ANSWERS: 8
  • Have you tried soft chewy toys? I've heard dogs need both hard things to chew on and chewier things.
  • Sounds like he is bored. How old is he? I mean, is he a puppy or an older dog?
  • You haven't really said if this is a puppy or an adult dog, but from the description, I'll assume it's a young dog or a puppy. It sounds like he maybe cutting his adult teeth. He is compelled to chew when cutting teeth. The trick here is that YOU have to not only provide him with AN ASSORTMENT of acceptable things to chew on, but you also have to STOP ALLOWING HIM FREE RANGE OF YOUR HOUSE....until this situation has resolved and he is finished cutting his adult teeth. HE IS A PUPPY...even if he were an adult...a dog is not always going to choose to do the RIGHT THING. Animals do not view the world as we do and while dogs, cats, birds and horses (domestic companion animals) can LEARN many useful and wonderful things, they are still going to make POOR CHOICES if WE do not step up and support them in making GOOD CHOICES. This means that you have got to run interference on his chewing options. Buy him a couple of hard Nyla Bones, and a couple of big Kongs. Stuff the Kongs and freeze them. You can waste money buying the Kong brand stuffing, or just get inventive at home. Raw meats, some non-fat yogurt or cottage cheese, with some of his dog food, human grade PLAIN beef or turkey jerky cut or torn into tiny bits, a spoonful of peanut butter, or unsweetened apple sauce stirred in to it then freeze, will last a good bit longer as he tries to work the goody out of the Kong. The cold of it will also help to sooth his gums. Next NEW RULE IN THE HOUSE...socks, shoes, glasses, all items that matter MUST BE put where he can not get to them...no exceptions. CLOSE BEDROOM DOORS TO KEEP HIM AWAY FROM BED PILLOWS AND BLANKETS. Give HIM is own blanket (and wash it weekly). Consider using a Tether and attach him to YOU, about five to six feet long...so he can lay down while you are doing something on the computer, reading, watching TV..but not so long that he can trot out of your range of sight! Make sure that where ever he is...tethered to you, he has an ACCEPTABLE CHEW TOY available...Praise him for chewing on HIS THINGS...REMOVE AND REPLACE ANY UNACCEPTABLE ARTICLE WITH ONE THAT IS HIS. Having a puppy or a young dog is a lot like having a toddler..remember those "daze?" Anything he can get to, he will put in his mouth...it is up to the humans to OUTSMART him...it is WORK...it is going to seem endless, but just like with a toddler...they do advance to the next stage of life IF we are on our toes 24/7. Get baby gates, get a crate, gate him into a "safe room" or crate him when you can not watch him. Don't buy him a big bone. Most of these bones have been cooked and cooked bones become brittle and are dangerous...likewise, many of the big ones are from the legs of LARGE animals, cows..and they are too dense...we call them WRECKER BONES..because they will crack teeth! Look for big sales and hand him a big RAW ROAST, OR A WHOLE CHICKEN RAW RAW RAW...those bones are safe, they are "soft" and he can crunch them right up! Dogs and Cats are not designed to eat and digest GRAIN...KIBBLE...they are designed to eat RAW MEATS, BONES AND ORGANS! http://www.skylarzack.com/rawfeeding.htm http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/ There are people on this web group who have been feeding their dogs and cats RAW (Species Appropriate diets) for 1 year, 10 years, 15 years, 25 years, and at least one woman who has been feeding RAW for 50 years!!! I kinda think someone would have found out if there was a problem with feeding them what they are designed to eat by now...wouldn't you? Not only have my dogs and cats HEALTH improve during the past year, but their BEHAVIORS have also improved! AND I'M SAVING MONEY!!! I get a lot of FREE MEATS off of my local Freecycle. Whole turkeys, Deer, Beef, Chicken, Fish...Elk once...whole chunks of meat and ground meats...These may be freezer burned, but that won't hurt the nutritional value for the dogs and cats at all. And there are Raw Fed coops that get special prices...those are extra fun, because WE can eat those meats too! And I keep track of Sales. I used to spend between $75 and $125 each month for 2 dogs and 4 cats on kibble, canned food and cat litter. NOW I only spend between $35 and $65 on the average for everything! The Dog's poop is far less, because they are USING the food correctly not pooping it out. And the poop turns to crumbles and then dust within about 3 to 4 days and has almost no smell to it at all! I don't know about you, but less poop to pick up is a beautiful thing to me! Chewing nice MEATY bones will satisfy your dog's need and desire to chew SO MUCH MORE...and it will tend to calm him down...WIN/WIN. http://www.rawfeddogs.net/Recipes It is also LESS WORK FOR YOU! Hannah, my Search and Rescue dog, eating a FREE DEER NECK, then Patch working on the same chunk of meat...it lasts a couple of weeks since I fed Chicken thighs/legs and other meats on other nights. Saylore the kitten with his first chicken leg. YOUR dog would probably eat whole chicken quarters to start. We feed about 2 to 3 percent of what the dog's ideal adult body weight SHOULD BE...adjusting according to their level of exercise, or need to gain or loose weight. For a puppy or young dog you would feed at least 2 to 3 or 4 times a day, breaking the entire amount up to equal 2 or 3 percent per day.
  • He may be bored stiff. Dobermans need a lot of exercise and since they are working dogs, they need something to do. Your dog could probably benefit from some obedience training, every day, in addition to the exercise, it would give him something to think about and also help the two of you bond more.
  • He doesn't know what things are legal to chew on and which aren't. No dog, or child for that matter, knows right from wrong from birth. You have to teach him. Put everything illegal out of his reach. If you have to, shut him out of rooms. If he is chewing on illegal things, that is your fault for leaving them in his reach. Make sure he has plenty of exercise so that he is chewing out of need to teeth (if he is young and still teething) or to clean his teeth, not boredom. Then give him legal toys and praise him for chewing them. Make sure he always has those legal toys at hand, so that he doesn't have to find something else if his teeth or gums are bothering him.
  • I would get him a Kong and put peanut butter in it. He should like that and it should be virtually indistructable. We had a Rottie that loved them.
  • He is either bored or a daredevil. If you told him not to chew on things like that, maybe he thinks its just a game. Its as if you tell a child not to do something, but they do it anyway because they think its funny. either that or he's REALLY hungry... because our dog keeps licking the floor! >:[
  • Why don't you get him a little football or basketball to chew on to keep him occupied,so that way if he knows what he should chew. There's something called positive reinforcement I used this technique when training my dog. Positively reinforce chewing on things he is allowed to have with praise,and petting and try to identify each item:"Is this your stick?,Good boy!" Then there's Negative reinforcement,negatively reinforce his chewing on inappropriate item by removing the item and saying "No this is mine" and exchanging it with a proper chew toy: "Here is your ball",Good boy!" To stop him from chewing on something inapproprate,you should re-direct his attention to a toy that is his. When he gives up the toy that he's not supposed to be chewing on,praise him profusely and give him the appropiate chew-toy. Dogs need to chew,and this usually means on anything they can reach. A spray that works well,and is sold in pet stores is called Bitter apple.Most dogs and puppies don't like the taste,so they will not chew what has been sprayed.From experience I can tell you that it does not harm the finish on wood furniture,and it does not have a strong smell.My sister used to breed dogs that's how I know all this stuff:)

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