How can I train my dogs not to chew on everything?

okay i have searched through old posts but can't find anything that answers my question.

All four of my pits seem to be billy goats. They will chew anything and I do mean anything. They have chewed or eaten everything from my girlfriends game controllers to the side of my house. the sneaky goofballs have even gotten out of their crates and eaten blankets before. (luckily they did not come to any harm and were subsequently bought new crates that they can't escape)

I have paid tons of money for chew toys for them, but they are always chewed into oblivion within the hour or eaten completely. The only thing I have found that they can't obliterate are Nylabones, but as soon as they realize they can't annihilate the toys they become uninterested in them.

I have tried everything i can think of. they actually like that spray stuff that is supposed to make them stop. I walk them at least an hour and a half a day... sometimes 3 hours (split between 2 separate walks) if they seem overly hyper. They eat exactly what the vet says they should, but the chewing continues unless i am looking right at them.

I am at my wits end. can anyone offer suggestions?

 

When they start chewing, re-direct to something they can chew on (a toy, a bone, etc)...

how old are the dogs?

 

i have 2 2 year olds and 2 4 month olds. the older ones have the most trouble.redirecting my adult male is like arguing with a wall when it comes to chewing. the pups simply chew on anything that smells like me or is soft which makes it easier to redirect them.

 

You can get Kongs and fill them with treats. That usually will keep them occupied for awhile.

Also, dog proof the house. Remove anything they might chew and put it where they cannot get at it. Only leave their toys, bones, etc.

 

I appreciate the suggestion Michele, but both of my adults eat kong toys in seconds and my female seems to be allergic to something in them as it makes her mouth and nose turn red as well as making her throw up. She even eats tires.

 

How much exercise are they getting? That might have something to do with the chewing (pented up energy).

 

they get walked anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours every day and they usually play in the back yard for an hour or two. ( my upstairs neighbor gets crabby if they are out there any longer)

 

First off make sure they are exercised enough, ever heard of the phrase "dog tired"? Boredom and too much energy is an accident or repair bill waiting to happen.

I have found jayes fluid on things will stop a dog chewing, but then again you cant pour it all over your house

 

Thanks!

I try to make sure THey get plenty of excercise, like i said they walk from 1 1/2 - 3 hours every day. Well that seems to work for the female and the two pups. My adult male usually takes about 4 to six hours which is a bit more than I can do by myself.

 

Try doing some type of exercise that will get the dog to pant heavy such as some tug of war, or playing with the spring pole or flirt pole or fetch. You will get your dog tired faster when he is doing something that will get him to pant heavy/exhaust him, compared to hand-walking. I recommend spring-pole or tug of war with a toy rope though. Since its working his mouth area...

And if you see your dog chewing something that he is not supposed to still, show some dominance. Take out your belt and slap him with belt on the thigh. And say No in a firm loud voice. And it should learn its lesson soon. Worked/works for me. And sometimes you could probably just take out the belt and slap the wall to make the sound affect to remind your dog, and it should remember that its not supposed to be eating the object he has...

And praise your dog is he is chewing on a toy/object that he is allowed to chew on.. Such as a nylabone or a frozen cow hide etc.

 

generally he gets a tap to the base of his tail when doing something he is not supposed to. usually just putting my fingertips on him stops him. but this only works if i am looking at him. if i am trying to work with the pups, he is sneaking a chew on what we call the "don't" spots.

 

Have you tried marrow bones?? Not just any bone but the front leg of a steer. Food Lion and Bloom carry them here. I buy a big bag of them. They are frozen so you can shove the extras in the freezer. You have to ask the butcher for them. If they don't have any ask if they will order some for you. Dog not use to them will get a little loose stool but once dogs have had them for a while it no longer effects them. The marrow inside the bones are very rich like candy for a child.
Give whole ones to the older dogs and have the butcher cut them in half for the puppies. After 3 or 4 hours fighting s marrow bone you will have one tired dog. Dogs also who have access to marrow bones are far less likely to chew things. Other things just don't taste as good after having the front leg of a steer.

 

thanks Phebes!!! I have not heard of that! I will check it out and see how it works. We have food lion here somewhere i think. lol. If not i am sure one of the local grocery stores will have something. thanks again!

 

Hello

How to Train Your Dog not to Chew

1. Whenever my tiny puppy would start to gnaw on my finger, I would put a stuffed animal in his mouth. When you do this, do not scold the dog or punish it. You should simply show it what it should do.
2. When you catch the dog chewing on shoes or furniture, do the same thing. Show it what it should chew.
3. Play with the puppy and his stuffed toy or chew toy often so that it enjoys the toy and knows that playing with this toy probably means getting to play with you.
4. Be consistent with the puppy. By the time he or she stops teething, hopefully he or she will not only not be a chewer but have a favorite toy to play with too.

Thanks
Have a nice time ahead.

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Put them on a chain :p

 

do you let the dog lick you?

 

only my palms when i first let them out of their crates. I don't allow their open mouths anywhere near my face. I love my dogs, but i have first hand experience of what one can do.

 

Less stress and toys, more exercise and consistency.
If you have old jeans, tie the legs into hard knots, cut them off and give as chew toys. Stick to Nylabones. They work, and seem relatively safe. Get rid of everything else for the time being, and start making life and decisions clear for yourself and your dogs. Take everything else that you can out of their way. Remotes up on shelves, whatever, keep your floor and their space clear until they understand what is acceptable and can be trusted. You cannot give a dog fifty different toys with forty different textures to chew and have a reasonable expectation that it will know the difference between its toys and yours. They chew knots or nylabones-period-that's it-no other choices. Frankly, I would just start with the Nylabones. Make it that clear and simple for all. When the dog picks up a Nylabone, "Ohhhh good dog, you're the smartest doggie in the whole wide world!" Anything else in his mouth should be greeted with unreasonable and unrelenting wrath. I DID NOT SAY HIT OR TRAUMATIZE YOUR DOG. However, shouting, screaming, turning over furniture, and stomping feet while you yell "NO, DROP IT!" like you mean it, are perfectly acceptable and effective alternatives. Don't set a dog up to fail and expent him not to. That means, that if he likes to eat siding, chain or kennel him where he cannot do that, whenever he is out of your sight. Giving pups and untrained dogs more trust and less supervision than they deserve is a recipe for frustration, disaster, and sometimes death. Take it seriously. Make the decision about what you want them to chew, and set up your surroundings and life/training style to support your decision and accomplish the goal. In addition, use No Bite creams, bitter apple sprays on everything you cannot reasonably take out of their way-table legs, chair legs, carpet edges, door frame everything. Either invest in the bitter apple, or the wall repair. Use it consistently, do not allow the dogs to mess with anything else, secure them when you leave the house. It works, but it takes work-there is no magic solution. Godd luck.

 

My dogs think Bitter Apple is a treat. When I have foster pups here they also seem to think Bitter Apple is a chewing enhancement.

 

no offence but it sound like you may have more dogs than you can handle, and im saying this in the nicest way possible. these dogs are all different but your older dog is just showing the youngsters what to do. they need more active time and that is the truth, you obviously have an issue with your neighbour but they do need more time outside getting active, my old dog was a machine when it came to exercise and all up four hours a day with just me and her running or exercising in the yard wasnt enough, and she didnt stop until she was nearly ten years old. fucker had mor wind than a hurricane! keep trying to put some more time into walking and the like and keep buy your dogs some better suited toys. make a weight pull setup in the yard and get em buff while burning energy quickly.