She’s nearly 2 years old so not a pup. GSD x Lab with bundles of energy. Wears other dogs out.

Anyway she chews. From flip flops and shoes to kids toys. Cables, paper We’ve gone through 3 basket/beds. Most recent bed was bought last week and she’s chewed it and pulled the stuffing out.

Now before someone says she’s bored, I don’t think she is. She gets walked twice a day (loves the beach and loves fetching sticks from the surf). We have a massive back garden. We leave chew toys out for her, kongs, etc

She sleeps in the garage at night but any time she’s alone she just chomps.

Short of muzzling her when we’re out, or caging, I really don’t know what to do. Our trainer says it’s normal and she’s just going through a phase, but this long?

Ideas pls.

How long is she on her own for? Is the chewing only when on her own, or will she do it around you if you let her?

About 7 hours. Goes in around midnight, has a few little treats, fresh water and chew toys then is up when my 3 y/o wakes up, has breakfast and goes on a walk.

I know they are social / pack animals but with a 3 y/o and a new baby dropping soon it’s the garage. Lots of people here have outdoor kennels but she likes to bark at silly things like the wind or trees rustling and it would piss off our neighbours!

Sounds like your dog has a slightly nervous disposition, so you need to work on that.

A kennel or plastic crate, inside the garage would probably help. She needs a space of her own, and only hers. She is now a “teenager” and needs her own bedroom.

Take her to a park and let her chew peoples bags

Tell her you’ll tell aracer and he will call the police on her.

Now before someone says she’s bored, I don’t think she is. She gets walked twice a day (loves the beach and loves fetching sticks from the surf). We have a massive back garden. We leave chew toys out for her, kongs, etc

I think she’s bored 😉

Our dog is about the same age, she gets walked/ran for at least 2 hours a day but unless we spend some more time playing with her, a tug-fight, obedience training, searching for treats and also some relaxation time giving her a stroke and scratch (good at this time of year anyway for finding ticks) then she gets all mardy and will go into the garden and either dig in the flower bed or bring a stick inside and chew it up and sit looking at the mess knowing that she’s going to get in trouble.

We leave chew toys out for her, kongs, etc

Edible? If not try some edible ones instead, our old dog loved them. Won’t fix your problem but may help.

Lock her in a cage for 23 hours a day. That’ll learn her.

Those cigar hide chews (countrywide ones are thicker/last longer) might be the answer, and don’t bollock her for chewing if she does it when you are away as that will just make it worse

Have you read any dog books? If not “Think Dog”, and “In defence of dogs” are worth a browse as they really don’t think like us at all so it helps to try and work out why they do what they do.

when you put her to bed at nights leave her with things she cannot chew

I’ve got a 16 week cocker. We don’t leave anything below waist height that we don’t want chewed so only his toys are available. Thankfully he doesn’t chew any furniture but he does occasionally bring in a stick to work on but we take that straight back outside.

Our problem is he hunts out snails in the garden and loves eating them. We always take them off him but we’re struggling to get him to stop. He’s only young so will hopefully grow out of it so for the moment we’re making sure he is properly wormed.

cobrakai

Our Cocker was the same, he chewed our dining room chairs, sofa, curtains, rug, window sill, radiator valve, floorboards, his bed(s)…..wood was by far his biggest victim.

He wasn’t left on his own for more than 3-4 hours, he was a bit nervous when he was young but nothing to warrant this sort of destruction.

I am convinced our problems were not setting boundaries with what he should and shouldn’t chew when he was a pup, he loved chewing sticks but the moment we trained him off chewing those he stopped chewing anything else.

You need to eat her bed in front of her…she’ll get the message.

I thought that there might be a spray or something to put her off, but given that dogs are known to eat poo/sick/rotten rabbits etc, I’m not sure that’s achievable.

Do you lock her in certain areas of the house? I used to put my dog in the kitchen where he would destroy whatever he could. Once i allowed him free reign of the house the problem was solved.

She has free reign in the day – not on sofa’s and not on beds. But yeah, anywhere else is cool.

I’ve heard bitter apple spray can work.

I’m not sure I’d call her nervous. She doesn’t jump when there’s a bang (she looks but isn’t freaked). My 3 y/o has smacked her a few times and I really don’t know where he learnt that from (he even looked at me the other day and slowly raised his hand – I said “Don’t you dare” and he smacked her nose!!).

If anything she’s a bit of an attention whore. Follows us everywhere which is bloody annoying in the kitchen when trying to cook and there’s a dog behind ya!

She’s sat in front of the fire as if butter wouldn’t melt. Bitch.

Stand on her enough times(not intentionally mind) she soon learns not to be in the way.

It’s not nervous in that way.

Chewing and attention seeking are just signs that see is a bit unsure.

If there were a bunch of kids, she would be a bit shy etc.

She wants to be with you in the family group, pack whatever, and then at night she is excluded.
Confusion = anxiety = chewing.

Did you ever tell her to go to her bed when misbehaving?

I had a similar issue with one of my dogs.

I agree with neilwheel (well for my dog I do). I solved it by crate training her and then crating her at night. Somehow once she is in she just shuts down, it is almost as though you have turned the switch off.

The only bed chewing I have had recently was in the car when I left her (without the crate).