please help, i dont know what else to do...
 

Aerie has been doing really good but recently my kids have been playing with him more and more and now he is just hyper all the time now.he is starting to chew on everything except his own toys. i have caught him chewing toys, shoes, my kids pajamas, blankets, and just about anything you can think of. i started putting him in the kitchen and putting up baby gates because of this and now he has started getting into the trash and shredding it all over the kitchen. i walked into the kitchen last night and he had chewed on one my my good rugs. i was so mad but i didnt get onto him. i took it away, told him very sternly "no" and put him in his crate. he didnt mess the rug up so i layed it back down and sprinkled them with ground red pepper, thinking maybe that would deter him from trying to do it again. he was good the rest of the night so i let him sleep with me last night. i got up this morning and put him in the kitchen and went to tend to my kids. when i went back into the kitchen there was my rug, crumpled up in front of his pet-bed and bits and pieces of it scatterd across the floor. apparently the pepper did not work. my rug is ruined. i amagain very angry at him. i have had to throw the rug away and my husband is very upset about it too. i dont know what to do. my husband says that if he continues to chew things, we will have to get rid of him. i dont want to but i dont know how to make him stop it. please help me. Aerie is very hard headed and resist any training i give him. i desperately need some advice..

How old is he? Do you have chews for him? IMO if you leave them in a room as a puppy with nothing to do they will get themselfs into trouble. Do you crate him when you are gone?


Jackson:aimeeyork Gracie:aimeeyork Tucker:aimeeyork Rosey:aimeeyork Abigayle:aimeeyork

Tell your Husband chewing is what puppies do and he will grow out of it

You didn't mention the age of your puppy. Puppies chew and chew.
They are teething and unless they have hard things to chew on they
will find something else. They don't understand it's not their's. I would never use red pepper! I would think that would do some damage to the throat IMO.
I would try bitter apple spray, it worked for my pup.
Have you tried bully sticks? I understand they supply lot's of activity
for chewing. I would also buy white natural bones for chewing. Just
be sure to get the small ones so his mouth will go around them.
To make you feel better Buddy chewed up 13 throw rugs. Corner's were
gone on every single one. That's a natural thing for them to do. It is
up to you to see that he chews what is his. I would not punish him
either by using the crate. The crate is suppose to be his comfort zone.
If you use it for punishment he will not want to go in it. This will
pass, just be patient. Please don't punish you pup for doing what comes
natural to him. If he dosen't have the proper things to chew on he will
chew on what's available, unfortunately.

well he is 6 months old and he has plenty of toys to play with. i have bought him balls, bones, stuffed toys, and ropes with knots in them and he has the entire kitchen to play in. he just doesnt play with his toys. he would rather chew something of value rather than something like his own chew toys. and he didnt used to chew on anything. all of a sudden he is sooooooo hyper. and no we dont crate him when we are gone, he runs around in the kitchen. he has his bed, toys, open crate, food and water bowls, and his puppy pad in there. we have baby gates up at both doors to the kitchen to keep him in there.

Puppies are like children. You know how kids go thru that "touch everything phase" and you're constantly saying "don't touch that...dont touch that!"....well puppies go thru that too. If you dont want anything valuable to break while you're not monitoring your puppy...then you shouldnt put anything of value in the kitchen...kinda like you would do with a child. Give it time..this too shall pass.

Go to Pet Smart & buy him a chewing Kong fill it with peanut butter they love it, this worked with my babies. They didn't want to chew anything else. ;)

Agreed. At 6 months old he is still a puppy and puppies chew. Just be glad he isn't bigger. When the doberman was a pup she was is the same way. Good god, and I swear she knows the value of my clothes because she always seems to chew up the most expensive items.

The good news is, she's past the chewing stage and one day you're dog will be too. No matter how mad I was at her (and trust me...I got mad!) I could never give her away for doing what dogs do. Although I did make my boyfriend promise to take me on a shopping spree to replace all of my destroyed clothes.

When you're home, keep your dog in eye sight. This way you can "catch him in the act". If you're not home, either take away anything he could chew or put him in a kennel. If you're punishing him for something he chewed hours ago, he won't get it.

Also make sure he is getting enough exercise - he could be chewing out of boredom.

When my boy was a baby I had to PEN train him. He started chewing on my baseboards and that was a big NO NO. So I PEN trained him and kept the large PEN in the kitchen. They are small puppies anyways and this is acutally alot of space for such a small dog. They don't need roam of the whole house until trained. Make sure when you let him out of the PEN you are with him at all times and you correct him immediatly.
Make sure he has lots of chew toys and when you correct him give him his toys.. These little dogs are very smart and learn easily if you are the pack leader. :D

Your dog sounds bored. My girl gets TONNS of excersize everyday and she rarely misbehaves, because i tired dog, is a happy dog. If a dog is bored, he will try to occupy himself. Before you leave the house, you should take him for a 10 minute brisk walk or a jog. Then he'll just sleep while your gone! Yorkies are energetic dogs, originally bred as ratters they need excersize.

My Lucie is 7 months, and has been a little chewer from day 1. She likes tugging on blankets and rugs as well, and I realized that it is because those things have more weight on them so she can tug, almost like playing tug o war by herself. She only really wants her toys when someone will play with her.
Do you have a "wubba kong"? I have 2 for Lucie, they seem to be her fav. to chew on, and bully sticks occupy her teeth for quite awhile.
Maybe keep your good things out of his area when you aren't watching him so he can't chew, and let your kids know that they can't allow him to chew and play with things that he isn't supposed to when they play with him.

Personally, I would leave him in a crate while you're not home. Any dog I've ever had, I've always locked in a crate while I am not home for the first year and it helps alot! That's their security, they don't mind it if you start them young. It makes them feel safe & secure and know that's their place to go... you can't give them too much free roam to start. The kitchen may be too big/overwhelming for him it sounds like, and if he's bored with nothing to do, he's going to chew things.

He is just a baby, and like a baby he needs to be watched and taught right from wrong. My girls would try to chew anything, towels, wooden chairs, table legs, but like someone mentioned only the "good stuff":rolleyes:
I work from home so when they were out and about I was able to keep an eye on them and tell them " no no" when they went to chew at something.

If you are not around try to crate him or get an ex-pen, it is great for keeping a puppy out of danger. You have to stop him from chewing everything otherwise he could try to chew an electrical cord or something equally dangerous. Just remember, he is at his baby stage and taught right from wrong he will eventually grow out of it.. My girls liked kongs when they were puppies, or the planet dog treat balls, they still love the planet dog treat balls, keeps them occupied for ages. Make sure that whatever you get the little guy, that he cannot get big chunks out of it. The Kongs and the Planet dog treat toys, are great for strong chewers, the planet dog is guaranteed as well, so if your puppy rips it apart they will replace it. Can you tell I love these toys.:rolleyes:

Don't worry, he will eventually grow out of his chewing everything in sight stage. Hang in there.

~Tammy

thanks for the good advice everyone...:)

You need to buy him a kong, and if you can't be watching him when he's out, put him in his crate. My little girl is 6 mos. she's going through the chewing stage also. Hubby is wanting me to let her sleep in the family room at night with the other 3 dogs. I said NO WAY. I have caught her chewing on computer cords, tape from where the other dogs chewed on the couch(my $3500 leather sectional is ruined), and a few other little things, and she has chew bones out. The thing is, I'm with her, and I tell her NO as soon as I catch her doing it. Of course it's upsetting, I've had cabinets chewed, microwave carts, wallpaper, etc etc. but, they do outgrow this around a year. They are just babies, and it's not their fault, it's our fault as their owners...

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.