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Question
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Followup To :  Just two more questions....I tried the vinegar that you suggested, but I added some to the bottle of keep away (something from Petco not sure of the name)that I've been putting on the furniture.  Do you think that is a safe thing to do?  Also, with the crating during the day, I feel so quilty doing it since she's crated at night, but I'll try anything at this point to keep her from chewing up everything.  She is usually home alone from 8-4:00.  How long does it take for this type of crate training (for chewing).  How will I know when she is ready to be back to "kitchen bound". Oh, and one other thing, a friend of mine buys the "real" bones (no meat on it) that grocery stores like Foodlion and Safeway sell for her dog, because they last longer than the rawhides and it keeps him busy for a longer period time and he can't totally destroy it.  What do you think?  Thanks for all the time and help!  I really aprreciate it.  We are first time doggie owners and want to get this under control soon!  Thanks, Donna

Question -
We have a 1 yr old Pom that we adopted about 6 weeks ago.  Our problem...she doesn't have any play skills!  She will chew but not play.  She literally ate a tennis ball (the inside).  She will chew until it's completely destroyed in a matter of minutes.  The other problem is the chewing.  I've spent a small fortune in toys and chew stuff trying to find what it is that will satisfy her.  She will chew the nylabones and rawhides, but they are gone and/or destroyed in no time.  She will not chew on the plush toys or the rubbery toys.  She is confined to the kitchen area during the weekdays and she has started to chew on furniture or anything/everything that she can find except for her stuff.  We cannot get into behavior training in our town until June. We have really enjoyed having a dog and she can be very loving and funny, but after this past week of chewing...I'm wondering what I got myself into.  I'm ready to give her back!  She is home alone from about 8-4:00 weekdays.  I usually fill her treat toys (3)(like the kongs)with a treat before I leave in the a.m. and give her a chew stick or bone hoping that it will keep her busy for a while.  She likes the kongs, but as soon as she gets the treats, she forgets about them.  I have tried the apple spray for the furniture, but now I'm thinking that it attracts her..I really believe she likes it.  She didn't chew on my wooden plant stand until I sprayed it to make sure she stayed away from it!  I hope you can help.  I would appreciate any help that you can provide.  My kids would be so upset if we have to give her back.  Thanks for your time.
Answer -
Wow, Donna. It sounds as if whoever had your dog before you got her was a really good owner (sarcasm there). From what you've told me, I suspect she was either dumped at a shelter either still inside her mother or at a very young age, was an orphan, or was removed from her siblings and mother too early. During the first 8-10 weeks of age, puppies learn from their mother and siblings how to be a dog, pretty much. They learn how to play and interact with other dogs; they learn bite inhibition; and they learn 'pack' order and behavior. This is the reason that puppies must stay with their mother and siblings until at least 8 or 9 weeks of age. Irresponsible breeders will sell puppies as young as 6 weeks of age and sometimes even younger, as soon as they are weaned; but this can cause a lot of problems down the road for those puppies, who never learned how hard was too hard to bite when playing, or how to properly interact with another dog should they meet up with one. Many times, dogs that were removed from their mother and littermates before 8 weeks of age suffer from behavioral problems like aggression and separation anxiety, among other things.

However, let's get back to your question; what to do with your chewy 1-year old!
You may be right about the bitter apple spray - some dogs DO like the taste. You may have to try bitter lime or vinegar (either apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar). Or, the easiest thing to do would be to get her a crate. If she is housebroken and goes outside to potty, then the crate can be a little bit larger than what is recommended, so she has a little more room. The usual recommendation for crate size is that it should be no larger than to allow the adult dog to stand up, turn around, and lie down in comfortably. This is so the dog doesn't start using one end of the crate for using the bathroom in. If your dog is housebroken, you can go with the next size up if you like.

Crating her while you are not home to supervise her will keep her from being able to chew on inappropriate things. Make sure she has a few items in her crate with her to keep her occupied, like the stuffed kong and nylabones. I do not recommend rawhides, especially for a dog that is such an active chewer, because the dog can swallow pieces of it that can then swell up in the stomach and/or intestines, causing a blockage that can be life-threatening to the dog, and very expensive in vet bills. I recommend nylabones instead, because they do not swell up, and it's more difficult for the dog to swallow large pieces. Go with the Edibles, because they do not contain plastic or other indigestible materials.  Since your dog is an aggressive chewer, get the largest size she can handle, so it will last longer. For a Pomeranian, a medium-sized nylabone should be big enough.

Good luck, and please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with!

Kristen  

Answer
I'm not familiar with the product "Keep Away," so I cannot tell you whether it's safe to mix vinegar with it or not. I do know what the product is, but I've never used it or anything. I don't see why you would need to put the vinegar in it; my suggestion was just to use the vinegar alone, applied with a paper towel or cotton ball.

The key is letting her get a taste of it before she actually starts chewing on the item you've put it on. Soak a cotton ball in the vinegar, wring it out a little so it isn't dripping wet, and offer it to her like you would a treat. She will sniff it, and may take it in her mouth. Then, she should immediately spit it out in disgust. This sounds mean, but doing this actually lets her associate the smell of the vinegar (which your table legs will now smell like to her where you have applied the vinegar) with the awful taste. After any of these products have sat on an item for a little while, they lose some of their potency as far as taste goes, but the smell is the same to the dog, so if he knows that something that smells like vinegar tastes horrible, he won't be as likely to try taking it into his mouth. Make sense?

I know what you mean about feeling guilty for crating her during the day and at night, but think about it; at night, she could care less where she is because she's sleeping. During the day, if you put a camera up in your house and watched her, you'd see that she spends 90-95% of the day lying around sleeping as well. So, don't feel guilty about crating her. She would either be chewing on your table legs or sleeping if she were loose anyway, and since you can't have her chewing on your table legs, you have to contain her. As long as she has something in there to keep her entertained, she will be fine.


"a friend of mine buys the "real" bones (no meat on it) that grocery stores like Foodlion and Safeway sell for her dog..."

If you're talking about the raw bones from the butcher shop of the grocery store, then yes! They are absolutely fine to give her to chew on! Raw bones are very nutritious and do not splinter like cooked bones do, so they are also very safe. If you're talking about the ones that are sold in the pet aisle wrapped in plastic or whatever, then they're alright, but not nearly as good as the raw bones. If you're going to go that route, again, get the largest bone she can handle, so she cannot break off too-large pieces and get choked.

It depends on the individual dog as to how long to keep crating them. I would go at least a month to a month and a half, until she KNOWS that chewing on inappropriate items is, well, inappropriate. When she's no longer interested in those items while she IS loose, then you can start trying to leave her loose during the day again.

Kristen