Question

Our dog Grace is small, but boy is she a big chewer. She chews up everything we leave out, shoes, books, of course food. I don't know if she's just naughty, hungry or what. Any ideas out there?

Answer 1

I don't know if there's a way to get them to stop chewing altogether, but I think that it is possible to redirect their chewing preferences. Have you tried Kongs or other toys that you can put food inside? That's supposed to be entertaining. Also, I have heard that none of their toys are supposed to resemble items you don't want to have chewed, like shoes, purses, et cetera. How old is she? Hopefully it's a phase.

Comments

She's 8 months old.

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Dogs can still teeth up to about a year old.

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Be careful what kind of toys you buy her. I only give my dog chew toys that are made in the USA.

Answer 2

There are a lot of resources online too. Here are a couple links:

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/destructive_chewing.html

http://dogtime.com/chewing-and-destructive-behavior-aspca.html

Answer 3

There's stuff you can buy to spray on things that you don't want her to chew. Most of it is natural, so it won't hurt your dog. It'll just make things taste bad.

Answer 4

Does she do it in front of you, or while you're gone? Does she get enough exercise? There are a lot of reasons why dogs chew, and it's important to figure out why if you want to keep her from bad behaviors.

Comments

I had to take our dog to a trainor, and the first thing she did was ask us a ton of questions about our lifestyle, in order to figure out if we were doing or not doing things that negatively affected our dog.

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yeah, a lot of times, dogs chew because they're bored.

Answer 5

Oh no! Haveing a chewer on your hands can be a real mess and the training can be a real ordeal. Help protect your shoes and stop your dog from chewing with Fooey, it will deter your pet from chewing on things that she's not suppose to and assist in the training process. Also check out Zogo Flex toys, awesome for chewers, suppose to be chew proof, and have a one time replacement (in case you have a really persistant pup!)

Answer 6

How old is she? My dog went through some crazy chewing phases when she was teething. My vet said that they get their adult teeth in from like 3 to 6 months.

Answer 7

My sister's dogs chew up shoes unless they've been smacked with them. I'm not saying thats what I'd do, but it works. She doesn't do it too hard, just gets their attention.

Comments

I don't agree with this post at all. You should never hit a dog with anything. There are a lot of resources for training your dog. Have you talked to your vet about it? Are there any trainors in your area?

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There is a doggie daycare and a grooming place, but no trainors.

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I would talk to one of them about it. I'm sure they deal with dogs chewing on things hey're not supposed to all the time. They would probably have some good advice.