The Message Board

RE: My Puppy is tearing everything apart!!

Posted 93 days ago

At 18mths old this could be teathing and providing something the dog is alowed to chew on might help. Bones, toys or whatever. He might also need a bit more to do, as a 7yr old dog will be company, but wont keep him entertained.
Male Labs can be a bit more boisterous than the females so it might be a good idea to take him to obedience lessons, or at least do some at home obedience training.
Did the last owners tell you why they had to get rid of him? and did they tell you much about him, like his fav games?
Wish you the best of luck with Sammy
_________

RE: My Puppy is tearing everything apart!!

Posted 85 days ago

Thanks for your help!!!

umm... yeh they did saythat he used to tear everything up, he used to live on a farm and they said he used top get bored. all they told us was that he knew how to sit, and he was a very curios dog but thats it really!
_________
THankS!... ....FroM....SammyLUCKY....:D

RE: My Puppy is tearing everything apart!!

Posted 66 days ago

Hey, our Australia Cattle Dog Cross German Shephard has the same tendencies - totally wasted a doggy beg we bought for him within a very short period of time. The answer was for us this, anything really important you want to hang onto, spray (& reapply the spray on a regular basis) Aerogard - the original variety with the yukky smell, not that odourless thing. This has worked exceptionally well on the doggy lead, the car harness and most importantly clothes and furniture! Our doggie absolutely hates the taste! Also, we've learnt to take temptation out of his way. My Mum used to say, "make it easy to be good" she was talking about kids at the time, but it seems to work well for doggies too! Hope this helps - we feel for you!

RE: My Puppy is tearing everything apart!!

Posted 12 days ago

Hi SammyLucky,
I am hoping that you have had some success with your youngster. There are many reasons why he is chewing everything and yep, teething is one of them.
Also boredom plays a very huge part, especially in young dogs. They have an excess of energy that they need to unload and just running around with another dog just doesn't do the job. Excess energy means getting up to mischief to get rid of the boredom.
Active dogs need to be taken for very active walks every day, for no less than a very energetic half hour (and even better, twice a day).
As their normal instinct is to investigate their surroundings and smell new smells, they need to investigate different surroundings with different smells other than their back yard.
Training is another extremely necessary thing.
I would also suggest perhaps either reading Cesar Milan's (The dog whisperer) book, or perhaps getting some of his videos, or if you have Foxtel, watching his programs (he is usually on the Bio channel). This will give you some very good ideas and understanding on just how dogs think. They have very strong instincts and do not respond like people do!
They also don't understand being hit or yelled at.
What they do understand is a strong, calm and assertive leader, hence needing to be trained. This is very necessary for any dog to have a balanced temperament and a happy life.
Also, get down on all fours and look around at what is at eye level. If there is anything that you don't want chewed or destroyed, put it up high until he has better training. Once he understands what you want, he will want to please. So don't yell, get upset or hit, all that tells him is that you are a weaker member in the family and he will need to take over being a leader. It's instinctual and what they need to do to survive.
Anything else I can help you with, please let me know.
Blessings

_________
Bowen Therapy practitioner for People and Pets.