Hello,
Dimity, our 6 1/2-month-old red female, is attacking our carpet: chewing on it and pulling it back at the edge. We've placed some heavy objects around the border of the carpet, at those places she seems most attracted to; but I suspect she is not choosy, and will chew on/pull up whatever part of the carpet is accessible; her chewing and pulling is predominantly on the edge of the carpet, but she will fiddle with the middle also. Alas, she is a strong Doberman; she is literally pulling the nailed carpet off of the floorboards.
Most of our home consists of hard wood floors, with a few carpeted rooms upstairs. We train her inside, in an empty room upstairs because the carpet offers much better footing for her; she slides a lot on the hard wood floors downstairs. Because of the predominantly wet weather in the Northwest, especially in the Winter and Spring, we have to train inside.
Any ideas about how to modify her carpet pulling/chewing behavior? Holding her; saying "No"; crating her; loud, firm, corrections; spraying Bitter Apple on the carpet (her least favorite thing in the world); treats; bones; chewy toys--only distract her for a little while. Once she finishes with these treats and/or distractions (or gets bored with them), she's back at the carpet faster than you can say Doberman Pinscher.
Mind you, this is not a neglected dog. We spend hours with her every day--walking, training, playing--and she has been through the first round of obedience classses, awaiting the second round in early February.
Dimity, our 6 1/2-month-old red female, is attacking our carpet: chewing on it and pulling it back at the edge. We've placed some heavy objects around the border of the carpet, at those places she seems most attracted to; but I suspect she is not choosy, and will chew on/pull up whatever part of the carpet is accessible; her chewing and pulling is predominantly on the edge of the carpet, but she will fiddle with the middle also. Alas, she is a strong Doberman; she is literally pulling the nailed carpet off of the floorboards.
Most of our home consists of hard wood floors, with a few carpeted rooms upstairs. We train her inside, in an empty room upstairs because the carpet offers much better footing for her; she slides a lot on the hard wood floors downstairs. Because of the predominantly wet weather in the Northwest, especially in the Winter and Spring, we have to train inside.
Any ideas about how to modify her carpet pulling/chewing behavior? Holding her; saying "No"; crating her; loud, firm, corrections; spraying Bitter Apple on the carpet (her least favorite thing in the world); treats; bones; chewy toys--only distract her for a little while. Once she finishes with these treats and/or distractions (or gets bored with them), she's back at the carpet faster than you can say Doberman Pinscher.
Mind you, this is not a neglected dog. We spend hours with her every day--walking, training, playing--and she has been through the first round of obedience classses, awaiting the second round in early February.