tarn 11 month old labrador chewing

[ant.7]

i recently got tarn a 11 month labrador and whilst in the most he is excellently behaved, when we go out and leave him he chews and from what i see on my return he runs and jumps and becomes generally stressed. he is used to being outside and we are now changing his routine to being inside! does anyone know of any soloutions to the chewing or his general anxiety ?

[Princess]

Hi,
I have the same problem with my Jack Russle, Princess. She is perfectly behaved, we can take her out and shes fine without a lead, is soft mannered and is good as gold when we are here. But as soon as we go she chews stuff and goes to the toilet in the house When we return home, she knows she has been naughty and will look sad and go lie on her bed.
We are trying something a friend has told me. When leaving the house, don't make a fuss of the dog so that you not being there feels normal, then when you return, again don't make a fuss and hopefully the dog won't feel worried when you are not there. I hve yet to notice a difference with this, but have only tried for a week.
One thing that did make a difference is when i bring my other dog round that lives with my partner, Princess is good, she doesn't chew and goes outside to go the toilet.
x

[nick_j007]

Originally Posted by ant.7

i recently got tarn a 11 month labrador and whilst in the most he is excellently behaved, when we go out and leave him he chews and from what i see on my return he runs and jumps and becomes generally stressed. he is used to being outside and we are now changing his routine to being inside! does anyone know of any soloutions to the chewing or his general anxiety ?

You don't say how long he is being left for, but try the following simple pointers:

Switch the dog to Nature Diet, and endeavour to leave the dog alone at least three times a day. Each time you leave, you drop in a stuffed Kong with a third of its daily input of ND. He should work hard to empty this and it wiil act as a good distractant from your departure He should even look forward to being left alone. You need to ONLY feed him this way (via the Kong) for a couple of weeks. No food via his dish during this time, or other treat food.

When you come home you must ignore the dog utterly until calm enough for him to sit and receive calm affection.

When you leave it should be a very low key event. Leave a radio on. Maybe leave a garment you have worn.

Don't give the dog more than one room, and dog proof that room for safety.

Ensure the dog is exercised before being left.

Practice the leaving and returning departure as much as possible to erode his anxiety re this.

Practice ignoring of general attention seeking behaviour in the home. affection and attention only on your terms when you're ready.

All family members need to be consistent with this sort of plan.

A DAP diffuser can often help in this situation.

Scullcap & Valerian (Dorwestherbs.co.uk) is often good when combined with DAP.

Good luck, keep us posted.

[mac.]

this worked with my dog, get some brown vinager spray it when your dog chews this should deter the dog from doing this, i know your house will smell like a chippy for a while but this should only take a couple of weeks, keep us informed on how this goes.

[tmwhitex]

I have a 1yr old Westie,female,a little beaut but anytime/everytime I leave her in the back garden,which is totally wooden decking she chews all the table and chairs or even the decking itself,its getting to the point that my wife cannot leave her outside at all as she does not know what to expect when she gets home,all the garden furniture is in bits,
what can I do?we have another little toy yorkie who does not chew at all and keeps her company so she can't be bored,we also leave loads of toys for her to play with!
Regds Thomas

[nick_j007]

Originally Posted by tmwhitex

I have a 1yr old Westie,female,a little beaut but anytime/everytime I leave her in the back garden,which is totally wooden decking she chews all the table and chairs or even the decking itself,its getting to the point that my wife cannot leave her outside at all as she does not know what to expect when she gets home,all the garden furniture is in bits,
what can I do?we have another little toy yorkie who does not chew at all and keeps her company so she can't be bored,we also leave loads of toys for her to play with!
Regds Thomas

For best exposure, please re post on a seaprate new topic. thanks.

[tmwhitex]

I have a 1yr old Westie,female,a little beaut but anytime/everytime I leave her in the back garden,which is totally wooden decking she chews all the table and chairs or even the decking itself,its getting to the point that my wife cannot leave her outside at all as she does not know what to expect when she gets home,all the garden furniture is in bits,
what can I do?we have another little toy yorkie who does not chew at all and keeps her company so she can't be bored,we also leave loads of toys for her to play with!
Regds Thomas

[MMDogTraining101]

Chewing can be a sign of anxiety, Nick has some great ideas there. Basically there are many ways to cure this, even the vinegar one is good but it's not going to work without some thorough practice of something known as NILIF.

Practicing NILIF has an amazing effect on your dog and I've found it to be a great way to deter your dog from getting anxious.

More basically I recommend, making less fuss of your dog.. Sometimes when greeting your dg, don't even acknowledge he is there just walk on by, especially when arriving home just don't go straight to your dog, leave your dog to know that you are the one that demands attention and not him. Most people never do this so it's a good start.

Also train your dog to wait. So put your dog outside in the garden and ask him to wait, return a few moments later, keeep making this length of time loger and longer, you should then evetually be able to ask your dog to wait when you leave the house and he will begin to understand that it's normal for you to leave for long periods of time and then return, thus leaving your dog less anxious.

Im sorry if this is a bit jumbled in the way it is written Im quite tired and beleive Nick has given some pretty solid information, although combine mine and his and you'll start to see massive results.

Good luck.

[peter45]

On of the underlying cause of the chewing is teething, He definitely needs something to work his gums on. Offer him a toy or treats specifically designed for this. You could try freezing the chew toy for several hours, then give it to him. This will both relieve his teething pain, AND distract him from chewing other objects. Win-win!

Other causes of chewing, include boredom, stress and loneliness. Your dog requires a certain amount of stimulation, just like a child. And if your dog is ignored, this can lead to him getting into trouble if adequate activities and interaction are not provided.

[tmwhitex]

I've been trying a few different ideas posted by our members and so far the vinegar has been the best although I definitely do believe that my dog could be teething also and I need to work on this as well,
I have also practiced telling her to wait on longer and longer periods and so far nothing,
Regds Thomas