When gone I would crate him, then when you come back take the boy out for a walk, he needs to use that energy up and a nice walk will help and you can have your kids to go with you and him. Sounds like lots of energy between kids and pup.
Just make the best of it.
You are truly blessed you have a healthy happy playful puppy relax and enjoy him.

I agree with everyone's opinions, It is your responsibility to see that nothing is left with him that you wouldn't want ruined or could endanger him when you are not around. Puppies are just like children and need to be monitored, sord of how you wouldn't leave a child alone with a box of crayons, in a white room.. as you would expect to come back to a masterpiece on the walls, and you wouldn't leave a toddler alone with expensive crystal pieces on a coffee table, they'd be in shambles when you got back.. Puppies are the same they need supervision or a clear environment with things that belong to them.

Gucci hasn't started this yet but I KNOW he will.. I am working on clearing out everything I want to keep away from him before I even let him down.

Good Luck! Your husband shouldn't make you get rid of him because he chews I hope he is only bluffing ...

I Know, I'd tell my hubby too bad for you buddy he stays lol He wouldn't dare get rid of my Gucci :mad: I don't care what he does wrong.

We don't have ANY rugs (we have wood/tile floors), the trash is in a tall bin(we never leave trash bags lying around) the dogs have their own little cubby hole(under the stairs, we don't shut them in, we removed the door) with a duvet in for sleeping (we have to replace these often I buy them from charity shops and flea markets) when there is no one around they are shut in the large kitchen/diner, there are tons of toys but they're never touched. If anythings left in the kitchen where Mika can reach it then its fault of the person who left it there! Our back door and skirting boards are a little chewed but they can be sanded,filled and painted over when she outgrows it!
When our Old English Sheepdog and our Staff were pups they chewed through the kitchen wall and exposed the gas pipes:eek: They chewed the cupboard doors, table and chairs, they could pull the bin over and empty it and my OESD could reach up on the kitchen worktops and pull down anything up there. My fella wanted to get rid of him but I stood my ground and now he is a fabulous dog, they both are! I did have to put up a safety gate at the doorway of the cubby hole when they were unsupervised for a while. But I don't do that with Mika, even though she is alittle bigger for a yorkie at 8lbs she is still a tiny dog and any damage done is minimal compared to what my others did! They do out grow it but you need to be consistant and like has already been said don't use the crate as a punishment only use it when he is unsupervised. Good luck and I really hope you can all get through this together.

yeah, i caught him chewing the cabinet this morning, there were little shreds of wood all over the floor. hubby is fuming mad.... im trying to get him to stop chewing but he just wont....he has tons of toys but wont play with them...

When I went back to work after we got General Lee we left him in the kitchen with a baby gate. He put two holes in the wall, tore up three floor tiles and managed to rip off pieces of floor board.

We bought him an x-pen. He has a pillow, sheet, food and water and a couple of chew toys. Sometimes I even put his crate in there. No more torn up anything. He has not even chewed the tiles that the x-pen in on.

Part of the situation is that you mentioned the kids starting to play with the pup more. If they are playing tug-o-war the pup will want to do that and that will lead to chewing. We do play tug-o-war, but General Lee knows that he is only allowed to do that when we say so and with his toys. He loves to grab my shirt sleeve and I broke him of that.

This will take time. Nice things are nice to have around, but nothing compares to the love and joy a puppy brings.

Good Luck

thanks, some people have even recommended that i tell my children how they should and should not play with him. the problem with that is that my kids are only 2 and 3 so they are pretty hard-headed themselves, i imagine they do play tug-of-war with him.

Bully sticks and kongs were lifesavers for me. She was crated at night and if I couldnt keep an eye on her she would be in the xpen. If she got something she wasnt supposed to have I would say 'drop it' then give her something appropriate like her bully stick. After repeating this many many many times, she knows what not to chew on. She is 8 months old now.

Puppies can't distinguish between what is OK for them to chew and what is not.....unless you catch them chewing the wrong thing and say"NO" and immediately replace it with one of their toys and say "GOOD BOY!" Then he will get used to being praised for his "good" chewing. Also, when you get a puppy, you have to expect some distruction. They are, after all, animals :eek::D....even though we like to treat them as our babies!! Our children aren't brought into this world knowing right from wrong......we spend years teaching them........puppies aren't any different, in that respect!!

Try some oil of cloves to put where he's chewing, my dogs loved the bitter apple, so, got the oil of cloves(had to get at the drugstore), they hated that stuff.

No offense intended here but, if your kids are only 2 and 3 I don't think they should be playing with the puppy alone. Aside from other things, at that age they aren't really going to be able to keep the dog from getting into things he shouldn't be.

Thats a very young age for playing with puppies.
You have your hands full.
I would suggest that the kids only play with him when you are with them on the floor with him and the kids laying down. So he can take turns playing with the kids, they are too young to play with him without extremely close supervision.
He is a toy dog but not a toy for the kids to play with. My kids were young 5 and up when we got our first small dog and we did the lay on the floor with the pup and the kids and they all learned together how to interact properly with each other. If the pup is played with too tuff and rowdy he will become much more rowdy and aggressive in his play.
Pups can get seriously injured from children carrying them or playing too rough with them, even innocent play can be deadly. Please be very careful with this situation.

Best of luck

Yep, I agree. My kids are ages 6, 4, and 3 and they are NEVER unattended with Missy. We have several rules about "play time" with Missy. They aren't allowed to play tug, they aren't allowed to throw toys. They can't pick her up or carry her. They must sit with her on their laps and gentle play only. You have to be consistant, but they will get it. :) I also think an ex-pen works wonders. It gives them a safe place to just be a puppy.

Chloe did chew a bit but luckily not on anything important. Mostly the edge of her pee pad holder or our sons' croc's :rolleyes: I did use the bitter apple spray and that worked for her , she really doesn't care for it.

She doesn't like to play with toys that much but she does love big rawhide bones ( that she steals from our other dog all the time)and her kong toy with a busy bone in it. Also they have the frozen type play toys that are good for teething. Maybe your pup would like one of those ?

If you do catch him chewing tell him no but give him something he can chew on. Pups have to chew , so he has to have some outlet that's O.K. for him to do it. If he is destroying things I would put him in a play yard so he can't have access without direct supervision.

I would hate to you get rid of him over something that can be corrected. Sasha had the same problem. With her she likes rawhide. Especially the sticks. They are just rawhide that is twisted they sell at walmart and petsmart that i know of. Try to start him with basic training like sit stay lay down. Yorkies are very quick learners. Sasha learned sit and lay in less than a hour. I use Alpo Snaps as a treat for her its the only treat she will eat. I just break a piece off and let her smell it then show her what i want her to do. Like sit, break the biscuit the her smell then gently push on her lower back, when her butt touches the floor use the command and give praise and the biscuit. With the chewing on the toys, I know that you said your kids play with him do they ever tease him with thier toys? Because my little nephew would sometimes chase her around the house playing like his toy was going to get her, and when he wasnt around she would chew the toy. I would watch to see if they use thier toys when they play. Choose a command word like leave it or drop it Sashas is stop, and when you catch him chewing something hes not supposed to firmly say the command and get one of his toys. Ussually squeaking a toy will make it sound interesting and they will to do it. Sasha tends to copy a pattern of squeaks. If i pick up a toy and squeak it three times when she gets it she squeaks it three times. Also before giving him the toy getting him to prove to you he really wants it. Like following a command of sit or something. This is what works with Sasha and i hope it works for yours. Its not going to happen overnight it will take sometime and dedication but its well worth it.