Chewing

[andrea.w1222]

Hey so your chewing page says to pick up things I don’t want my 11 week old puppy to chew on. I have 2 children under 2 who are constantly bringing toys out and I am unable to keep everything off of the ground as well as I want them to be able to play with their toys without the puppy stealing them. Is there something else I can do to teach my puppy what is and is not acceptable to play with?

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Andrea.w1222

Welcome to the forums. This is a very good question! And it requires an individualized answer, as chewing children toys requires a different approach compared to chewing other household items.

 

The problem with children toys is that, to a dog's eyes, a toy is a toy. In other words, dogs are prone to having difficulty discriminating children toys from dog toys since they often look very similar. It's not surprising, therefore, if a puppy gets up from chewing his own toy and goes straight to steal a child's toy laying on the floor.

 

Dogs are attracted to novelty, and especially when they are puppies, they may seek items to chew on with different textures. It just feels good to them to hold and chew certain items. This makes children toys very appealing and the act of stealing and chewing on them, very rewarding. Dogs are also interested in children's toys because dogs have a natural instinct to shake and shred things apart and many children toys are filled with stuffing or internal parts which makes them irresistible to destroy.

 

On top of this, it's important to consider that children's toys weren't crafted with puppies in mind. Some children toys can be downright dangerous especially considering a puppy's tendency to chew parts or even ingest them whole. Some parts can be choking hazards to dogs, and if the dog doesn't happen to choke, there are chances for a piece of toy to become lodged somewhere along the dog's digestive tract. With puppies this is even more likely due to their smaller digestive tracts. This can turn out to be a very expensive surgery and sometimes with complications.

 

In an ideal world, picking up all children's toys when they are not playing with them would the the best option to keep the puppy out of harm's way. However, we are not perfect and things can get challenging with toddlers as they tend to scatter toys everywhere or hide them in the most inconspicuous places (I know this 'cause I worked in day care before training dogs).

 

As already mentioned, puppies have a hard time differentiating toys meant for them from toys meant for children as they often look very similar so it's a bit of a far shot to expect them to not be tempted by a toy that a child has left aside, especially when abandoned on the floor. To a dog's eyes a toy abandoned on the floor is fair game as it means the child has lost interest in it, so why not put it to good use and gnaw on it? (Just talking from a doggy perspective.)

 

Another option in this case is to simply install a baby gate so that the children can be free to scatter their toys everywhere without having to worry about the dog stealing them and breaking them apart. Children should be aware of the new rule that playtime must be confined to their enclosure and no toys are to be brought into the other areas of the home or else "puppy monster" will eat them. Children should also be discouraged from using their toys to play with the dog.

 

This offers also an optimal situation because the dog is set up for success and can play with his own toys while he's spared from the heartbreaking risk of having to go to surgery when the issue could have been easily prevented.

 

Management is a great option when it comes to stopping certain dog behaviors that are difficult to control because they are self-reinforcing and difficult to prevent 100 percent (you never know when your child may forget a toy on the floor and it can be quite a hassle being always on "toy patrol").

 

However, there's also a place for training if you're interested in pursuing this path, although it takes time, patience, determination and close monitoring. However, your puppy is pretty much a clean slate so this may be far easier than teaching a dog who has been chewing children's toys for many years and is expected to "unlearn" an ingrained habit. I will be posting about training in a little bit.

Edited December 24, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Now, a disclaimer is warranted here: no matter how much training is done, dogs may always remain dogs to a certain extent. So we can teach them appropriate behaviors and we can teach them quickly too, but we can't expect them to be 100 percent foolproof especially when it comes to dealing with instinctive behaviors such as chewing items that feel good to chew. Faucets come with guarantees, but dog training cannot due to the unpredictability of animal behavior. Just like toddlers who end up opening cabinets if left unlocked, dogs may be drawn to be get into mischief, but not because they act out of spite, but because they act out of instincts.

 

So here are some tips to stop a dog from chewing children's toys, but as a very first step it helps making it almost impossible for the puppy to make an inappropriate choice through management at least until training has reached a fluent stage.

 

-Choose toys that are completely different. Because children toys and dog toys are very similar, Rover can be helped out if we pick toys for him that are completely different. If your dog is provided with stuffed toys made for dogs, you can't blame him much if he steals your child's teddy bear.

 

So for example, if your children play with figurines and dolls, provide your dog with balls and chew toys purposely crafted for dogs. Picking toys that are particularly interesting (toys that provide enrichment) can also help make children's toys look boring in comparison. Rotating the toys also helps keep interest alive.

 

Interactive toys that provide enrichment include many dog food puzzles like Buster Cubes, Kong Wobblers, Westpaw's Zogoflex Qwizl, Starmark’s Everlasting puzzles. With these toys, your puppy can be kept busy working on them.

 

Words of caution: Puppies should be always supervised when provided with toys/ food puzzles. Puppies should be given age-appropriate chew toys that are suitable for their teeth (some chew toys are too hard). Caution is needed in giving these toys around children if there are puppies or dogs who resource guard or who are prone to it. For safety or when in doubt, provide toys when the dog is crated.

 

-Store toys in different areas. Another way to help differentiate children toys from dog toys is to store them in different areas. Rover can be taught that children toys are stored in a chest or on a shelf, while dog toys are stored in a basket.

 

-Avoid chastising the puppy for stealing toys. Punishing a puppy for getting a child's toy can lead to mistrust, tension and the pup may learn to associate your presence with punishment which means that he'll likely grab a toy and sneak off with it, chewing it under the bed or behind a couch. Also, harsh scolding may cause a sensitive pup to stop using its own toys and chews altogether. Instead of punishment, teach your puppy what you want him to do instead.

 

-Train your puppy the leave it command and the drop it command. You can find how to train there here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

 

As already mentioned, we can train a dog to leave children's toys alone, but mishaps can sometimes happen because toys are appealing and chewing is a strongly instinctive behavior. A well-trained "leave it" said the moment when we notice the intent to steal a toy can stop the puppy in his tracks, and if we're too late to say "leave it," and therefore, find the puppy with the toy already in his mouth, then a well-trained "drop-it" should do.

 

-Reward your puppy for making good choices. Start with this easy exercise, get one of your children's toys and place it on the floor and then place your dog's toy next to it. Then, call your dog. He may be interested in the child's toy because it's something he doesn't regularly have. If that's the case, as soon as he moves towards it, say "leave it" and then redirect him to his toy by waving it excitedly to attract him. When he gets it, make sure you give oodles of praise. Repeat this exercise with several different children toys and then gradually add more and more children toys.

 

-Out of sight, but not out of mind. Sometimes dogs associate our presence with the training and also think that by moving away we are relinquishing "our claim" over an item, so as part of the proofing process it may help to add some distance to this exercise. Move away from the toys and test your dog. You may find a need to remind him to "leave" the child's toys as you move away. If he does, you can redirect him to a dog toy stuffed with some goodies or a treat you have held in your pocket.

 

You can then further add more distance by leaving the room and watching your dog from behind a window or furniture or behind a wall. This teaches your dog that "leave it" applies as well in your "apparent absence." If you have a remote monitoring system, you can further practice with that by telling your dog "leave it" over the monitoring system and then rushing inside to give him his reward. Don't count though on this working 100 percent if you leave the home for sustained periods of time and your dog grows lonely and bored. It is always best to keep children toys out of reach when you can't supervise or keep your dog crated.

 

-Train your dog/puppy to swap and bring things to you. A great side effect that comes from teaching your dog to drop something and swapping it with something valuable to a dog such a dog toy your dog can have or a tasty treat,(read here for a guide on how to trade and take toys from your dog while reducing the risks for resource guarding: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/overprotective-of-toys/) is that your dog may come to learn to bring things to you. If your puppy or dog grabs a child's toy and brings it to you, make a fuss saying what a clever pup he is and swap it for a dog toy, a treat or a short fun game.

 

-A word about"Scent Marking" Children Toys. Some dogs owners have had further success 'scent marking' their children's toys with a taste deterrent such as Bitter Apple Spray to remind the dog to leave them alone. They therefore spray the children's toys before practicing "leave its" or when leaving the room. Many dogs are deterred by the bad taste, they'll grab a toy, and therefore, then spit it out, but many dogs still find that the value of the toy and chewing worthy despite the initial bitter taste. On top of this, some dogs don't mind the taste deterrent and some taste deterrents leave residue, so that, should children put their fingers or toys in their mouths, they'll end up tasting it too, which is not good.

 

-Baby toy/toddler toys consideration: it may be more difficult at times to train puppies to stay away from baby toys because, on top of being attractive to chew on, babies or toddlers may smear food on them or spit/regurgitate on them, which adds another bonus (yuck right?) making them extra appealing and therefore difficult to resist. With baby toys, it's best to simply manage for safety and hygiene matters considering the risks of dogs guarding toys from babies or toddlers and babies or toddlers putting in their mouths toys that were previously mouthed by dogs. Dogs often have bacteria in their mouths that may cause illnesses.

 

-Provide training, socialization, exercise and mental stimulation. Puppies need socialization before the grace period ends at around 16 weeks. Here is a guide for it:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/socializing-your-puppy/

 

Puppies and dogs who tend to seek out things to chew a lot are often bored or frustrated or anxious. It's important to provide them with sufficient training, exercise, socialization and mental stimulation. These activities will tire most puppies and dogs out. Puppies can then be crated with a safe chew toy to relax and have a nap versus getting cranky and misbehaving around the house.

 

-Importance of supervision: dogs and children should always be supervised, no matter how small or how good the dog is. This is to prevent mishaps, rehearsals of problematic behaviors and to ensure that children are following the rules on how to properly interact with the dog.

 

Last but not least, teach the kids too! Perhaps one of the most valuable and productive life lessons is teaching children to put toys away. We used to sing "clean-up" songs in day care for the tasks, but there's nothing like a puppy or dog to teach children to put toys (or other belongings) away. If the kids cherish something, they are better off keeping it off the floor and stored safely away so to avoid slobbery toys and/or destruction. This is a great motivator that is likely to remind children that the dog will eat toys or anything they leave out. This way, the puppy is safe and children learn to be orderly from an early age, and this organizational skill may carry on to other habits in life too!

 

Hope this helps,

Best,

Adrienne

[merritt.alan]

GSD female she is chewing furniture whilst we are out any suggestions to stop her doing this.

Regards Alan Merritt

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Alan Merritt,

If this happens only when you are out, there are few things that I think are worthy of considering. I am listing a few possible causes for such behavior, and then in a later post, will add a few ways to tackle this issue.

 

One thing worthy of evaluating is whether you may be dealing with a case of separation anxiety. It is always a good practice to record the behavior of dogs when they are left alone. With separation anxiety, the wood chewing behavior is contingent upon being left alone. These dogs often show other signs such as nervousness as owners prepare to leave, overly exaggerated greetings upon the owner's return, and in between when being left alone, there may be pacing, howling, barking, drooling, inappropriate elimination and chewing. These dogs require an anxiety-reduction program to tackle the issue. Recording the behavior when left alone and showing it to a behavior professional, along with providing detailed history about the dog, can help pinpoint whether this may be an underlying problem.

 

While separation anxiety is quite common, it is also true though that it is often also overdiagnosed. A dog chewing when left alone, can also be doing so because of boredom. German shepherds are high-energy breeds that need lots of exercise and mental stimulation to wear them out (especially during their first 5 years) and to ensure their special needs are met. Walk your dog prior to leaving the home and make sure your dog plays several brain games. While adding more exercise and mental stimulation may not resolve the chewing 100 percent, it can help keep the dog's mind a bit off the wood furniture, however, more steps are often needed. (More of this later)...

 

Another cause of a dog chewing furniture when the owners are out, are dogs who have a great need to chew and do so when left alone because they have associated their owner's presence with "corrections." So if say, when you are around, your dog goes to chew furniture and you get upset by it and correct your dog, your dog comes to learn that he can't chew in your presence. When you are out of sight though, all is good. Dogs like this aren't chewing intently out of spite or to be sneaky, but rather have simply associated the owner's presence with the correction. For many dogs, when a person walks away from something or a situation, it means that they are free to chew again and it's all fair game.

 

Worth mentioning is also general anxiety. Dogs may be overstimulated or fearful of triggers and can therefore revert to chewing as a way of dealing with these emotions. Once again, recording your dog's behavior when left alone can provide important puzzle pieces. Perhaps, there are loud noises and your dog feels defenseless and chews to deal with his anxiety.

 

Chewing can also be a displacement activity for dogs who are frustrated because they cannot perform certain behaviors such as meeting other dogs or people they see out of windows. Barrier frustration, is the name for this, and it can happen also when dogs are on leash or behind a fence and can't meet other people or dogs or chase animals.

 

So next, let's take a look at some possible solutions...

Edited January 3, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

When you cannot actively supervise, because you need to head out of the home, it' important to take steps to prevent your dog from engaging in the troublesome behavior. This is for several reasons.

 

1) to prevent your dog from rehearsing the troublesome behavior (the more dogs engage in a behavior, the more it becomes habit-forming and chewing is often a self-reinforcing behavior)

 

2) to prevent your dog from learning that when you are away, there is no consequence for the behavior (you can't say "leave it" or correct your dog while you are away)

 

3) to keep your dog safe (chewing inappropriate items like wood can lead to injuries and costly surgeries as described a few paragraphs below). As a veterinary office assistant I have seen some dogs getting splinters in their mouth, not to mention blockages that require expensive surgery.

 

Now to the "beefy" part: what can be done?

 

I would suggest using some type of enclosure. Crates, solid baby gates, kennels, exercise pens are all enclosures that can help keep your dog safe and out of trouble. It's important to ensure that these management tools are secure and solid enough to contain the dog. With a large and powerful dogs as a GSD, a sturdy crate may be the best bet. Getting used to enclosures can take some time, but there is a good return on the investment in the long term, such as when the dog needs to be confined due to an injury, travel, being boarded or simply kept safe during specific circumstances. The course covers a section with videos on how to get your dog used to a crate, here is that section, (you need to login to view this): https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/

 

If you do not have access to enclosures, you can close your dog in a safe room in your home where you dog can't chew inappropriate items and he is safe from ingesting items that are potentially toxic or may cause a blockage. It is difficult to find a household item that hasn't been removed from a dog's stomach! Make sure to leave around safe chew toys to keep your dog busy while you are away.

 

Now, there are also other options. One strategy involves making toys extra appealing, while making the furniture less appealing. This should aid your dog in making "good choices."

 

Now don't keep the same toys around all the time. If you rotate them, your dog's interest towards them will be kept alive and will pique her interest. For puppies, make sure you use puppy-approved chew toys. Use toys of different textures and flavors to keep your pup entertained.

 

Another great way, to keep interest alive is to add some goodies to the toys. Skip boring toys. Instead, pick food puzzles, interactive toys and treat/food dispensing toys that can be stuffed with goodies. Examples include, Buster Cubes, Kongs, Kong Wobblers etc. Most dogs will choose these rewarding toys over any piece of wood furniture. However, these don't last very long. You may need to fill them in a strategic way that tires your dog out and take time in dislodging the goodies, and you may have to prepare several (use your dog's meal portion for calorie control) and perhaps even scatter kibble around the home to keep busy in a treasure-hunt game fashion. Here is the link to the treasure hunt game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/

 

At the same time, you want to make wood furniture not appealing. Some dog owners elect to spray wood furniture with bad tasting products, such as Bitter Apple Spray, Bitter Yuck or Cayenne powder/Tabasco sauce. However, these don't always work (and some dogs even enjoy the taste!) and they require multiple applications.

 

Another way to make furniture no longer appealing is by making it difficult to reach. Place some large objects (that are already around your dog and that your dog doesn't normally destroy) around the wood furniture to discourage your dog from accessing it.

 

If your dog is targeting mostly the legs of tables, one option that I haven't never really had the opportunity to "test drive," is sliding some PVC pipe over the legs if they are small enough. PVC pipe is material that dogs do not typically enjoy chewing. This is for a good part a temporary measure until the dog learns to leave the legs alone.

 

Other options involve tackling the root causes for the problem. For instance, if your recording of your dog left alone reveals that she is potentially suffering from separation anxiety, then, you'll need to invest time in doing behavior modification, and some severe case dogs require medication to take the edge off during behavior modification.

 

If your dog is chewing as a reaction to anxiety from noises, then buffering sounds playing calming CDs or some white noise (radio on, TV on) can help along with possibly calming aids such as DAP diffusers, calming supplements etc. If your dog is chewing due to reacting to outside triggers seen from the window, then limiting window access and/or applying window film can help.

 

If you believe your dog is chewing because she has associated your presence with corrections, then you may need to practice "leave its" despite your absence. If you have a remote monitoring system, you can practice with that, by telling your dog "leave it" over the monitoring system. Don't count though on this working 100 percent if you leave the home for sustained periods of time and your dog grows lonely and bored. It is always best to keep wood furniture out of reach when you can't supervise or keep your dog crated.

 

Lastly, here's a tip worth mentioning: avoid giving your dog sticks or chunks of firewood since she may be having a hard time differentiating between them and your coffee table's legs.

 

Hope this helps! Feel free to add more details if I haven't tackled a particular situation or need more in depth info.

Best,

Adrienne

Edited January 3, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli