Chewing:(

[Guest maidmarcia]

I no longer crate Licorice when I leave my apartment as he has always been such a good boy... I got home after being out for a couple hours today and just realized that he chewed the corner of my coffee table :( Why would he be doing this and what can I do to rectify the problem? He does have a Kong but I barely see him chewing on it. Is this a cause of boredom? Please help

[krissy]

Sometimes they suddenly decide to start up with SA or are anxious for some other reason. Summit chewed a huge hole in a door frame about a month ago. We are moving around a lot this summer and this was at someone's house where we were staying. He doesn't have SA but he was a little anxious with the move and it turned out he just didn't like the basement room we were living out of. I crated him upstairs for the rest of the time and he settled right down.

 

When you say he has a Kong but he doesn't chew it... are you putting anything in it? Many dogs won't chew on an empty Kong. Summit doesn't chew his ever, but he will lick and roll it around to get the goodies out. I stuff his with kibble and either peanut butter, cheese whiz, cottage cheese, wet dog food, or sardines. Then I freeze it to make it even harder. I also leave a radio on for him and he gets several other food dispensing toys to occupy him later when the Kong is empty.

 

Sounds like you may need to go back and do some reinforcement on your alone training.

[Guest maidmarcia]

I need to start stuffing it with frozen things. Thanks for the good advice. He's been completely fine up until now, which is why I'm so confused.

[JJNg]

Something else to consider is whether there have been any recent sources of stress. Such as a change in routine, or in your household - even things that seem minor to us may throw a dog off. And stress can lead to destructive behavior in a dog who hasn't done anything like that before.

 

For example, my friend has a grey who's the most laid back, well-behaved dog, who sleeps on the couch all day when she's at work. But at a time when there was a lot of turmoil in the home (relatives moving in, tension between family members), he chewed up her cell phone and a couple other items within a period of about a week.

 

Another management tool is to use a muzzle to prevent chewing while you're gone.

[linda]

Sometimes I think it's just something to do. It's chewable, it's at eye level... Molly has no SA at all, but one day she decided to taste the edge of the cedar chest. Then about a year later, for no particular reason, chewed the door molding beside her bed - at mouth level if she was laying down. They have kongs, bones, toys...but that particular day they chose wood!

[rallyp]

The change in routine is probably a big thing. The simple thing of letting him out of his crate full time is a change. If he was doing fine in his crate before, keep crating him and gradually let him spend more out of the crate time.

[GeorgeofNE]

He's probably just BORED.

 

Is he getting plenty of exercise before you leave? It's been really hot in a lot of places and I imagine a lot of hounds aren't getting the same amount of exercise they normally get.

 

A tired dog is far more apt to sleep than chew!

 

I find that simply smearing peanut butter around the inside of a Kong works wonders. I don't feel like I need to pack meal in there. And I've also observed that when it's frozen, a couple of good drops on the ground and everything inside sort of "breaks" and comes out.

 

I keep mine in the fridge so it's not gooey when I give it to him, but the contents are not brittle either.

[riverbosun]

My vote is boredom. I had Rock Star for almost a year and he started chewing the corners of my furniture. It's eye level of even if he was laying down he would chomp on something. I stepped the exercise and that solved the problem.

[Guest june]

I have a girl who chewed and effectively ruined several pieces of (wood) furniture one at a time. She'd chew, she'd have to wear the muzzle for a few days she'd be fine for a few days and it would start over. She finally made the connection between the muzzle and chewing and now sticks to her toys. Muzzles can really help. As to the furniture she chewed; with the exception of one table none were a great loss and I got the replace the stuff she chewed with new stuff

june

[RobinM]

My "perfect" Ollie did it out of SA even though there were 4 other hounds because I seperated him (within view but not with them) when I first got him. He made $1200.00 worth of repairs to my bedroom furniture!!! :eek

 

It was when I put them all together that it stopped.

 

 

[Guest BrianRke]

How old is Licorice? My vote is for boredom and/or frustration. Frank will sometimes chew on my kitchen chairs if I leave, come back, and leave again immediately. Its like he is upset because I didnt stay home long enough.

[Guest maidmarcia]

Licorice is 4

 

I think the suggestion of boredom is the answer here. Nothing has changed in the routine and he has been fully uncrated for quite a few weeks now.

 

I was away for a longer period the day before as I had a wedding and then had to go out for a bit the day of, so I didn't get to spend as much time with him as I would have liked.

[Guest Greyhound_Mom]

I was shocked when we brought our new 4th girl (6 yo MawMaw dog) in and discovered that she was chewing the furniture . Yes, even when I'm home I'll hear her knawing. She has 3 other GH sistes and a tote full of toys . I've resorted to muzzling her when I'm gone...which I HATE to do. I have the valuable furniture covered w/ a sheet...yes even the furniture she's previously chewed...and it seems covered objects she's not interested in . When it cools down (KS 109*) I hope to get her out walking and maybe that will make the difference. We love her to pieces and she's not going any where but I wish her chewing would stop.

[CaliforniaGreys]

Forgive me if I missed it, but how old is Licorice?

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Greyhound Mom, why do you HATE to muzzle?

 

Do you HATE to wear your seatbelt?

 

A muzzle is a safety device. It has been designed so that the hound can eat and drink with said device on. If your hound chews on inappropriate things, there is nothing wrong with keeping your hound safe. What happens when the hound decides that the corner of the chair isn't as tasty as say an electric chord?

 

I don't understand why so many people seem to equate a muzzle with punishment. Believe me, every single greyhound when put into a forever home acts like they have never had to wear a muzzle in their life. They rub the walls, they bang their heads into everything. They are good actors.

[onrushpam]

This could be as simple as an unusual smell/taste on that table... somebody touched the corner of the table with food-stuff on hands, etc., etc. It might not even be boredom. It might be the table was especially interesting/tasty that day.

 

OTOH, my first greyhound chewed part of a leg off our bedroom dresser in her sleep! I woke up to the sound of "crunch-crunch". Turned on the light and she was 100% asleep, chewing away on the dresser leg. (This was the world's most perfect dog! I gave her a pass, but moved her night bed away from the dresser.)

Edited July 29, 2011 by onrushpam

[grey8greys]

I would try to give him a nice walk, even around the block to tire him out a bit before you leave the house. A tired dog is a happy dog

[Guest barkdogs]

Allistair would absent mindedly chew the coffee table, and the couch. . . good thing ost of my furniture is of the IKEA variety (not that it's getting replaced, but at least it wasn't fine antiques.. . . )

[Guest SupersMom]

Super has started to chew on tables and chairs---right in front of us. She has several things to chew on, bone, nylabone, kongs when we have to leave, toys. She has also started resisting her crate. It doesn't matter what alternatives are around, or incentives for her crate. She's started this stubborn kick---which I really hope isn't her personality coming out, and just SA, except he wasn't chewing, resisting or barking before. In fact when we heard her bark, it shocked us because we weren't sure it was her.

 

Ideas?

[kikibean]

I just caught Maddy (age 9) chewing on the corner of my Pottery Barn end table last night. Of course it's the same table that her mother chewed all 4 corners of so it doesn't really matter at this point other than I don't think she needs to be chewing wood. Mimi (her mother) chewed wood the entire time we had her. She even chewed the corner of our big TV stand the night we got it. Kevin was not happy! She chewed 2 Pottery Barn end tables, a coffee table, the footboard of our bed, corners of our dresser, etc.

 

She was otherwise so perfect and lady like that it was almost funny that she was chewing. It was such a doggy thing for her to be doing.

 

Now I look at the chewed corners of my tables and remember her

[Guest greytbookert]

I have no other advice than potential boredom. However, the story did make me remember my cat, Bean, who would chew the corners of our coffee table! Now, that was a funny sight! Seriously, a cat chewing a table! That Bean, he was one of a kind!

 

I hope you can find the answer to the problem quickly!

[3greytjoys]

Much excellent advice has been posted already in this thread. Here are a couple other ideas.

 

Dogs often need their own dog-friendly, safe outlet for chewing. I'd recommend this specific Durachew by Nylabone below. Here is my snippet from another recent thread:

 

" The safest Nylabone we've found for Greyhounds is the hard "Durachew," Bacon flavor, Souper size.

Bonus: Greyt to help keep the teeth cleaner.

(NOT the flexible gummy Nylabones that can break apart creating a choking hazard.)

Our hounds prefer the fist with arm shape Durachew, which may be safer than others.

Without question, BACON is our hounds' favorite flavor. I can smell bacon too.

(Chicken flavor is okay but definitely not as desired by our pack, nor can I smell any chicken scent.)

Durachew by Nylabone, Bacon flavor: http://www.entirelyp...dchwbcnfls.html "

 

If interested in reading the GT thread, here is a link to "Safe Chew Toys or Bones":

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/274834-safe-chew-toys-or-bones/page__p__4986337__hl__%2Bchew+%2Btoys__fromsearch__1#entry4986337

 

"Bitter Yuck" spray may help. (Read directions for use and spot test a hidden area first.)

 

[Guest NM_Greys]

I think wood is a favorite chewie because it comes apart nicely. The greyhounds feel like they're getting somewhere with it. If it doesn't come apart, it gets boring after a while.

[Guest firegypsy]

My non-chewer took down a few errant pencils yesterday. I'm in the market for a few chew toys and will check out that list, thank you! One thing I have to ask you all (and sorry for busting in on this thread) is how you manage to keep the house from getting goopy from the kong? My last dog LOVED it and we stuffed it with peanut butter and treats but she left a slime trail. How do you prevent that from happening?

[kickchick2000]

I have a bulldog that has chewed everything including tables, shoes, beds, pulled up the dining room floor, and yes she even chewed up the steering colum of a car. She once pulled down my work bag, tore it up and in the process found the highlighters and went to town, you have no idea how hard it is to clean an entire highlighted house not to mention a multicolored bulldog. Anyway my point is I've been there and the ONLY thing we have been able to find thats works is deer antlers. Regular toys did not last with our bulldog they quickly became rendered useless and a safety hazard because they would be torn to bits. Antlers are hard and she cannot destroy them not to mention they last forever.