Destructive Chewing!

[BarbV]

Indy is a big-time chewer. Whereas Bacca loves "soft stuff", Indy is heavy into wood, wicker, hard plastic and magazines/novels.

I've just now sprayed half the house with Bitter Apple.

Since Indy is so clearly into the "hard stuff" (makes him sound like an addict doesn't it? ) does anybody have any suggestion as to what kind of chew toy will exercise those over-active jaws that he won't destroy in less than 24 hours. It can't be boredom, because Bacca keeps him more than occupied (yes, the lovin' still happening - Jan 28th is the date they both get fixed. Yippee!)

Thanks much!

 

[Chris]

I just got cow hooves today. I am now the heroine of the home!

 

[BarbV]

I just got cow hooves today. I am now the heroine of the home!

How long will a cow hoof last?

I'm looking for something he can gnaw away at and not instantly disintegrate! He's the JAWS of Shelties, I'm convinced! Cue Music....da, da, da, DA! (ok imagine the shark from JAWs here!)

 

[Ann]

Indy will probably outgrow the chew thing, Barb. If he's like some of my puppies that did the same thing, it took until around age two. In the meantime, they all love cow hooves and if he'll chew on them they're great, as Chris said. Other options are nice, big white rawhide bones as long as you're there to supervise the chewing. Barkley tends to get them stuck in his teeth and then he jumps up on whatever piece of furniture I'm sitting on so I can get him unstuck. You have to get one large enough that it will keep him occupied for a while. Once he outrgrows the I-Must-Chew-On-Everything phase, you can size them down.

Meantime, just make sure he doesn't chew up the doggie training books!

 

[romeosangiovese]

Romeo loves wood too! And plastics! And CEMENT (he has tried chewing the wall). Oh let's not forget METAL. Sigh.

A combination of things worked for me. Bitter apple spray didn't. I tried it with the cabinets in the loo, but they looked like they were going to start rotting from having been drenched in the spray every day. I tried different brands of spray too. They would keep him off for a few hours only.

Instead I occupied his brains out with stuffed kongs (I put egg, cheese and some chopped carrots into the kong and microwave it sitting up right in a mug for a few seconds) and dried tendons and lamb ears. A giant throw on the floor with tiny treats within the messy folds (I drop some treats, fold, drop more treats, fold, etc) also keeps him busy. Oh and ice. He loves to chase melting ice then crunch it with his teeth. Having lotsa stuff to chew (and being praised for chewing them) helped redirect his energy.

Training the Off command was also key to stopping his insane destructiveness. Every time he neared anything he has previously chewed (I prefer to catch him BEFORE he has actually sunk his jaws into the thing), I would go "Romeo Off!" and he'd stop and I'd praise and click/treat. It's very important to be very watchful at this stage. But over time, he stopped chewing those items completely.

Take heart Barb! The teething phase WILL end!

 

[prospect]

Cow hooves are the best! And they last quite awhile (like WEEKS) even when Matilda the 40 lb rescue dawg chews them. Some of the cow hooves have a little cranny that you can put some peanut butter or other stuff in to pique their interest.

The bitter apple didn't work very well for DJ and Mick. We have several Kongs too. And we play the retrieve game.

 

[BarbV]

Cow Hooves...!

I went to my local pet shop and couldn't find any. I found other types of hooves (pig for sure and some other unrecognizable foot, with no description), some that appeared to be smoked, but I think I read against "smoked"?

Are these normally available in a pet shop or should I buy online? e.g. does Petsmart carry them for instance?

I guess the question is: what should I be looking for (any particular type) and where should I expect to be able to buy them?

I did buy a couple of good size rawhides yesterday and that kept the boys occupied somewhat (noticed abit of "pink" on the bone however after a vigourous chew last night - bleeding gums? Is this normal?)

 

[Chris]

I got my hooves at PetSmart. But my friend warned me that Shelties can break their teeth on them.

What do you all think???

 

[OntarioSheltie]

I did buy a couple of good size rawhides yesterday and that kept the boys occupied somewhat (noticed abit of "pink" on the bone however after a vigourous chew last night - bleeding gums? Is this normal?)

Sadie's gum's bleed a bit occasionally when she's chewing raw hide. Nothing to worry about, unless there's a lot of blood all of the time or your pup seems to be in pain.