# Five Months Old and Chewing



## Jantymac (May 3, 2015)

My lovely Honey has started really chewing the furniture, in particular a coffee table that was my husband's pride & joy! I have tried spraying with Shaw's Chew Deterrent. It seems to do not the slightest good, so please, please can anyone help?


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

The best option is to put the coffee table away for a while, so that the habit is broken. 
At the moment she is teething her mouth is sore and she NEEDS to chew. So the trick is to fins some things that she can chew on - a knotted damp tea towel that has been in the freezer until it is hard. A drinks bottle knotted in an old sock, a kong with a smear of peanut butter inside. A bulls horn or an antler.
My dogs absolutely love a frozen beef rib (natures:menu sell them in bags of 3) now that the weather is better there is nothing like a happy dog chewing a rib on the lawn 
Once your Honey has found that there are lots of better things to chew on, bring your coffee table back out and watch her - if she shows any sign of chewing it, put it away again for a while. You will be much less stressed, Honey will therefore be happier and hopefully your OH will still have a coffee table in 6 months time!
Be grateful, Inzi chewed the plaster off corners of walls and the tops of skirting boards


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

Brilliant sage words from Marzi as usual  Poppy was a big chewer and I agree, remove the item and reduce the all round grief! Our rug was rolled up for a few months and we got a long strip of vetbed instead which got chewed a bit but not massively and anyway I classed it as sacrificial where-as my nice rug isn't  

This issue caused a lot of tension and arguments in our house and Neil was rubbish at putting things away so it was generally his things that got ruined. I can turn it round and blame myself for leaving things out but Neil thought she should know to leave his personal things alone, especially when he was tired after a long day (Earth calling Neil, reality gap is critical cap'n)  

There wasn't a chew on the market that completely satisfied her urges but buffalo horn/hooves (non stuffed) came the closest, pizzles are good but very calorific and you can't keep giving edible treats, she'd have needed about three a night! To be completely honest we tried everything and many things helped a little but overall it was time that eventually sorted it, so remove things, distract her with training, offer acceptable alternatives to chew and above all try and keep calm. Poppy was much much worse in the evenings and sometimes had an enforced nap because a tired Poppy had no self control whatsoever ( to be fair an awake Poppy didn't have all that much either)


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## bearthecockapoo (Mar 17, 2015)

I agree with the above responses. She is teething and can't help it - she will find whatever best helps ease the pain.

Remove the object to a place she cannot get to. Mine chewed off most of my baseboard, which will have to be replaced (and can't exactly be removed easily!).

I used Kong toys with peanut butter inside, a treat ball that must be rolled around to dispense treats (or kibble) for mental stimulation - keeps her focus away from your furniture, chew toys that make sounds (e.g. I have a log shaped object that makes a krinkle noise), as well as frozen towels and frozen carrots (cold and nutritious!).

The best things to look for are a) things you can make cold and hard enough that it puts some pressure on her sore gums, and b) toys that will keep her attention so she only wants to bite her own toys.


Just to be safe, I would lock up your chews. Real leather shoes seem like a natural chew toy for many dogs.


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

We locked up everything possible, kept Rufus on a house line, provided plenty of chew toys and treats, supervised him constantly and he still managed to somehow chew large holes in completely flat drywall. I still cannot figure out how he managed it. Weird thing is that after a bit the chewing just stopped. He still likes to mouth his kong and tug toys now and then, but he knows not to touch our stuff and never steals stuff at all. All this to say there is hope, but hopefully someone in the family is handy with home repair.


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## Jantymac (May 3, 2015)

Thank so much, Marzi, for all that advice - I think Honey will be pleased with the chewing ideas too! I do use the Kong with some meat food smeared inside, but hadn't thought of peanut butter. Will also try the wet tea towel in the freezer idea - especially if we eventually get some summer weather up here in Lakeland! Many thanks!


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## Jantymac (May 3, 2015)

Thanks Marion! I guess it is mostly about time in the end - strangely my OH is a Neil too and really doesn't handle it too well, maybe something in the name!! We live in North Lancashire on Morecambe Bay and as you know, summer is somewhat missing this year! I will remove the table and anything else small enough and try and find some chewy toys that will keep her happy for a bit longer! Thanks for you advice.


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