# Chewing



## Milliesmum (May 12, 2014)

9month old Millie has started chewing anything she can? I give her hide chews and toys she can chew but still she goes looking around the house and garden to find something else. This pastvweekmits been a pair of glasses, damaged a new rug and pair of boots, a cushion and even destroyed two of her toys. We try keeping doors shut but she's so sneaky she finds the slightest gap and sneaks thru and gets something, hides it and chews it later ! We entertain her loads and walk her a lot with runs off the lead but it seems the more attention she has the more she wants :-(  we love her to bits and is adorable but this chewing is now worrying us. It's not as if she spends a lot of time on her own so it's not even that. We are a bit confused and wondering if this is a problem anyone else has had and any advice on the subject ?
Cheers guys 
Karen


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

Poppy was an avid chewer from day one (we ended up rolling the rug up and removing it from our living room for a few months) and she loves to get her paws up on the side tables and take anything 'precious'. Her chewing didn't really abate much after teething either, it was more focused on the correct objects but still rampant. I remember reading that teeth are settling into place until gone 10 months I think, and combined with a hormone surge around then too I suppose that could result in chomped personal items  I recently replaced the back door mat which was a real focus for her a while back and it was ignored for a few weeks but then suddenly rediscovered and nibbled  So no, sorry I don't have the answer but I do sympathise! I do think Poppy does it for attention most of the time too so I try to trade up for items calmly, to stop it becoming anymore exciting and sometimes I try not to even look at her when I know she's taken something, I just go to the fridge (she follows) and we quietly swap for cheese (who's the boss there?). Needless to say she doesn't have free reign of the house but I'm sure we'll trust her more in time.......good luck with Millie xx


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

I think there's a thread of all the things people's poos have destroyed. My rule now is if it gets chewed, my fault for not keeping it out of reach. But they are quick and clever. 


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

This is where Ralph got the nickname wreck it Ralph, he too would sneak things and run off with them, usually into the garden - then like Marion says - traded up for a bit of cheese, Ralph has got much better and tends to stick to things he is allowed, still wrecks soft toys or rubber toys in a matter of minutes - his favourites been antlers and horns, try them


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Yep. more sympathy here, we've got a chewer, although now he is over 2 it really is just on dog chews/stag bars - and unfortunately his own feet (looked into all possible reasons, but really do think it is just habit), as a pup my mother-in-law thought it was great as it was the only time our house has been that tidy! we had a large plastic box to chuck shoes in, the baby gate on the stairs was to stop him going up but it was also great for putting things over, out of reach. luckily he didn't chew skirting boards and only had a couple of attempts at the furniture, he did chew a chunk off of our bottom stair though - not so easy to replace! tried the adaptil plug in, really for firework night but they say it calms excessive chewers - but he pulled it out of the wall and chewed it!! luckily I was home most of the time so could usually spot him with anything, he was in the crate when left alone. I think it is a case of not making too much fuss but let her know you don't appreciate it, you can try the bitter lemon spray on things you can't move (Dudley licked it off), but the main thing is just keeping things out of her way if possible. Think of her as clever not sneaky if she finds a gap and realise that you have to be more clever!! good luck. (oh and for teething soak a tea towel in water, twist it or knot it and freeze it then give it to her to chew, she'll enjoy for a while, although you do end up with damp floors!)


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

One rule of thumb that was great to remember - silence is only golden when they are asleep. 


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

Lexi&Beemer said:


> One rule of thumb that was great to remember - silence is only golden when they are asleep.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ha so true, if they are awake and quiet - they are up to mischief!!


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Lexi&Beemer said:


> One rule of thumb that was great to remember - silence is only golden when they are asleep.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





Tinman said:


> Ha so true, if they are awake and quiet - they are up to mischief!!


Yup, that is exactly what happened when our stair got 'Dudlied!


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## Sue1248 (Feb 3, 2014)

Dylan is two and will still chew anything left lying on the floor - bras,shoes,socks etc (not in my room) in my kids rooms. Have given him chews of his own but he still prefers my daughters bras, sorry.


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Well let's be positive - at least you got to nine months before Millie started chewing things 
Dot was horrendous from the moment we got her until (sssshhhh don't want to tempt fate) a few weeks ago when she suddenly decided that she didn't need to destroy and dig non stop. She still steals things, but carries the items around or hides them in her bed rather than just eating them. We have never chased her and always traded up for items she has...
Perhaps Millie is just going through a phase - if you have children you'll be used to those...


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

I would keep everything out of reach. I have one chewer but she only chews her own chews and has never destroyed anything (except sock and knickers when she was younger but now doesn't chew these) but I always make sure there are plenty around the house. There are various baskets around with stag bars, paddy whack, milk bone, nylabone and she happily selects these and chews to her hearts content. 

When she did chew socks etc when younger I didn't react, just said no calmly and swapped it for a tasty chew like stag bar smeared with peanut butter. She hasn't Steven and chewed any socks in a long time.


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## Milliesmum (May 12, 2014)

Thanks to you you all for the replies, I now don't feel quite so "alone" lol lol 
At the moment she's sat on hubby's knee quiet and behaved, - he's got crisps! - wait until they've gone tho ... !!!


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

I think chewing peaks in adolescence.. or at least when I've been reading about adolescence they say that if you don't keep things out of the way you can expect the puppy might have a good chew on everything in the house. Gandhi is also 9 months and whilst we haven't had any major destruction, he has taken to having a nibble on the skirting boards - difficult to move these up and out of the way! 

We use a bitter apple spray on the skirting board and present him with an antler or other chew toy as a substitute


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

More sympathy and hope from here. Find a paper and write "This too shall pass" on it and post in on your fridge. Rufus has the dubious distinction of being able to chew holes in completely flat walls. Every door knob in the house had shoes hanging on them and we "lost" the use of five car seat belts (700$ a piece to replace). Somehow, somewhere it stopped and I have no idea of when or how. Maternal amnesia is the greatest thing. I think it involved finding a rubber ball he became obsessed with, and still is.


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