dog wont stop chewing

Question
our dog (mastif&lab) won't stop chewing up everything in sight.  we thought that she would outgrow this behavior but she is almost a year old and is showing no improvement.  we put her outside because she was chewing things in the house now she gets out of the fence and goes to the neighbors and chews things in their yard also.

Answer
Hi, Patty, and thanks for asking! Did you know that dogs actually go through TWO teething phases? The first one is between 4 and 7 months, depending on the breed. The second one occurs at around 10 months of age, as the rear molars come in. In some dogs, this phase is hardly noticed, but in others (like your dog), it can be just as bad or worse than the initial teething phase!


Rather than leaving her outside, I suggest getting her a crate. Put her in the crate when you are not at home, and also at night, so she cannot get to and chew on things she isn't supposed to. While she's in his crate, give her something to chew on, like a Kong toy filled with peanut butter, cream cheese, kong stuffing, etc. or an extra large nylabone that she will not be able to devour. A raw beef soupbone is also a good thing for teething, because it is too hard for the dog to actually break and swallow pieces of. Do not EVER give her any bone that has been cooked, because cooked bones splinter and can be dangerous. If you ever give her bones, they MUST be raw so he can chew them up and digest them.

The crate should be just large enough to allow her to lie down, stand up, and turn around in comfortably. You can give her a blanket or bed if you want to, but it isn't necessary, especially if you think she might chew on it. By only allowing her access to appropriate chew things, she should eventually stop trying to chew on the inappropriate things, and this teething phase should pass within a few weeks.

Only allow herm to be loose in the house when you or someone else is there to supervise her. That way, IF she does try to chew on a table leg, or on the corner of the couch, or the wall, or whatever, you can immediately correct her and offer her something that he SHOULD be chewing on, like the Kong or nylabone. Ice cubes are also good for teething. When I say "correct," I do not mean to yell at or hit her. She *should* respond to the word "NO" said in a low, growly tone of voice. If not, then you can allow herto drag a 4 foot leash attached to her regular cloth or leather flat collar while she's loose in the house (again, under supervision). That way, when you tell her no and she doesn't stop, you can use the leash to give a quick leash correction - a quick, sharp, jerk-and-release, and also use it to get her away from the inappropriate item and encourage her to come to you to get the item you are offering to her.

Putting her outside is not going to solve the problem, and could very well make it worse because she will continue to chew on those inappropriate things while she's out there, and since she's not being corrected for that and shown what she *should* be chewing on, why stop?

Also, keep in mind that labradors are retrieving dogs. By nature a lab is mouthy and wants to put everything in its mouth. Trying to train a lab to NOT put things in its mouth would be cruel, because every instinc he had would be telling him TO put things in his mouth. You cannot train out instinct, but you CAN redirect that instinct. Rather than trying to teach her not to chew on things, just make sure she has plenty of things that she CAN chew on, and when she makes a mistake and chews on something inappropriate, correct her for it, immediately give her something appropriate, and PRAISE her for chewing on that item!


If you do that, she should get the idea and stop chewing on the inappropriate items. To help speed things along, you can also try using Bitter Apple or Bitter Lime spray on the inappropriate items.

If you want to do this, then get a bottle of whichever one you want to try, and saturate a cotton ball with it. Wring it out so it isn't dripping wet, and offer it to her like you would a treat. She'll take it from you and should immediately spit it back out. When she spits it back out, PRAISE HER! Pick it up and offer it to her again and again, praising her for spitting it out, until she will no longer even take it from you. When she gets to this point, you need to really ham up the praise, because that is what you want her to do - when she smells the spray on an item, she should not even try to take it in her mouth. Do this a few times a day until she will no longer take the cotton ball from you, and then you can proceed to spray all the inappropriate items - out of her sight.

Good luck and please let me know if there's anything else you need!

Kristen