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New Bad Behavior: Destructive Chewing


Guest BikeBookBread

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Guest BikeBookBread

Chase has been with us for nearly 11 months now. We thought things had finally settled down. Last week, we noticed that he was starting to chew things he had never tried to chew before: rubber drink coasters, a hardback book come to mind. On Monday, he got ahold of my 8 year old daughter's glasses while she was in the shower. He destroyed them. That night, he got her wooden clog and chewed the heel. He chewed the heel of the other tonight. Before you ask, he has plenty of toys that he plays with on a regular basis.

 

NOTHING has changed about his diet, routine, health, or living situation in the past three months, save one thing: we have intentionally cut back on his walks at the recommendation of his vet, as he was having some very minor problems due to too much exercise. He told us to go from two a day/15 minute walks down to one 15 minute walk every other day. This was changed well over a month ago, though.

 

Ideas? Input? Suggestions? Reprimands? :D

 

Thanks...

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He's probably bored, and extra frisky because of the season. If exercise is off the table, give more tasty chew toys (raw meat, pig ears, bully sticks, peanut butter kongs) and work on training.

 

My kids are both pretty silly right now, and Brees has scattered my shoes all over the house. I toss them outside with a pork chop or some chicken when they're making me nuts.

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Guest OPointyDog

What about obedience classes to keep him busy and burn off some energy without being heavy exercise? Our girl would come back from obedience classes just exhausted!

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Wow, this sounds familiar!

A month or so after his dog attack, Boo suddenly decided he wasn't going to go for walks. No amount of bribing or changing locations seems to help. The only thing that does is borrowing the neighbours dog to walk with him... unfortunately, it is their dog! So we can't borrow her every day.

Since then, he has gotten chewy and destructive around the house too... in the exact same way. It truly seems like boredom because he LOVES his toys, but seems to seek out everything other than his toys when he is pacing and looking for something to do.

The only real solution I have found is giving him more bones (raw ribs, etc) to chew on. They occupy him like no other kong, rope bone, or doggy intelligence toy. They muck with his poo and make it more messy for sure, but he seems happier and less likely to steal and chew when he has an hour or so with a bone on days he won't walk.

I'm looking forward to reading what others have to say

siggie_zpse3afb243.jpg

 

Bri and Mike with Boo Radley (Williejohnwalker), Bubba (Carlos Danger), and the feline friends foes, Loois and Amir

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Just want to add because I re-read your original post.... when our boy first started his 'anti-walking' routine, he didn't chew in the house. It took as couple weeks after the walking stopped for the behaviour to start.

siggie_zpse3afb243.jpg

 

Bri and Mike with Boo Radley (Williejohnwalker), Bubba (Carlos Danger), and the feline friends foes, Loois and Amir

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I see your boy has lots of toys - but what do you give him each week to actually CHEW on?

 

In this house, it is usually large pigs ears or the C.E.T. treated dental chews, and when we want to give them a special treat, bully sticks. I have a foster right now who wanted to put her mouth on everything and would try to chew things that didn't belong to her. We watch her like a hawk, with an Immediate vocal correction of a loud "Ehhhhh !!!" when she puts her mouth on a table leg, book, etc - and then praise when she turns away and leaves the things alone.

 

But what works best to keep the chewing at bay is to give them good things that they can chew on. Some dogs need to chew more than others.

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Wow. Your vet thinks two 15 minute walks are TOO MUCH?

 

My 10 year old with LS gets a 45 minute walk every single morning.

 

My vet said the single most important thing I can do for his overall health and condition is keep him slim and keep him muscled up.

 

I imagine your dog is bored out of his mind and I would seriously rethink the "cut back on exercise."


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Susan,  Hamish,  Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck

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Once the temps dropped here, Enza goes a wee bit bonkers. Our normal walks are extended by 10 minutes or so and I will throw in an extra one as well. If I don't, she goes on a mission to destroy every single stuffie and went for my shoe for the first time in five years.

 

So I would do something to entertain him - long walks, classes, even just trips to new places as that can tire them out as well.

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Guest BikeBookBread

He's probably bored, and extra frisky because of the season.

 

The weather has changed significantly in the past two weeks. It was in the 90's consistently, and now it is down in the 50s to 70s. He is starting to shed a bit, and his coat is becoming softer. Maybe it's just a seasonal thing???

 

Sounds like he's bored and has a little excess energy he needs to burn off.

 

Definitely seems like boredom is the consensus.

 

I'll vote for bored, too. The wooden clog must have been very enticing -- a stick yet not a stick. :rofl

 

Heh heh, I laughed at your clog comment. Very true.

 

What about obedience classes to keep him busy and burn off some energy without being heavy exercise? Our girl would come back from obedience classes just exhausted!

 

Good suggestion...

 

Wow, this sounds familiar!

A month or so after his dog attack, Boo suddenly decided he wasn't going to go for walks. No amount of bribing or changing locations seems to help. The only thing that does is borrowing the neighbours dog to walk with him... unfortunately, it is their dog! So we can't borrow her every day.

Since then, he has gotten chewy and destructive around the house too... in the exact same way. It truly seems like boredom because he LOVES his toys, but seems to seek out everything other than his toys when he is pacing and looking for something to do.

The only real solution I have found is giving him more bones (raw ribs, etc) to chew on. They occupy him like no other kong, rope bone, or doggy intelligence toy. They muck with his poo and make it more messy for sure, but he seems happier and less likely to steal and chew when he has an hour or so with a bone on days he won't walk.

I'm looking forward to reading what others have to say

 

Has he ever gone on an exercise strike before? How weird! Chase acts like a puppy when he hears the leash and collar rattle.

 

Just want to add because I re-read your original post.... when our boy first started his 'anti-walking' routine, he didn't chew in the house. It took as couple weeks after the walking stopped for the behaviour to start.

 

Interesting... Hmmm... more food for thought.

 

I see your boy has lots of toys - but what do you give him each week to actually CHEW on?

 

In this house, it is usually large pigs ears or the C.E.T. treated dental chews, and when we want to give them a special treat, bully sticks. I have a foster right now who wanted to put her mouth on everything and would try to chew things that didn't belong to her. We watch her like a hawk, with an Immediate vocal correction of a loud "Ehhhhh !!!" when she puts her mouth on a table leg, book, etc - and then praise when she turns away and leaves the things alone.

 

But what works best to keep the chewing at bay is to give them good things that they can chew on. Some dogs need to chew more than others.

 

We do have a box of bully sticks. But OH! The post bully stick toots! Talk about a smell that can strip paint! :eek

 

Wow. Your vet thinks two 15 minute walks are TOO MUCH?

 

My 10 year old with LS gets a 45 minute walk every single morning.

 

My vet said the single most important thing I can do for his overall health and condition is keep him slim and keep him muscled up.

 

I imagine your dog is bored out of his mind and I would seriously rethink the "cut back on exercise."

 

The vet's diagnosis really, really surprised us as well. He had started to shake, was walking very, very slowly, etc... It was something to do with that same malady that strikes marathoners when their muscles start to break down from a buildup of too much.... something. (Ketosis???? Sorry, coffee hasn't kicked in, apparently.) We have started walking him daily again, and he seems fine.

 

Once the temps dropped here, Enza goes a wee bit bonkers. Our normal walks are extended by 10 minutes or so and I will throw in an extra one as well. If I don't, she goes on a mission to destroy every single stuffie and went for my shoe for the first time in five years.

 

So I would do something to entertain him - long walks, classes, even just trips to new places as that can tire them out as well.

 

Another weather-change case of going bonkers, huh?

 

Concensus: boredom and weather change... I'm on it!

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we have intentionally cut back on his walks at the recommendation of his vet, as he was having some very minor problems due to too much exercise. He told us to go from two a day/15 minute walks down to one 15 minute walk every other day.

 

 

Is this a joke?

Unless the dog is physically unable to walk due to injury (which you don't say, so I'll assume not) than this is the most ridiculous (and perhaps the most stupid) thing I have ever heard.

 

If the dog is healthy I recommend that over a three week period you gradually build up the dogs fitness to the point where it can handle two hours of walks per day. Three hours would be even better. Then report back to us on the chewing. Good Grief!

 

One 15 minute walk every other day is animal cruelty.

Edited by KickReturn
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It could have been the temperature outside that was causing his problem with walking. Greyhounds do not tolerate heat well, especially when exercising. On the warmer days I would confine my walks to the early morning and evening hours. Being over heated will cause the shaking you describe.

 

Now that the temperatures are cooling off you may find that he doesn't do that any more.

Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel

Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee

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Guest SealDogMermaid

we have intentionally cut back on his walks at the recommendation of his vet, as he was having some very minor problems due to too much exercise. He told us to go from two a day/15 minute walks down to one 15 minute walk every other day.

 

 

Is this a joke?

Unless the dog is physically unable to walk due to injury (which you don't say, so I'll assume not) than this is the most ridiculous (and perhaps the most stupid) thing I have ever heard.

 

If the dog is healthy I recommend that over a three week period you gradually build up the dogs fitness to the point where it can handle two hours of walks per day. Three hours would be even better. Then report back to us on the chewing. Good Grief!

 

One 15 minute walk every other day is animal cruelty.

 

Perhaps you missed the response above, about how the dog was getting very weak/shakey and was walking very slowly. Similar to what happens to marathon runners etc...use your eyeballs! :rolleyes: good grief!

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Oh look at that! You live in Massachusetts like I do! I would ask your vet how many Greyhound patients he or she has, because honestly? A 15 minute walk is NOTHING. If the dog is shaking and such, it may have some sort of issue, but the notion that he would be having a problem with a short walk and the response of the vet it to suggest you stop walking him is kind of bizarre!

 

There are lots and lots of Greyhounds in Massachusetts, and lots and lots of vets who know plenty about them--and some that don't. One of the vets at the clinic I go to really knew nothing about them, so I gave her all kinds of information which she willingly read. She also called his former vet (who had greyhounds herself!) to educate herself.

 

Sounds like you made a good decision on your own to start back up--but it's worth asking some questions of the vet 'cause as you can see, I'm not the only one who found the suggestion weird!

 

By the way, have you heard of Greyhound Adventures? It's a Mass. group that has greyhound-only walks every Sunday. It's a nice way for the hounds to get to see their own kind if you don't have any hounds around! And trust me. No dog is going to get worn out on these walks! I had to quit cause they just move too slowly for me, but I did quite enjoy the few walks I attended (aside from them taking too long for me!).


Hamish-siggy1.jpg

Susan,  Hamish,  Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck

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Guest BikeBookBread

Oh look at that! You live in Massachusetts like I do! I would ask your vet how many Greyhound patients he or she has, because honestly? A 15 minute walk is NOTHING. If the dog is shaking and such, it may have some sort of issue, but the notion that he would be having a problem with a short walk and the response of the vet it to suggest you stop walking him is kind of bizarre!

 

There are lots and lots of Greyhounds in Massachusetts, and lots and lots of vets who know plenty about them--and some that don't. One of the vets at the clinic I go to really knew nothing about them, so I gave her all kinds of information which she willingly read. She also called his former vet (who had greyhounds herself!) to educate herself.

 

Sounds like you made a good decision on your own to start back up--but it's worth asking some questions of the vet 'cause as you can see, I'm not the only one who found the suggestion weird!

 

By the way, have you heard of Greyhound Adventures? It's a Mass. group that has greyhound-only walks every Sunday. It's a nice way for the hounds to get to see their own kind if you don't have any hounds around! And trust me. No dog is going to get worn out on these walks! I had to quit cause they just move too slowly for me, but I did quite enjoy the few walks I attended (aside from them taking too long for me!).

 

 

I don't live in Massachusetts, though we recently moved from NOVA. (I believe one of the replies was from someone from MA.) I am in Oklahoma. We adopted through VAGA. There are many, many Greys in VA, and living here in OK has been more of a challenge as the area is not nearly as Grey-aware as Virginia.

 

We are lucky, however, as the vet we have found here in OK has seen many Greys, and is one of only a few Hounds of the Heartland (the local adoption group) recommended vets in the state of Oklahoma. I thought the diagnosis was odd, as well. But he explained it MUCH BETTER than I ever could! I promise, it made sense. I'm probably leaving some key detail out. He ran blood and urine tests. He said that he was drinking far too much water, getting much too much exercise -- the copious amount of water was flushing his system and messing up his electrolytes, contributing to the kidney issue.

 

At the time, he wasn't taking one fifteen minute walk a day. We were taking him out several times a day for shorter periods of time because of the extreme heat -- it was well over in the high 90's over low 100's every day at the time, and had been for about three months. He wanted us to cut him down to one fifteen minute walk every other day. All in all, given all of the factors, I think our vet's diagnosis was very plausible.

 

The error has come on my end, however, now that the heat has finally subsided I should be bringing him out more often. The highs are now in the 70's and 80's and some days, we are even seeing 60's and 70's as highs (a blessing for this native Seattleite).

 

I need to get him out more often. He grabbed my BRAND NEW (one day old) pair of Privo shoes and started to CHEW yesterday! I immediately "eh eh eh'd" and commanded "drop it", which he did, GOOD BOY! :D ran to the bully stick cache, and gave him something to chew on. He was a happy boy, although he did steal an oatmeal-peanut butter chip cookie from the cooling rack after dinner. LOL. (Who could blame him, they were fantastic!)

 

Thanks everyone.

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We live in the south too and it gets hot during the summer months. Our dogs do not do well in the summer heat. They drink more just going outside for a run in the back yard. I can see where all the exercise in the heat of the day would play havoc with your boy's system. It's cooled off a good bit down here so if the temperatures have dropped I'd do as you say and take him out for more walks during the day. If he starts having issues then I'd be looking at something physical that could be contributing to the problem. A healthy grey shouldn't have problems taking 2 or 3 walks a day, providing they aren't super long walks.

Edited by JillysFullHouse

Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel

Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee

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