We picked up our dobe from the breeder a few days ago. His name is Astos - he's a beautiful black boy and we just love him! Really the only big problem is that he chews...a lot. We gave him various toys with different textures for his mouthing (including a stuffed Kong, which does not interest him as much as we'd hoped), but he doesn't seem to concentrate on them for very long before he goes to chew random papers, wall baseboards, even the carpet. He's almost 9 weeks, so he's not teething yet. We're currently telling him 'off' when he starts chewing something he shouldn't, and if he doesn't stop then we physically remove him and lure him away with a chew toy, which normally works for 10 seconds before he starts again. I was just wondering if this is common, and what suggestions anyone may have to nip this behavior in the bud, before it becomes a bigger problem.
Excessive? or just normal chewing?
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sounds pretty normal to me. Their attention span IS about 10 seconds at that age. All you can do is be persistant and consistant-it does get better with time.Astos said:
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Mensa (14 weeks) chews everything. I try to give her a large variety of things to chew, kind of lowers the odds of her chewing something she's not supposed to. Her favorite is either a rawhide bone or a Nylabone.
My problem is keeping Katie from chewing Mensa's toys. When Katie starts chewing, the toy is gone in about 15 minutes.
My problem is keeping Katie from chewing Mensa's toys. When Katie starts chewing, the toy is gone in about 15 minutes.
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Sounds normal to me.
I would go to a garage sell and get lots of stuffed toys (granted he doesn't chew them up and you don't leave him alone with them) for him to direct his attention to. Then buy lots of toys for him for variety, the more the better. Tennis balls are good, natural bones by Merrick are good too. Orbee products are my personal favorite. My male loves stuffed Kongs now, but he didn't used to as a puppy, he got distracted way too easily. Nylabones are good. Rope toys are great for their teeth, just make sure they don't eat the rope.
Plastic bottles can be noisy and fun, take off the cap & put some treats inside for extra fun and have him figure out how to get them out, just make sure and watch him very close and don't leave him with toys like that unsupervised. Chicken broth ice cubes in a bowl can also keep him busy for a bit.
Here is a pic of our male as a puppy with some of his toys, as he got older he chewed most of them up, but as a puppy they lasted awhile.
I miss the puppy days sometimes...=) Enjoy your boy, the puppy stage doesn't last long
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That large moose was his favorite toy, he went through two of them.
Whenever he would chew something bad, we would tell him no and give him one of his toys instead. He caught on quick, but you have to watch them close. We also made sure to puppy proof the place so it was safe for him to play and when no one was watching the puppy he went in a large crate to keep him safe so he wouldn't hurt himself or learn bad habits. Puppies will chew everything!
I would go to a garage sell and get lots of stuffed toys (granted he doesn't chew them up and you don't leave him alone with them) for him to direct his attention to. Then buy lots of toys for him for variety, the more the better. Tennis balls are good, natural bones by Merrick are good too. Orbee products are my personal favorite. My male loves stuffed Kongs now, but he didn't used to as a puppy, he got distracted way too easily. Nylabones are good. Rope toys are great for their teeth, just make sure they don't eat the rope.
Plastic bottles can be noisy and fun, take off the cap & put some treats inside for extra fun and have him figure out how to get them out, just make sure and watch him very close and don't leave him with toys like that unsupervised. Chicken broth ice cubes in a bowl can also keep him busy for a bit.
Here is a pic of our male as a puppy with some of his toys, as he got older he chewed most of them up, but as a puppy they lasted awhile.
I miss the puppy days sometimes...=) Enjoy your boy, the puppy stage doesn't last long
That large moose was his favorite toy, he went through two of them.
Whenever he would chew something bad, we would tell him no and give him one of his toys instead. He caught on quick, but you have to watch them close. We also made sure to puppy proof the place so it was safe for him to play and when no one was watching the puppy he went in a large crate to keep him safe so he wouldn't hurt himself or learn bad habits. Puppies will chew everything!
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Get toys, toys and more toys. I spent more money on toys than what it cost to get my girl. Mine was a big chewer also, but we gave her plenty of toys until she learned that she should chew only her things and not everything else. Since he has been home only a few days he is still getting use to his new surroundings. So supervision is the key and redirection of the chewing to his toys is a must. Most dogs love stuffed Kongs, once they learn what they are. You might have to help him with this at first. While showing him the stuffed Kong, help him get the stuff out with your finger and let him eat the stuff you get out. He will think you are an awesome pack leader and also helps with bonding. Once they catch on, you will have to learn how to make it harder to get the stuff out of the kongs. Make it easy to get the stuff out at first then start making it harder. Play with him with his toys to help establish what is his too. Alos keep a toy within reach to use as a redirection when you see him going for something you do not want him to chew. Puppy proofing the home, as mentioned above, is a must. They will learn fast, but need to be shown alot at first.
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yeah the big pile of toys in that picture is what we had going on in the house too. lol but yes you have to watch out and throw them away once she starts getting holes and stuff. Maybe try a kong...
Duchess went through sooo many bones! they werent the extreme hard bones...they left all sorts of goodies wherever she was chewing them...pasty stuff...crumbs lol and once they got a little so small we got rid of them or gave them to someone who had a much smaller dog lol.
Duchess went through sooo many bones! they werent the extreme hard bones...they left all sorts of goodies wherever she was chewing them...pasty stuff...crumbs lol and once they got a little so small we got rid of them or gave them to someone who had a much smaller dog lol.
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Our trainer gave us two good ideas for Iris as far as chewing. One was to freeze carrots , which would keep her busy for awhile. I think the coldness also soothes those sore gums. The second was "Bully Sticks",(a dried bull muscle that many times comes braided) she would chew for hours on those. You can get them at Pet Smart and Petco. If you have a Trader Joes there they seem to have the best price. At 10 months Iris's teeth are all in and the chewing has'nt been much of a problem but she still loves those carrots.
Jack didnt really chew when he was smaller.. he has a stuffed rat that looks like road kill now but that is all he has chewed.. he like to swing the toys around like baseball bats.. he thinks its a blast.. he throws them across the room and chases him.. its neat that he makes his own entertainment..
But when he did chew on stuff i would take it away and tell him no, and give him somethng he could chew on and say good boy when he did.. he got the idea after a while.
I wish you luck.
I love that picture of all the toys.. kinda reminds me of my daughters room! heh
But when he did chew on stuff i would take it away and tell him no, and give him somethng he could chew on and say good boy when he did.. he got the idea after a while.
I wish you luck.
I love that picture of all the toys.. kinda reminds me of my daughters room! heh
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I think I told you guys this before...but the first day we brought home duchess...she walked in the door...picked up a shoe by the laces...we said "NO!" and gave her a toy...and she never went for a shoe or to chew on anything again lol...she just liked to tear up paper 
but not anymore
but not anymore
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the other thing you can do is get some bitter apple at your local pet store to keep the little monster from chewing things you can't move out of reach like window sills, railings, chairs etc. it did not stain any leather or fabric in our house but I would test it first on your things.
Another good option is to become friends with your local butcher and get marrow bones. we froze them and gave them to Cody when he was a pup, and Pollo loves to chew on them now when they are still frozen. You just want to keep the little rapscallion off the furniture if you go with the marrow bones - they can be a bit messy.
good luck - this will pass - in about 18 months or so.......
cc
Another good option is to become friends with your local butcher and get marrow bones. we froze them and gave them to Cody when he was a pup, and Pollo loves to chew on them now when they are still frozen. You just want to keep the little rapscallion off the furniture if you go with the marrow bones - they can be a bit messy.
good luck - this will pass - in about 18 months or so.......
cc
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Rommel likes the bitter apple spray! I cut a pepper in half and rubbed it on things I didnt want him to chew (the bottom of our furniture) It didnt hurt anything, and he has never gone back to it.
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