Chewer


T

Tommy's Mom

Guest
Hello. My Tommy is almost 1 year old. He is a beautiful, smart and loving member of our family. I love him like a child! Our problem is chewing. He chews up all of his toys with in minutes! He chews holes in the drywall when we are not home. I'm not kidding..we have about 7 holes in the living room from him! He is chewing on the kitchen cabinets, pretty much anything he can get a hold of. I don't know what to do. He can't have a pet bed because he chews the stuffing out of them and then throws up or poops it out! At one time I thought he had a blockage. I hate to leave him in a cage while we are at work. Any suggestions?
 

CaseyKC

Active Member
He is such a cutie! My last little girl was a black and tan smooth hair.

Please do not think of a crate as a cage. I have had dachshunds for over four decades, and, each and every one of them viewed his/her crate as a special safe place, kind of like having their own personal room. I usually left the door open when I was home and often one of them would grab a toy, or a chewy stick and go into the crate to either take a nap or chew on the stick. They would also retreat into the crate when my granddaughters came for a visit. I think they needed a break from all that play.

Did you know that if your dachshund has a bad back issue, the statistics say one in four will, that they will have to be crated 24/7 for 6 to 8 weeks to either recover from surgery or to heal without surgery. What if a hurricane or other natural disaster occurred in your area and you had to evacuate? Some emergency human shelters require that your dog be crated. We had to evacuate once when a regional power outage happened in freezing weather. All hotels with generators had no vacancies and we had to spend the first night in a shelter, although we left the next morning to stay with my friend who lived five hours away and was not affected by the power outage that lasted two weeks and affected half the state. In the event of an emergency, medical of natural disaster, it is less stressful on a dog that is comfortable in his/her crate, and less stressful on you. Also, if you crate your chewer when you are not home, he will not be able to destroy your home, or even worse, bite through an electric cord or get into something that might kill him. Start by making the crate a place he feels safe and wants to be in. A nice chew stick and blanket or some treats should make him want to enter. Leave the door open for a few weeks, and then gradually leave him crated with the door closed for short periods of time. Praise and a treat when he goes in, and more praise and treats when you open the door to let him out.
 
T

Tommy's Mom

Guest
Thank you for your reply. This is our first house dog. We only put him in this crate at night when he is wanting to go to bed. We get him up when we do. Most of the time he is just waking up. His crate is in the other room away from us. My other problem is he chews his blankets and dog beds. Then he poops out strings and pieces of them. Do you have any ideas about that? I am so afraid he will get something caught or get hurt. Thank you so much!!
 

CaseyKC

Active Member
I have actually never had a dedicated chewer, but I think I would try treating the problem with items that are okay for him to chew. You could get one of those giant raw hide bones that are to big to get his mouth around. I say the giant ones because otherwise he will chew and ingest pieces. Or, maybe one of those Kongs? I have never had one for my dogs, but I have been told that they are quite difficult for a dog to destroy. I would hope it is a phase he is going through, although I do understand that sometime these phases or behaviors go on for what seems like forever. I have a fear barker and I have had her for eleven months now, and as near as I can tell, there is no light at the end of the tunnel for this behavior, so I understand your frustration and concern. You could also ask your vet about what to do. I would be concerned that something your Tommy chews and swallows could create a blockage in his digestive system.
 
D

Deleted member 3082

Guest
Hi, Tommy's Mom; I'm Nonnie. Our girls, Sis and Lady, were chewers, and I discovered Sour Apple spray; it helped to an extent. We did verbally discourage them also and substitute a toy . They never chewed the walls! :) To this day, they periodically choose something to chew, like a pine cone from my collection! They destroy most ANY cute toy we've gotten them EXCEPT a small GloBall--- it seems to be indestructable. Does your baby get plenty of exercise and play time (e.g. chasing a ball)? Best of luck.
 
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