Calling all dog owners, need advice

[Tej.S]

Hey guys, I have a little issue with my 13 month old labrador and was hoping to get some advice from those who might been through this situation before. Basically, my dog will eat ANYTHING that he can get his mouth on, ie)kleenex, paper towel, cardboard, plastic bottles, etc. I've tried to use the solutions that I've found online(discipline him when he's caught in the act, tell him no, get him toys, etc), but nothing has worked. I usually try to keep everything dog-proof but he still ends up with something in his mouth once in a while. The only improvement he's made is that he'll let go of whatever is in his mouth, only after I've cornered or caught him haha. My only concern is that one day he'll hurt himself by chewing/eating something he wasn't supposed to, and I really wouldn't want that to happen. If any other dog owners have been through this sort of ordeal and have any solutions that have worked for them, I would really appreciate it if you could share them, thanks.

[JustinMCS]

Do you give him enough exercise? Dogs will act out or be more rowdy/playful if you don't walk him enough/take him to the dog park.

[roll_over]

My dog did this too then just stopped one day I thought it was just teething

[jsn]

Originally posted by JustinMCS
Do you give him enough exercise? Dogs will act out or be more rowdy/playful if you don't walk him enough/take him to the dog park.

:werd: Labs have alot of energy.

[phreezee]

Pretty normal with labs, you just got get through that phase.
Kongs with peanut butter and/or frozen treats inside will help.

[firebane]

Originally posted by Tej.S
Hey guys, I have a little issue with my 13 month old labrador and was hoping to get some advice from those who might been through this situation before. Basically, my dog will eat ANYTHING that he can get his mouth on, ie)kleenex, paper towel, cardboard, plastic bottles, etc. I've tried to use the solutions that I've found online(discipline him when he's caught in the act, tell him no, get him toys, etc), but nothing has worked. I usually try to keep everything dog-proof but he still ends up with something in his mouth once in a while. The only improvement he's made is that he'll let go of whatever is in his mouth, only after I've cornered or caught him haha. My only concern is that one day he'll hurt himself by chewing/eating something he wasn't supposed to, and I really wouldn't want that to happen. If any other dog owners have been through this sort of ordeal and have any solutions that have worked for them, I would really appreciate it if you could share them, thanks.

If he isn't getting between 1-2 hours of good exercise a day you have a dog with FAR to much energy.

Look into dog daycares for him and that will take care of most of his energy.

Watch out about his diet too certain dog foods can make dogs act retarded.

[r2.ha]

I have a Siberian and he was full of energy. One thing we did was take him to the off leash park once a day for like an hour and let him go run around and got him tired out that way. All dogs with high energy need their walk or run daily. Another thing like phreezee said is to probably get him a kong or a big bone from the pet store and let him have to chew it. Another thing that will keep him busy are these rubber ball things that have many holes in them and just put a few milk bones or something inside which lets him play and develop his brain as he tries to figure a way to get the treats out of the ball.

[CompletelyNumb]

Originally posted by phreezee
Pretty normal with labs, you just got get through that phase.
Kongs with peanut butter and/or frozen treats inside will help.

:werd:


Labs need a lot of exercise. Tire him out and give him some good toys and he should be good to go if you've been putting the time in to train him.

My yellow lab still went through the eating everything phase as a puppy, but grew out of it pretty fast. And yes he ate anything he could fit in his mouth. Silly guy.

[Tej.S]

I do take him for fairly long walks 2-3 times a day, but I guess that isn't enough. I think it's time to invest in some roller blades since I don't wanna run haha. Does anyone know if you can buy kongs from Pisces or pet land? He's very well trained and knows a crap load of commands, but he just has a slight destructive side to him lol. I'll try everything you guys have advised, thanks everyone! I really appreciate it :D

[firebane]

Originally posted by Tej.S
I do take him for fairly long walks 2-3 times a day, but I guess that isn't enough. I think it's time to invest in some roller blades since I don't wanna run haha. Does anyone know if you can buy kongs from Pisces or pet land? He's very well trained and knows a crap load of commands, but he just has a slight destructive side to him lol. I'll try everything you guys have advised, thanks everyone! I really appreciate it :D

EVERYONE sells Kongs. They aren't cheap for the bigger and tougher ones but you'll be glad you did.

You say 2-3 times a day. How long do you go out for? If its less than an hour its not enough.

Labs and Border Collies are two dogs with a insane amount of energy that even when you think they are tired they aren't.

[95EG6P]

if you have a treadmill put him on it or you might have to do daily walks as mine was destructive as well but after walk and runs he is too tire to be biting or chewing anything

[spike98]

Make things he CAN chew on more accessible. Go buy $100 worth of bones, toys, stuffed animals, and anything else he might like to chew on from the pet store. Put them everywhere.

If he is going to chew shit, might as well be his. He will grow out of it eventually but in the mean time, its cheaper than your $450 harmony remote, $200 sunglasses, $1000 custom fit blinds, $150 shoes, a $200 kitchen table chair, or numerous pairs of the GF's expensive lasenza panties.

[Tej.S]

Originally posted by firebane
EVERYONE sells Kongs. They aren't cheap for the bigger and tougher ones but you'll be glad you did.

You say 2-3 times a day. How long do you go out for? If its less than an hour its not enough.

Labs and Border Collies are two dogs with a insane amount of energy that even when you think they are tired they aren't.

It's usually 30 minutes. He seems tired at the end of it, but I guess not.


Originally posted by 95EG6P
if you have a treadmill put him on it or you might have to do daily walks as mine was destructive as well but after walk and runs he is too tire to be biting or chewing anything

I tried to get him used to the treadmill, but he was too fearful and clumsy to adapt lol. Plus, I find it better to let him get fresh air instead :p


Originally posted by spike98
Make things he CAN chew on more accessible. Go buy $100 worth of bones, toys, stuffed animals, and anything else he might like to chew on from the pet store. Put them everywhere.

If he is going to chew shit, might as well be his. He will grow out of it eventually but in the mean time, its cheaper than your $450 harmony remote, $200 sunglasses, $1000 custom fit blinds, $150 shoes, a $200 kitchen table chair, or numerous pairs of the GF's expensive lasenza panties.

Haha, he's not THAT destructive. He'll chew on slippers and small things, but he won't destroy shoes or chairs or anything. I got him a really big bone from Pet Planet once(the one covered in meat or w.e), and he started snarling when someone tried to take it away, and he is NOT food aggressive at all =\ Has anyone ever bought one of those "indestructible" toys? Almost every toy I get for him, he ends up tearing to shreds after a while lol.

[firebane]

30 minutes for a dog is just getting them warmed up for a medium breed

[speedog]

A relatively new and very tough toy on the market - Bionic (http://www.bionicplay.com/) with a one time replacement guarantee on most of their products.

[BloNdie]

Someone once told me that I would have to put up with my Lab's chewing until he hit about 6....they were right. We went through 2 couches during the first 5 years!

For us - we spent a ton of time with him, made sure he got outside a lot, kept an eye on him when we were home and didn't leave him anything to chew when we were out (either kennel or an empty room). Don't leave anything laying around that you don't want chewed.

Now, at just about 6 years old, he is a DREAM....always very well behaved. It was well worth a few years of chewing - he is such a joy now. Be patient.

[lilmira]

Originally posted by speedog
A relatively new and very tough toy on the market - Bionic (http://www.bionicplay.com/) with a one time replacement guarantee on most of their products.

Interesting, is it really that durable? My boy will destroy anything within minutes lol.

[Black Gts]

Also I noticed with my dogs (Boston terrier) 1 hr at the dog park beats any walk. You might be able to save yourself time and get rid of his energy in two 45 min blocks depending how close you are to a big park.

[speedog]

Originally posted by lilmira
Interesting, is it really that durable? My boy will destroy anything within minutes lol.

We've had customers in that bought this whose dogs will destroy pretty much anything and it's surviving. Trick is to size the toy appropriately so as to prevent the dog the ability to get the toy into the back of their mouth where all the chewing power is.

Another good toy - those egg shaped balls, buy the big ones for a lab. They'll never be able to get their mouth around them and for a dog that loves playing with bigger balls, they'll be a hoot as the egg shape makes for interesting rolling trajectories.

Also, pick up one of those water bottle toys where a 5-600ml water bottle is used as the stuffing - much cheaper than constantly replacing stuffed toys as one can always find a 5-600ml water bottle.

[speedog]

Bionic's guarantee - link (http://www.bionicplay.com/guarantee.html).

[lilmira]

Cool! I'll have to pick one up.

[spike98]

Originally posted by Tej.S
Haha, he's not THAT destructive. He'll chew on slippers and small things, but he won't destroy shoes or chairs or anything. I got him a really big bone from Pet Planet once(the one covered in meat or w.e), and he started snarling when someone tried to take it away, and he is NOT food aggressive at all =\ Has anyone ever bought one of those "indestructible" toys? Almost every toy I get for him, he ends up tearing to shreds after a while lol.

Never underestimate the power of a dogs destructiveness haha. This is my pooch, he's 15lbs:

https://plus.google.com/photos/108242696891938225745/albums/5475291003431241521



Originally posted by speedog
Also, pick up one of those water bottle toys where a 5-600ml water bottle is used as the stuffing - much cheaper than constantly replacing stuffed toys as one can always find a 5-600ml water bottle.

These are awesome! My dog loves chewing on plastic bottles and these stop them from cutting his gums.

[Quiet10]

My strategy when my dog was younger was just to take him to the park for 30-45 minutes, burn all his energy there and then walk him for 15-30 mins after that. He was usually way too tired by the end of it all to chew anything after that and just slept. But he used to go through many of the 'indestructible' toys every month.

Also, some of the toy balls that were 'softer' and had the hole in the middle, he seems to have troubles breaking, no idea why but it might be because he can chew as hard as he wants and the rubber doesn't rip, just bends in his mouth. :nut:

[tirebob]

All my dogs over the years that I have gotten as puppies go through chewing phases, but every one of them grew out of it. The best method I have found is redirection of chewing. You basically replace anything they are chewing on when you catch them with something that you want them to chew on. It has never seemed to take long and always has worked. The only dog that has ever still carried on slightly bad is one of my current dogs (a shitzu x) who just seems to love eating paper. I have to make sure bathroom doors are closed etc or he will eat TP right off the roll! It sucks as it can sometimes cause a blockage which can be dangerous but so far we have been lucky. Still trying to sort that one out and he is 4 years old now!

[speedog]

Originally posted by Quiet10
My strategy when my dog was younger was just to take him to the park for 30-45 minutes, burn all his energy there and then walk him for 15-30 mins after that. He was usually way too tired by the end of it all to chew anything after that and just slept. But he used to go through many of the 'indestructible' toys every month.

Also, some of the toy balls that were 'softer' and had the hole in the middle, he seems to have troubles breaking, no idea why but it might be because he can chew as hard as he wants and the rubber doesn't rip, just bends in his mouth. :nut:

JW Pets Hol-ee Roller - an amazingly tough toy for many dogs...

http://www.jwpet.com/images/dogholdet_rol.jpg

[austic]

My dog used to have a problem with chewing water bottles. I basically baited him by using bitter apple spray on a few water bottles and left them out for him to chew. He took one bite started making faces and didnt touch the water bottles again. But if your dog likes taste then that will not work.

[Seth1968]

What are you feeding the emotional slave?

[Cowtown_Raider]

Originally posted by Black Gts
Also I noticed with my dogs (Boston terrier) 1 hr at the dog park beats any walk. You might be able to save yourself time and get rid of his energy in two 45 min blocks depending how close you are to a big park.

This...

Drive to an off-leash area with lots of other dogs. The interaction with other pooches is invaluable and it's the best way to burn them out.

[Tej.S]

Originally posted by spike98
[B]

Never underestimate the power of a dogs destructiveness haha. This is my pooch, he's 15lbs:

https://plus.google.com/photos/108242696891938225745/albums/5475291003431241521

A shiba inu? He looks so cute haha.

I got him a kong toy today so I'll try redirecting his attention to it if I catch him eating something he's not supposed to be. I'll report back here soon!

[whydontchathen]

My sister - who has a pack of 5 dogs - swears by her vinegar spray bottle. They don't like the smell and will run in the opposite direction if she's forced to use it.

[spike98]

Originally posted by Tej.S


A shiba inu? He looks so cute haha.


You bet, about as high energy as they come. My mutt responded to the advice here. I burn him out, hard. I run him with a pair of huskey's or take him to a fenced tennis court and let him haver. The problem with shiba's is they will run given the chance so off leash parks are off limits for us.

He will grow out of it so just mitigate the problems for now and wait it out.

[RatherBePerfin]

Since chewing is mentioned, check out www.goughnuts.com. They have a lifetime guarantee. Presently no exchange point set up in Canada so you'd have to pay shipping to/from the US for now. $12 flat rate shipping to Canada.

Also, I'm a big fan of bully sticks. Good pricing at bullysticks.ca

Rollerblading is great, mine loves it.

Flirt poles are also a good way to play them out without playing yourself out. Chunk of 1/2" wooden dowel, put a threaded eyelet in the top, attach 3 to 4' of string and tie either a flimsy stuffed animal on the end or even a rag. Mine goes absolutely nuts playing with it. Being that your lab is still young I'd suggest you avoid making him do any excessive jumping while playing with a flirt pole though until he matures a bit yet.