My dog is eating everything!!!

[clwelch92]

We have an eskimo spitz / husky mix who destroys EVERYTHING.. we love her to death but she is a year old and nomatter what she always manages to find something to chew. We got her a dog bed and she shredded it and ripped the stuffing everywhere.. any fabric toys or anything with stuffing is shredded.. we've gotten her the rubber kong toys which last a while but she still manages to sink her teeth into those. Today I was cleaning the kitchen and she was in the living room chewing on what i thought was her bone, only to find out she had chewed the dvd remote to peices.

Anyone have any tips? So far the only info ive gotten is to keep her in a crate, but I really dont want to have her caged all the time.

[LaPatita]

You know, Ceaser the dog whisperer would say your dog is bored and needs more excercise.

[clwelch92]

I play ball with her in the morning when she first goes out and then my husband takes her for an hour walk every night when he gets home from work, so i know she is getting plenty of exercise.

She has a lot of anxiety because she was rescued from a puppy mill, shes come a long way but is still recovering.

She has plenty of toys and bones to chew up but she seems more interested in things that shes not supposed to be chewing..

[marabeth]

From what I understand about the crate is that if done right, dogs love their crates- it's their little cozy den. I would think about alternating between engaged activity (throwing the ball, walks, learning commands) and giving her safe "downtime" in her crate. If she has anxiety, she may feel calmed by her crate. She doesn't have to be stuck in it all the time but it may keep her calm and out of trouble when you can't watch her every move.

[momofthreesweethearts]

Been in canine rescue for about 15+ years.. crating a dog isn't cruel if done correctly. It provides them a secure den and space of their very own. You can just get one leave the door open and she will go in it naturally. You can shut the door if you need to contain her for whatever reason. I use cow hooves on my canines.. they are very strong and my 90+ lb american bulldog/american staffordshire terrier can't destroy them very quickly even with those powerful jaws so figured I'd use them for all the babies. They work!!! Good luck Cheryl

[clwelch92]

Been in canine rescue for about 15+ years.. crating a dog isn't cruel if done correctly. It provides them a secure den and space of their very own. You can just get one leave the door open and she will go in it naturally. You can shut the door if you need to contain her for whatever reason. I use cow hooves on my canines.. they are very strong and my 90+ lb american bulldog/american staffordshire terrier can't destroy them very quickly even with those powerful jaws so figured I'd use them for all the babies. They work!!! Good luck Cheryl

Thanks, I'll have to try that. We do use a crate at night to keep her out of trouble while we're sleeping.. I just feel so guilty putting her back in after being in there all night. I've was keeping her confined to the kitchen using a gate which worked fine until she figured out she could jump over it (LOL) .. so we got a higher gate from babysrus and she cant get over that one. Theres nothing she can really get ahold of to chew in the kitchen I just put all of her toys in there and it seems to be working out ok.

[mona88]

Well, my dog only eats meat. He's really fussy.

[JaneKane]

They all go to a stage where they chew on stuffs. But eventually they will grow out of it. ;)

[Tampa Mom]

Unfortunately the bigger the dog, the longer they stay in that puppy stage of chewing everything. Usually when they hit two they settle down. We had a Catahoula Leopard dog (big water dog) that was as dumb as a box of hammers. The final straw was when she ate a package of $10 sandpaper my husband had just purchased. We actually loaded her up and were on the way back to the shelter we got her from when we both decided we couldn't do it. We went there and asked for help and they recommended crating. We got a crate and she ended up going and sleeping in it even when the door stayed open. It became a source of security for her and 'her' room. When she would get fussed at, I'd tell her 'go to your room' and she'd go and lay down in her crate. We only kept it for a few years because she settled down quite a bit after she turned two years old. But if we hadn't had it, she would have been gone because we weren't going to live in a destroyed home due to a dog.

[lovememar]

Yes, try playing with him/her sometimes.. let it go out.. bring him to a park or somewhere so that he will not get bored.