Re: Chewing

In Reply to: Chewing
Category:   Behavior Problems
Posted by:  Lisa
Posted on:  October 30, 2002 at 12:14:53

: Hi,

: Help! My year old male Petey is gated in the kitchen during the week while I'm at work, and it seems he has taken to chewing on one corner of the wall and baseboard(the side near his bed). I'm worried that this is the start of a problem. Could the cabinets be next? I read in the Forum that chewing is related to boredom. I really thought I was giving him enough exercise(as well as tons of affection and attention), as he doesn't have any other destructive behaviors(excessive barking, chewing etc.)that would indicate otherwise. Quite honestly, he's such a great dog otherwise. He seems very happy, is highly social, and has been through several sessions of Obedience school. He does have a bit more than his fair share of aggression going on(mainly in the form of "guarding" his territory w/respect to other dogs at the dog park, but he's not out of control). And from everything I've read, he's right where he's supposed to be, and we're working through the aggression with slow but steady progress. I thought I was doing everything I'm supposed to do.

: He's not left alone all day. My mom comes over midday and spends 2 hours with him(playing indoors). So in total, he's left in the kitchen about 3 hours in the morning, and about 3 hours in the afternoon. The time "alone" is when the chewing occurs. He goes to the dog park every evening for at least an hour of playtime, and even longer on the weekends.

: Could the solution be that I need to start setting aside a half hour or hour or so in the morning for some exercise before I leave for work? Do you think this will help? Does it have to be outside(we do have an empty baseball field nearby) or can we just toss the ball around in the house?

: Thanks!

: Lisa

Response:

Hi Lisa,

It sounds like you are doing a great job with Petey. Your problem might be solved with something as simple as getting him some toys that will occupy some of this time and his penchant for chewing.

You might want to try a Buster Cube, it's a great toy for keeping a dog occupied both physically and mentally. A well stuffed Kong might also be something to consider. If you go to the Kong website they should have information about stuffing (make sure to incorporate Petey's meal into it so he doesn't end up weighing 50 pounds lol). For an aggressive chewer I also recommend Hercules Bones and Galileo Bones. And a bit of an increase in activity might also help, whether outside or indoor.

If all of this fails you might need to start crating him. This shouldn't be too much of a problem seeing that he is only left for a few hours at a time.

Kong Company

Regards,
Marie