Any ideas for Soco's horrible chewing habit?

[Kimjorg]

I am done with everything in our house getting chewed up. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep your dog from chewing things up when you leave. She is in her crate but she even chews through the wire on her crate and chewed up the floor in the kitchen this weekend.:main_thumbsdown: We have tried everything! We put a blanket with our scent in her cage she'll shred it to a million pieces. We leave at least 2 different Kong toys in her cage and she wont even touch them. As much as I love her and she is totally a part of our family it would kill me to have to get rid of her. If she doesnt stop tearing everything up thought that is going to be the only option. As a person who rents a house everything she chews is just another HUGE problem and expense she costs us. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!! I thought eventually she would grow out of this but I guess not!

 

[MSMD]

Sounds very familiar. My Rottie/Pit x was a big chewer. Chewed through the bars in his crate and ate about a 2'x2' portion of my bedroom carpet :main_rolleyes: . So, on top of the repair bills, there were also vet bills. Fortunately, he ended up vomiting up and passing the carpet without getting a blockage, but still frustrating and scary nontheless!

We ended up:

-replacing his wire-type crate with a plastic-type Vari-Kennel (we ended up having to reinforce the front wire door with threaded steel rods so he couldn't flex the whole crate and pop the front door open--freakin' Houdini dog!! :main_rolleyes:

-using Kong toys (are you stuffing the toys with treats? We stuff ours with a little peanut butter and some favorite treats)

-just as a final precaution, we placed his crate on a hard surface so there was nothing he could try to get to, although the holes in the metal door on the Vari-Kennel are much smaller than those of wire crate.

He also chewed anything we had in the crate with him, so we bought a really heavy, thick rubber-like horse stall mat and cut it exactly to fit the bottom of the crate so he can't pull up an edge to chew that, but he has something mildly cushiony to lay on.

Hope that helps a little. I understand that it's very difficult situation and especiallly with a rented house. However, this behavior is usually a symtom of some degree of separation anxiety, which would probably be extremely exacerbated if trying to place her in a new home. If you are able to rig something up where both your home and the dog are safe, it would really be the ideal situation.

(I believe Soco is a Pittie??) and Pits are really notorious for being chewers, especially when they're young. I used to live in a city area that was absolutely overrun with Pits. The vast majority came from fighting backgrounds (ears chopped off unevenly w/ broken logging chains around their necks running loose in the middle of the highway....grr!!) A lot of them were young and presumably used as bait dogs, so were still pretty sweet, albeit some aggressive and/or terrified around other dogs. We fostered quite a few of them while they were finding homes. Most of them definitely were bigger chewers when young (I'm not sure how old Soco is) and tended to curb at least some when they reached the age of 2 to 2 1/2 years. However some of them had an urge to chew constantly throughout their whole lives.

Hope that helps and the best of luck to you!!

 

[techgirl]

How much exercise does SoCo get? Another big reason for chewing is lack of stimulation. Dogs need a good hour or two of exercise each day. Take her for a good walk before crating. Try taking her to a dog park for running off leash and getting some energy out. I know that helps with my pit. When she's bored, she will chew. Tired dog=no energy for trouble.

 

[goReptiles]

Jessica, SoCo's chewing when left alone. Sounds like a really bad case of separation anxiety. I will agree more exercise will help alliviate it though. If you take her on long walk before you leave for the day, it will tire her out in the cage.

Definitely stuff the kongs with peanut butter or cheeze wizz. A kong in the cage does no good unless it's stuffed... Generally.

You may need to switch to a plastic travel crate, but she may slober and rust the door. I've had that happen. My mom's St. Bernard/ Collie mix rusted the door in the plastic crate, so we got a wire one, to which she stretched the bars at the top and weaseled out of a 6x5" rectangle. She was lucky not to get hurt. She now has to be chained to a large chest with weights so that she cannot pull the chest. It's the only way we've gotten her to relax when we leave. At first, though, she ripped up my parents mattress because she could reach it. Now she really doesn't do any damage, but she has chewed the chest a little.

Try calming medicines from the vet. They may offer a pill or plug-in. Although, we've tried the plug-ins and they didn't work for us. We've also tried over-the-counter meds, which didn't work. Maybe a child's benedryl will help calm her when you leave. Check with your vet before you medicate her though. The vet may have another option, and if not the vet can give you the ideal amount to give her based on weight.


Give it time. She may grow out of it. the St. Bernard/Collie mix of my mother's hasnt' chewed anything seriously bad in a few years. She's 5 years old, now. She's gotten used to being tied up in the bedroom.

I crate MIA, but she doesn't have separation anxiety... Well, maybe a tad, but nothing too serious. She just gets crated b/c she's not 100% on house training, plus it's safer.

 

[techgirl]

I know SoCo is chewing when she's alone . I had a whippet with severe separation anxiety that she turned to self mutilation when left alone. Exercise made a big difference. We did after some time have to put her on Clomipramine to help ease more of the anxiety. If you turn to using drugs, then find out about them. You will need to do bloodwork before you start and then check them on a routine basis. The goal of most anxiety meds to to help deal with the issues of separtion with the hope of eventually getting off the drugs if possible.

 

[Halley]

I would also try long walks with her. The best time to do this is in the morning, so she is tried for the rest of the day. It sucks to get up in the morning to do this, but when we bring a pet in the house, we own it to them to give them the best care we possibly can. When you walk her, walk her in a heel. This is help her get more energy out, because she has to adjust to walking to your side, which causes her too use a little more brain power. I have a lot of people tell me this "well I walk to slow for her" well she can't walk faster than you just because her leash is at full stretch. This will also make walking more pleasant for you, if your arm isn’t being pulled off, by your dog. Then I might also try some bitter apple spray. The unpleasant taste of it may help curve her chewing habits.

 

[Kimjorg]

ALL of these things we have already tried LOL! Thats why I am so frustrated...we have stuffed the Kongs, put her in an enclosed cage (which she then chews the side of the cage) and she ALWAYS gets to go outside and do some heavy duty playing with the other dogs before we leave. I hate to "drug her up" before we leave everyday but it might come down to that. Thanks for all the suggestions if you have any other ideas please share!!

 

[Halley]

How long do you walk her everyday?

 

[Kimjorg]

We let them go out and play at least 4 times a day for at least 15-20 minutes each time. They usually play so hard that they come inside and just crash...The girls usually play together and JD plays with us, we let them in when they seem tired and look like they are done running around like maniacs. She never pees or poops in the house or in the cage its only the chewing that really bad. Shes a really good and sweet dog besides this problem

 

[goReptiles]

Instead of 4- 15 to 20 minute play sessions try real exercise. Dogs need the play sessions, but they really need to be walked or ran daily. In the wild, wolves walk miles and miles a day, this trait is still embedded into domestic dogs, to some extint, of course.

 

[moosassah]

This may sound silly, but have you tried leaving on the tv or radio. Classical music is known to calm them. But maybe having voices talking would also help.

 

[techgirl]

First thing first, how do you act when you leave and come home? Do you get all excited to see her or act all lovey dovey when you leave? Believe it or not this all makes the situation worse. How does she act when you come back? The most important thing to do when you crate her to leave or when you come home is to completely ignore her. There should be no hullababloo when you get home either. You just open the crate door and that's it.
You need to start crating her for small amounts of time. See how long it takes for her to get upset in the crate. Put her in the crate and leave her for 3 minutes, then come in and let her out and give her a special treat, no big show of praise. Slowly increase the time increments in the crate, repeating the above scenario. This will take alot of time but it has proven effective for some dogs. You may need to consider a referral to a pet behaviorist. You could also try benadryl to see if it would help. The dose is 1 mg/lb. Just make sure the it's only active ingredient is diphenhydramine. That is one safe drug that I can recommend without any long term effects. Good luck.
As for the exercise, I mean you need to run her for a good solid hour before you leave. Not just play. She needs the mental stimulation. Have you considered signing her up for an activity? I am actually considering signing Q up for a carting class. Consider agililty, obedience, flyball, lure coursing. Find something she may like. It may make a big difference.

 

[goReptiles]

First thing first, how do you act when you leave and come home? Do you get all excited to see her or act all lovey dovey when you leave? Believe it or not this all makes the situation worse. How does she act when you come back? The most important thing to do when you crate her to leave or when you come home is to completely ignore her. There should be no hullababloo when you get home either. You just open the crate door and that's it.
You need to start crating her for small amounts of time. See how long it takes for her to get upset in the crate. Put her in the crate and leave her for 3 minutes, then come in and let her out and give her a special treat, no big show of praise. Slowly increase the time increments in the crate, repeating the above scenario. This will take alot of time but it has proven effective for some dogs. You may need to consider a referral to a pet behaviorist. You could also try benadryl to see if it would help. The dose is 1 mg/lb. Just make sure the it's only active ingredient is diphenhydramine. That is one safe drug that I can recommend without any long term effects. Good luck.
As for the exercise, I mean you need to run her for a good solid hour before you leave. Not just play. She needs the mental stimulation. Have you considered signing her up for an activity? I am actually considering signing Q up for a carting class. Consider agililty, obedience, flyball, lure coursing. Find something she may like. It may make a big difference.

Just what I said, in more words though...

They don't want to use benedryl unless it's a last possible option.

I would like to add that if you set up a routine, she'll get used to what's going on. Sometimes, you may even need to break an old routine and set a new one. Like Jessica said, when you come home let her out and go about your business. Wait a good 15 minutes before acknowledging the dog.

 

[Leonardo]

have you tried looking at the pet store to see if they have any no chew spray? when bonnie was a puppy she would chew "hot spots" into her legs, feet, and even underbelly. we got some no chew spray which leaves a nasty taste in their mouths and discourages the chewing behavior.
its sort of the same method parents use to discourage thumb sucking or nail biting.
its perfectly safe for the dog, just tastes nasty.
spray it on the areas he normally chews and see how it goes.
if the pet store doesnt have it, consult your vet about it. they should know what youre talking about.
walmart might even have something.

 

[Kimjorg]

When I say "playtime" that basically consists of nothing but running around in circles around the house for 20 minutes solid. (I will try the walk thing though) Yes to the chew spray we have it and tried it and it doesnt work. I will also talk to Mikey and the roommates about being calm when we come in. We are pretty calm when we leave because the routine is they all get milkbones right before we leave, one of us opens the cage doorand says "SoCo go night-night and she goesinto the cage with no problem we shut the door, say "bye pups" and leave. It is always a madhouse (well when you have 3 pits in a house I guess it always is lol) when we get home because the 2 that arent in the cage bombard us before we can even get to the cage. We will def try to be alot calmer when we get home and try to start that as a new routine.

 

[goReptiles]

You'll have to give it some time before you may/or may not see any improvement. Running her before you leave will probably be your best option though. Even though its 20 minutes of rough play, you still need to walk/jog/run her. You can't use play as an excuse for eliminating a good walk. Most people do, though. Dogs need the walk...

If you have to try the benedryl deal, ask your vet for appropriate dosage. Usually, I give my yorkie a half a baby benedryl, St. Bernard/Collie 1, and APBT 1. The to big dogs could probably have 2 though. They don't get it often, so the lower dosage affects them just the same.

 

[Kimjorg]

I already know the doage for the Benadryl from when JD got into something outside and we had to call the vet adn ask him. Its one mg per pound of the dog in case you ever need it

 

[Halley]

I would recommend watching the Dog Whisper on the National Geographic Channel. As well as reading both of Cesar Milan Books (Cesar Milan is the host of the Dog Whisper) He has dealt with dogs that seem to have the same problems as your does, and I think you would find his techniques very helpful.

 

[LadyGecko]

When I say "playtime" that basically consists of nothing but running around in circles around the house for 20 minutes solid. (I will try the walk thing though) Yes to the chew spray we have it and tried it and it doesn't work. I will also talk to Mikey and the roommates about being calm when we come in. We are pretty calm when we leave because the routine is they all get milk bones right before we leave, one of us opens the cage door and says "SoCo go night-night and she goes into the cage with no problem we shut the door, say "bye pups" and leave. It is always a madhouse (well when you have 3 pits in a house I guess it always is lol) when we get home because the 2 that aren't in the cage bombard us before we can even get to the cage. We will def try to be alot calmer when we get home and try to start that as a new routine.

Maybe I am misunderstanding what you said above but....

Is she the only dog of the 3 that is crated when you leave and why?

That to me would be a reason for her frustration if the other 2 dogs have the run of the house and she does not

I apologize if i misunderstood what you said
I sure hope that you find an answer for her problem
I know that it is driving you crazy

Sandy

 

[StinaKSU]

I agree....if she can see and/or hear the other dogs doing thier thing its probably making her crazy that she's locked up and can't join them.