Guest guest Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 MM Charlotte Dogs hate the smell of citronella, that is why some " barking collars " use citronella oil in them. You cant beat training though. You need to reprimand the dog every time he goes to do it, and replace the negative with a positive toy & praise him for chewing the toy.......Have you given him a Kong or some other Treat Ball kind of Toy, where he has to work out how to get the treats out, makes him problem solve, and eliminates the boredom. BB Althia AmberMyst >>>>>>>>>> Hello everyone, I am looking for something that will stop our 11mth old puppy from chewing all the wood in my house (chairs, walls,door jams, etc) if anyone has any ideas i would love it, we have tried bitter cherry ,appple, hot sauce,pepper and some other things the vet suggested. I am looking for something that is natural not harmful and effective.. thank you in advance, charlotte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2006 Report Share Posted September 1, 2006 Give that puppy a toilet brush (new of course). He/she will enjoy that thing so much that the wood will be forgotten about. Jodie HamiltonPassion Parties573.696.2294jhamilton002www.yourpassionguide.com - Charlotte Thursday, August 31, 2006 5:10 PM dog chewing Hello everyone,I am looking for something that will stop our11mth old puppy from chewing all the wood in my house (chairs, walls,door jams, etc) if anyone has any ideas i would love it,we have tried bitter cherry ,appple, hot sauce,pepper and some other things the vet suggested. I am looking for something that is natural not harmful and effective..thank you in advance,charlotte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2006 Report Share Posted September 1, 2006 Our dog is 8 months and still has a very strong chewing desire. Since it is impossible to always catch him in the act I just make sure there are lots of proper chews. He loves his tennis ball that has a cut in it-has chewed off the fuzz and this has seemed to make it even more desirable! And I also did the rounds of grocery stores for raw bones but was told that everything comes in boneless. Fortunately not quite and the meat guy saved me a whole bag of bones - free! These are rationed out. We haven't had much success with the nylabone - any suggestions for making it more appealing? By the way, we bought " Keep Off! Naturally " from a pet shop, well save your money, our dog licked the stuff up! Did not work at all. Do you spray a citronella dilution on wood? That doesn't take off the finish? Liese , " Cassy " <cavandra wrote: > > MM Charlotte > > Dogs hate the smell of citronella, that is why some " barking collars " use > citronella oil in them. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2006 Report Share Posted September 1, 2006 Hi everyone, I'm responding to this post as a dog lover, and professional dog trainer. Your 8 and 11 month puppies are going through a secondary chewing stage as their adult teeth set in their jaw. This can be very painful and chewing is soothing to them so provide lots of appropriate toys to chew. Nylabones and Kongs are recommended and can be made more alluring with a bit of peanut butter rubbed into the knuckle type ends or the inside of the kong. As for the citronella essential oil. It will discourage your dog from chewing... but this is a loaded suggestion. Pure citronella is powerful and should never be used where an animal could possibly ingest ANY of it, even a few drops could impair renal and liver function down the road. The spray used in the gentle stop bark collars is very diluted and is shot out in a fine spray, the act of spraying itself is as much of a deterrent as the citronella and like the bitter apple, some dogs may like it. I would not recommend spraying it even diluted on furniture or wood objects to deter chewing in case of possible repeated ingestion. If you want to try it, spray it into an area you want the dog to avoid, and again, if your dog likes bitter apple, he just may like citronella. As for the safety of the bark collar, I'm sure it is safe as I use them in certain situations but their dilution rate is a mystery and I would not feel competent giving a suggestion for safe dilution. I'm not a chemist or a vet. Best advice I have is don't take a chance, just spray it into the air or on upholstery or carpet and discontinue use if the dog is licking at all where it is sprayed. Essential oils need to be respected as healers but also as potent poisons. I would not use it at all, in my own home to deter chewing. It sounds to me like the wood chewer has way too much access to the home unsupervised. He also is bored. Even teethers will shift from illegal object to legal one without prompting if left to their own devices. If you have a dog that is attracted to wood specifically he may enjoy the attention he receives when he is caught. That is why reprimand won't work. A dog so bored will welcome bad attention, just like kids do. And if left alone or unsupervised will chew an illegal object anyway, just not in front of you, that is what reprimand actually teaches, take that table leg away from these grouches and chew it in private so you won't have those bothersome interruptions. And please trust me, they don't get it when you see damage, bring them back to it hours or minutes later and get in their face and smack them with a paper. They look guilty because you are angry, they don't get WHY YOU ARE. Any 11 month old needs exercise beyond what you could imagine. I don't care if it is a yorkie or a Lab, most families are not prepared for the exercise needs of teenage dogs. My rule of thumb for dogs between 6 mo and 2 years (for dogs in good shape and healthy) is to take their weight and walk them the same number of blocks two times a day. Yep, gasp. Two times a day. 5lb dog? 10 blocks a day. 50 lb dog? 100 blocks a day. That is unless you have a terrier, then double it. That's right! Take turns with family members and make sure your dog won't overheat but Terriers and herding dogs need even more exercise than sporting dogs or companion animals. If your dog is panting, and needs to lay down directly after the walk, he's been exercised. If he wants to play ball or terrorize a toddler, you got him warmed up, keep walking. The best part about this is you will be in the same shape as your dog if you follow this rule. When I have a teenage puppy, I look amazing! Remember these dogs were bred for a job, they physically need to work but purebred dogs in America have been laid off. I don't use my flatcoat retriever to hunt, I never used my previous German Shepherds to guard and my Pit Bull is not used as an all around farm hand (what they were originally bred for - they were not developed for fighting) Mutts of certain mixes fall into this category as well. You can't take a cross of active dogs and expect them to lie on a rug all afternoon. Here is a real life example: Seven is one of my dogs, we adopted when she was 10 months old. She had been in a shelter for 5 months and abused and possibly used to train fighting dogs prior to that, she was seized from fighters and brought to rescue emaciated and nearly died. At ten months she was a healthy, immature 52 lb Pit Bull (terrier) who knew no social skills, she had never heard a television, never touched carpet on her feet, never seen a cat and was terrified of children. She also was a destructive chewer, chewing her way out of chain link, and a shed. This dog ate a circular saw in her spare moments and I'm not kidding! Walking this dog was a full time job, one that my husband and I shared. 2.5 miles every morning, and evening, and she still ran like a maniac and chased the ball for 45 minutes when we got back from each walk. I took her to doggie daycare once a week to give us a break and she was much better. Mind you she ate the saw even when she was exercised properly, we needed to manage her better. She was crated when we were gone, and confined to a room we were in when we were home. Seven is now 3 and I can trust her with the whole house, the cats, the house rabbit and even the power tools. We walk 1.5 miles 4 times a week and she works my classes with me, we train together and she gets to play at daycare once a week still but only a half day. I also do light service work with her which, while not physically taxing, is mentally challenging, She does play around the house in the evenings but my wonderful dog is comatose the rest of the day. She leads a full life for a 3 year old but if she were a 10 month old now, she would be very destructive and impossible to manage if she were on the current exercise regimen. We were able to taper her off at two years old. We will likely taper her off again at 7 to 9, as Pits are long lived dogs and she will likely be in her prime until then. The moral of this story is that a tired puppy is a good puppy and they really don't understand the concept of punishment, but dogs do understand reward, and most folks find it more rewarding to be rewarding, rather than punishing - after all, you want your dog to want to be around you - and reprimand can backfire in the case of an attention seeker. Too much reprimand and reprimand not handed out fairly and calmly can lead to dog bites too. Just don't do it, they don't understand English so yelling is useless and beatings are just cruel. Even the military is going with possitive training in most cases, when training their dogs, so it's time for us to progress with the times and let the anger go. They are only doing what dogs do, they don't know what base boards are, and that they are important, so cut your dog some slack and hold yourself more responsible than your animal, it is your job to teach him what to do, which is not act like a dog. Remember, he has no experience at that. Hang in there, it will be over in another 14 months if you are dilligent! Hope this helps, after all exercise is the most natural chewing deterrent of all! Jessica, in north Dallas On 9/1/06, Liese <bobliese wrote: Our dog is 8 months and still has a very strong chewing desire. > Since it is impossible to always catch him in the act I just make > sure there are lots of proper chews. He loves his tennis ball that > has a cut in it-has chewed off the fuzz and this has seemed to make > it even more desirable! And I also did the rounds of grocery stores > for raw bones but was told that everything comes in boneless. > Fortunately not quite and the meat guy saved me a whole bag of > bones - free! These are rationed out. We haven't had much success > with the nylabone - any suggestions for making it more appealing? By > the way, we bought " Keep Off! Naturally " from a pet shop, well save > your money, our dog licked the stuff up! Did not work at all. Do you > spray a citronella dilution on wood? That doesn't take off the > finish? Liese > , " Cassy " <cavandra > > wrote: > > > > MM Charlotte > > > > Dogs hate the smell of citronella, that is why some " barking > collars " use > > citronella oil in them. > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2006 Report Share Posted September 2, 2006 Thank you - Liese Friday, September 01, 2006 5:47 AM Re: dog chewing Our dog is 8 months and still has a very strong chewing desire. Since it is impossible to always catch him in the act I just make sure there are lots of proper chews. He loves his tennis ball that has a cut in it-has chewed off the fuzz and this has seemed to make it even more desirable! And I also did the rounds of grocery stores for raw bones but was told that everything comes in boneless. Fortunately not quite and the meat guy saved me a whole bag of bones - free! These are rationed out. We haven't had much success with the nylabone - any suggestions for making it more appealing? By the way, we bought "Keep Off! Naturally" from a pet shop, well save your money, our dog licked the stuff up! Did not work at all. Do you spray a citronella dilution on wood? That doesn't take off the finish? Liese , "Cassy" <cavandra wrote:>> MM Charlotte> > Dogs hate the smell of citronella, that is why some "barking collars" use> citronella oil in them. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2006 Report Share Posted September 2, 2006 worth a try.... - Jodie Hamilton Thursday, August 31, 2006 10:25 PM Re: dog chewing Give that puppy a toilet brush (new of course). He/she will enjoy that thing so much that the wood will be forgotten about. Jodie HamiltonPassion Parties573.696.2294jhamilton002 (AT) centurytel (DOT) netwww.yourpassionguide.com - Charlotte Thursday, August 31, 2006 5:10 PM dog chewing Hello everyone,I am looking for something that will stop our11mth old puppy from chewing all the wood in my house (chairs, walls,door jams, etc) if anyone has any ideas i would love it,we have tried bitter cherry ,appple, hot sauce,pepper and some other things the vet suggested. I am looking for something that is natural not harmful and effective..thank you in advance,charlotte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2006 Report Share Posted September 2, 2006 Jessica thank you for the advice... I really understand that. I rescued all my dogs but, this one was only 10 weeks not use to that age... I do exercise her everynight 3 - 4 times she runs constantly and is not alone all day she is with my step dad in the day along w/the other 2 dogs and then with me and the rest of the family at night. She is chewing when we are here I catch her. Her attention is constant and when I decide to sit because she is laying down. thats when she does the chewing. This is why I wanted something for the flavor. I catch her but, some damage is done. anyway I will do more for the exercise as you said I really want the dogs to have a better life than what they came from so worth the trouble. thank you for all the information I did not know. Charlotte - Jessica Martin Friday, September 01, 2006 9:45 AM Re: Re: dog chewing Hi everyone,I'm responding to this post as a dog lover, and professional dog trainer.Your 8 and 11 month puppies are going through a secondary chewingstage as their adult teeth set in their jaw. This can be very painfuland chewing is soothing to them so provide lots of appropriate toys tochew. Nylabones and Kongs are recommended and can be made morealluring with a bit of peanut butter rubbed into the knuckle type endsor the inside of the kong.As for the citronella essential oil. It will discourage your dog fromchewing... but this is a loaded suggestion. Pure citronella ispowerful and should never be used where an animal could possiblyingest ANY of it, even a few drops could impair renal and liverfunction down the road. The spray used in the gentle stop barkcollars is very diluted and is shot out in a fine spray, the act ofspraying itself is as much of a deterrent as the citronella and likethe bitter apple, some dogs may like it. I would not recommendspraying it even diluted on furniture or wood objects to deter chewingin case of possible repeated ingestion. If you want to try it, sprayit into an area you want the dog to avoid, and again, if your doglikes bitter apple, he just may like citronella. As for the safety ofthe bark collar, I'm sure it is safe as I use them in certainsituations but their dilution rate is a mystery and I would not feelcompetent giving a suggestion for safe dilution. I'm not a chemist ora vet. Best advice I have is don't take a chance, just spray it intothe air or on upholstery or carpet and discontinue use if the dog islicking at all where it is sprayed. Essential oils need to berespected as healers but also as potent poisons. I would not use itat all, in my own home to deter chewing.It sounds to me like the wood chewer has way too much access to thehome unsupervised. He also is bored. Even teethers will shift fromillegal object to legal one without prompting if left to their owndevices. If you have a dog that is attracted to wood specifically hemay enjoy the attention he receives when he is caught. That is whyreprimand won't work. A dog so bored will welcome bad attention, justlike kids do. And if left alone or unsupervised will chew an illegalobject anyway, just not in front of you, that is what reprimandactually teaches, take that table leg away from these grouches andchew it in private so you won't have those bothersome interruptions.And please trust me, they don't get it when you see damage, bring themback to it hours or minutes later and get in their face and smack themwith a paper. They look guilty because you are angry, they don't getWHY YOU ARE.Any 11 month old needs exercise beyond what you could imagine. Idon't care if it is a yorkie or a Lab, most families are not preparedfor the exercise needs of teenage dogs. My rule of thumb for dogsbetween 6 mo and 2 years (for dogs in good shape and healthy) is totake their weight and walk them the same number of blocks two times aday. Yep, gasp. Two times a day. 5lb dog? 10 blocks a day. 50 lbdog? 100 blocks a day. That is unless you have a terrier, thendouble it. That's right! Take turns with family members and makesure your dog won't overheat but Terriers and herding dogs need evenmore exercise than sporting dogs or companion animals. If your dog ispanting, and needs to lay down directly after the walk, he's beenexercised. If he wants to play ball or terrorize a toddler, you gothim warmed up, keep walking. The best part about this is you will bein the same shape as your dog if you follow this rule. When I have ateenage puppy, I look amazing! Remember these dogs were bred for ajob, they physically need to work but purebred dogs in America havebeen laid off. I don't use my flatcoat retriever to hunt, I neverused my previous German Shepherds to guard and my Pit Bull is not usedas an all around farm hand (what they were originally bred for - theywere not developed for fighting) Mutts of certain mixes fall intothis category as well. You can't take a cross of active dogs andexpect them to lie on a rug all afternoon.Here is a real life example:Seven is one of my dogs, we adopted when she was 10 months old. Shehad been in a shelter for 5 months and abused and possibly used totrain fighting dogs prior to that, she was seized from fighters andbrought to rescue emaciated and nearly died. At ten months she was ahealthy, immature 52 lb Pit Bull (terrier) who knew no social skills,she had never heard a television, never touched carpet on her feet,never seen a cat and was terrified of children. She also was adestructive chewer, chewing her way out of chain link, and a shed.This dog ate a circular saw in her spare moments and I'm not kidding!Walking this dog was a full time job, one that my husband and Ishared. 2.5 miles every morning, and evening, and she still ran likea maniac and chased the ball for 45 minutes when we got back from eachwalk. I took her to doggie daycare once a week to give us a break andshe was much better. Mind you she ate the saw even when she wasexercised properly, we needed to manage her better. She was cratedwhen we were gone, and confined to a room we were in when we werehome.Seven is now 3 and I can trust her with the whole house, the cats, thehouse rabbit and even the power tools. We walk 1.5 miles 4 times aweek and she works my classes with me, we train together and she getsto play at daycare once a week still but only a half day. I also dolight service work with her which, while not physically taxing, ismentally challenging, She does play around the house in the eveningsbut my wonderful dog is comatose the rest of the day. She leads afull life for a 3 year old but if she were a 10 month old now, shewould be very destructive and impossible to manage if she were on thecurrent exercise regimen. We were able to taper her off at two yearsold. We will likely taper her off again at 7 to 9, as Pits are longlived dogs and she will likely be in her prime until then.The moral of this story is that a tired puppy is a good puppy and theyreally don't understand the concept of punishment, but dogs dounderstand reward, and most folks find it more rewarding to berewarding, rather than punishing - after all, you want your dog towant to be around you - and reprimand can backfire in the case of anattention seeker. Too much reprimand and reprimand not handed outfairly and calmly can lead to dog bites too. Just don't do it, theydon't understand English so yelling is useless and beatings are justcruel. Even the military is going with possitive training in mostcases, when training their dogs, so it's time for us to progress withthe times and let the anger go. They are only doing what dogs do,they don't know what base boards are, and that they are important, socut your dog some slack and hold yourself more responsible than youranimal, it is your job to teach him what to do, which is not act likea dog. Remember, he has no experience at that. Hang in there, itwill be over in another 14 months if you are dilligent! Hope thishelps, after all exercise is the most natural chewing deterrent ofall!Jessica, in north DallasOn 9/1/06, Liese <bobliese > wrote:>>>>>>> Our dog is 8 months and still has a very strong chewing desire.> Since it is impossible to always catch him in the act I just make> sure there are lots of proper chews. He loves his tennis ball that> has a cut in it-has chewed off the fuzz and this has seemed to make> it even more desirable! And I also did the rounds of grocery stores> for raw bones but was told that everything comes in boneless.> Fortunately not quite and the meat guy saved me a whole bag of> bones - free! These are rationed out. We haven't had much success> with the nylabone - any suggestions for making it more appealing? By> the way, we bought "Keep Off! Naturally" from a pet shop, well save> your money, our dog licked the stuff up! Did not work at all. Do you> spray a citronella dilution on wood? That doesn't take off the> finish? Liese> , "Cassy" <cavandra>> wrote:> >> > MM Charlotte> >> > Dogs hate the smell of citronella, that is why some "barking> collars" use> > citronella oil in them.> >> >>>>>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2006 Report Share Posted September 2, 2006 On 9/2/06, Charlotte <csartell wrote: > Jessica thank you for the advice... I really understand that. I rescued > all my dogs but, this one was only 10 weeks not use to that age... I do > exercise her everynight 3 - 4 times > she runs constantly and is not alone all day she is with my step dad in the > day along w/the other 2 dogs and then with me and the rest of the family at > night. She is chewing when we are here I catch her. Her attention is > constant and when I decide to sit because she is laying down. thats when she > does the chewing. This is why I wanted something for the flavor. I catch her > but, some damage is done. > anyway I will do more for the exercise as you said I really want the dogs to > have a better life than what they came from so worth the trouble. > thank you for all the information I did not know. > Charlotte Hi Charlotte, I understand the thought process you are experiencing. Dog is chewing, I should make what dog is attracted to unattractive. Very reasonable. However, if you make wood unattractive, carpet or plastic is the next logical step, you are not exactly teaching them WHAT TO CHEW. What not to chew is an infinate list. I suggest getting some durable toys and rub peanut butter on them on the inside if possible. That's why trainers love Kongs. You can stuff them full of stinky good stuff that will keep a dog busy for hours. If you you see her chewing something she shouldn't, interrupt her, clap your hands lightly, say " Fido, lets go over here! " Get a kong that is ready to give to her, all drenched in stinky goodness, and encourage her to stay right by you when she is chewing it. It is important to be really happy when she is chewing the right thing, and reward her by talking to her, making eye contact and petting when she picks up the right thing on her own. This is how she will learn the right choice to make and in turn will leave the wrong thing alone. Hope this helps a little more. Seven, the maniac that we rescued at 10 months got over her bad chewing just this way. We ordered a case of Kongs (6) and I stuffed them with everything from kibble to stopping up the small end and filling it with chicken broth and freezing them. We call that one a Kongcicle. I would hide them around the house and yard and when I was transitioning her from the crate to being alone in the rest of the house I knew that I had about 20 minutes per Kong I left out of safety before the unbridled destruction was unleashed on the house. If you need any recommended stuffings, just let me know. Good Luck! Jessica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2006 Report Share Posted September 3, 2006 great ideas thank you so much for the help. I could use the stuffing ideas I do kibble and the peanut butter but, neve thought of the chicken broth... that is a great idea.. again thank you Charlotte - Jessica Martin Saturday, September 02, 2006 5:48 PM Re: Re: dog chewing On 9/2/06, Charlotte <csartell (AT) adelphia (DOT) net> wrote:>>>>>>>> Jessica thank you for the advice... I really understand that. I rescued> all my dogs but, this one was only 10 weeks not use to that age... I do> exercise her everynight 3 - 4 times> she runs constantly and is not alone all day she is with my step dad in the> day along w/the other 2 dogs and then with me and the rest of the family at> night. She is chewing when we are here I catch her. Her attention is> constant and when I decide to sit because she is laying down. thats when she> does the chewing. This is why I wanted something for the flavor. I catch her> but, some damage is done.> anyway I will do more for the exercise as you said I really want the dogs to> have a better life than what they came from so worth the trouble.> thank you for all the information I did not know.> CharlotteHi Charlotte,I understand the thought process you are experiencing. Dog ischewing, I should make what dog is attracted to unattractive. Veryreasonable. However, if you make wood unattractive, carpet or plasticis the next logical step, you are not exactly teaching them WHAT TOCHEW. What not to chew is an infinate list. I suggest getting somedurable toys and rub peanut butter on them on the inside if possible.That's why trainers love Kongs. You can stuff them full of stinkygood stuff that will keep a dog busy for hours. If you you see herchewing something she shouldn't, interrupt her, clap your handslightly, say "Fido, lets go over here!" Get a kong that is ready togive to her, all drenched in stinky goodness, and encourage her tostay right by you when she is chewing it. It is important to bereally happy when she is chewing the right thing, and reward her bytalking to her, making eye contact and petting when she picks up theright thing on her own. This is how she will learn the right choiceto make and in turn will leave the wrong thing alone. Hope this helpsa little more.Seven, the maniac that we rescued at 10 months got over her badchewing just this way. We ordered a case of Kongs (6) and I stuffedthem with everything from kibble to stopping up the small end andfilling it with chicken broth and freezing them. We call that one aKongcicle. I would hide them around the house and yard and when I wastransitioning her from the crate to being alone in the rest of thehouse I knew that I had about 20 minutes per Kong I left out of safetybefore the unbridled destruction was unleashed on the house. If youneed any recommended stuffings, just let me know. Good Luck! Jessica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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