Look For Things To Teeth On... Help!

[Guest distorento]

Hi everyone,

 

After 5 months, Sam finally started playing with toys, and has unfortunately taken an interest in biting other things... We have a pine wooden bookshelf and he took two good bites out of it! He seems like he wants to use his teeth more and more...

Our worry now is that he does not know what he can and cannot bite, so what's next?

Does anyone have any tips or how to train Sam on what to NOT eat? Also, any preventive measures we can take (for example, we only give him his bone twice a week for about 15 minutes at a time, how often do you let him have it)?

 

Any tips are appreciated! Thanks in advance

[Sambuca]

Why do you only give him the bone twice a week? I'm a nylabone fan. Make sure there are lots of toys accessible at all times. He's a puppy. They chew things. It just is. You need to set him up for success by having options for him available. Deer antlers are good as well. At that age if I catch them chewing something inappropriate, I say no, move them away or take away the object and hand them a toy to show them what's ok to chew on. Supervision is key.

[a_daerr]

I've had Truman since he was 15 weeks, and he got to a stage where everything went in his mouth. Everything. We redirected him by always having a variety of things to chew on. His favorites are Merrick knee bones and rope toys. Fifteen minutes twice a week is probably not enough- I'd start giving him regular chewing sessions everyday. As for training what's appropriate and what's not, it's all about supervising and redirecting. If he's particularly destructive and you can't be there to supervise, it might be best to muzzle.

[fionasmom]

He needs a lot of different choices available at all times. Nyla bones are good. Maybe a puppy kong or a hollow bone filled with good stuff and put in the freezer. The cold will help soothe the teething.

 

When you catch him chewing something inappropriate, give verbal correction and offer another option.

[Guest distorento]

Thanks everyone for the tips, looks like we'll be using more bones!

But I have to add that he is not a puppy, he's 3 years old... He should definitely be passed the teething stage!

[duncan41]

In a former life, I had hunting dogs and one of them had a real oral fixation. In his case, "supervision" meant being with him every waking minute to redirect his chewing to an appropriate substitute until he figured out what was OK to chew. He also had a short attention span, so there had to be a variety of choices with which to distract him.

[greysmom]

Greyhounds can still be very much puppies at three years old, but he *should* be through teething! He just likes to chew! As other have said - variety of things to chew on, supervision, redirection. Repeat, repeat, repeat!

 

You can also get some bitter apple spray, or make a paste with alum to put on inappropriate items he's chewing like furniture or moulding.

[Guest k9soul]

I think people were under the impression he was a puppy because the title seems to be saying he's teething . But I agree with offering a variety of options, gentle redirection when you catch him chewing something he's not supposed to, and maybe a taste deterrent will help as greysmom mentioned.

[NeylasMom]

Dogs expend energy in 3 ways, through their feet, brains, and mouths. Feet meaning exercise (and for a lot of dogs, walking is not sufficient, they also need a place to stretch their legs and run harder, play fetch, etc.), brains meaning mental stimulation (this is walks, meeting other dogs, learning tricks, good manners class, treat toys, puzzles, etc.), and mouth meaning chewing. So generally if an adult dog is chewing a lot, he's probably not getting enough exercise and mental stimulation. So start there.

 

As for the chewing, interrupt, redirect, and reinforce. So if he's chewing something inappropriate, get his attention, then call him away and when he comes to you, reward him for coming by giving him an appropriate chew toy. Then praise him for continuing to work on it, or even toss a few treats his way every now and then. Appropriate chew toys - antlers, bully sticks, Himalayan chews if they don't upset his stomach, possibly Nylabones (I have mixed feelings about these, but for my mixed breed they have been a huge help although I'm careful about which ones I choose), stuffed kongs. Avoid greenies and rawhides.

[Acadianarose]

Payton likes this one:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0009X63SQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1382662573&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

 

It is pretty durable.

 

Also, he really loves this one, especially stuffed with peanut butter or yogurt. I freeze it before I give it to him.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004A7X25O/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1382662573&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

[rascalsmom]

Phoebe has a deer antler she likes. We got it at Petco.