Aggressive Chewers

Question
Hi Kenny,

I have 2 adorable beagles that love to chew. I try to provide them with lots of durable chew toys which they usually destroy or get bored with.  When they do get bored they go for things like the dog bed, (they've gone through 6) blankets, my linoleum floor, my kitchen cabinet corners...etc.  The problem has gotten so out of control that I have to keep one of them (the instigator) locked in a crate while I'm out.  

I've tried training classes and excerising them till they're too tired to chew but nothing has worked.  And I almost never catch them in the act so I can never discipline them about it. I thought maybe this was due to seperation anxiety but sometimes they'll chew away with me in the very next room. I would love to leave my house or go into another room without worrying about the mess I may find.  Any suggestions?

Answer
Hello Marilyn, You didn't say how old your beagles are. Are they under 2 years? If so, they may be teething.
First, chewing is normal for a dog. Dog's have a physical urge to chew and during teething they have pain that is relieved by chewing. You can pick up special teething toys from most major pet centers. Some of them are frozen or refrigerated just like a child's teething ring. If you think they are teething you should try a teething ring for them.
It is great that you take them for walks to give them exercise. This should lessen the chewing. Be sure to play chew games with them.
At this point I would not give them free rein of the house. When you leave you should confine them to a smaller area (kitchen, bath, I'll get into how to save your kitchen cabinets).
Rotate their toys. New toys are always more fun. You can rotate their toys every day or every few days. When my last beagle was teething and chewing up every toy I got him I would go to the local thrift store and get him stuffed animals. Have you noticed how expense a stuffed dog toy is? Well, you can get them for a dollar in the toy section of a thrift store. Let them chew them apart. Some will last for 5 minutes and some may last for days. Be sure to only give them the stuffed toys when you can supervisor them. They can chew them up instead of your sofa.
When you leave them give them a fake bone (from the pet store) filled with peanut butter. This should help if it is separation anxiety. Chew proof the room that they are in. Use bitter spray for cabinet corners, edges of the linoleum floor and you can also use foil on the cabinets. Put a piece of foil on the edges of the cabinet and close the door. Yes, this is not attractive but, a chewed cabinet is less attractive.

Fellow beagle lover,

Kenny