when you first put him in the basement and he was doing well at that time?

Assuming this is just a behavior issue additional exercise before you leave him in the basement has the potential to solve the problem. If it doesn't work you could crate him to keep him safe and your staircase intact. Ingesting wood splinters from the staircase could be quite hazardous!

 

[sfeliz]

Thank you all for your response. I will take him for a walk before I leave for work for the day instead of after work.
Will keep you posted on our results.