Chewing problem

My 7 month old pit chews and destroys everything. I give him a toy and he eats it, the bedding he sleeps on he shredds it. Anyone have any tips on how to control this? Thanks

 

hmmmm... let's see... if he has a toy can you take the toy out of his mouth or if you approach the toy does he drop it? Do you walk him on a regular basis... not let him run in the backyard, but actually walk him... it could be anxiety if you don't. Also if he rips the bedding you can take the bedding out and not replace it for a week and then give him new bedding. If he rips the new one immediately remove the bedding and dont replace it for a week... he should see that bedding is good and if he shreds it he doen't get another one forever(in his mind). he puts no bridge between waiting a week and getting new bedding he just sees that for some reason there is new bedding.

 

in the spice isle look for a ingredient called ALUM. Mix some with water until cloudy and spray on everything the dog chews on and when he does it again his mouth will dry up like powdered glass and be sandpapery as shit. Take away the water for about 5 minutes and really let him think about it and I bet you money the chewing on sensitive items will stop after he experiances it a few times....

 

exercise and mental stimulation.

 

I agree with this because it seems like he chews out of anxiety because he has so much pent up energy... but more details would be nice

 

Control his enviorment!!!!

Limmit all acitivies unless you can manage your animal. Chain em or crate him...

Say what you mean, mean what you say!

 

He's still a teething pup! Crate him when you are not home to limit damage. (Tarna ate my couch, love seat, all the electrical cords of the stereo and TV and stripped the linolium right off the floor.) Made a crate trainer out of me! Give him something to chew. I get "Mammoth Bones" from wal-mart. $10.00 for a whole cow legbone. He will chew it till his chin quivers. Try a Kong. Get the biggest one. I also give mine 2 litter soda bottles. Take the lid, ring and wrapper off and throw it on the ground in front of him. Throw it away when he starts getting chunks off of it. They love the crackle sound it makes. They steal my firewood too. Nothing like a big oak log to build up them cheek muscles! APBT's chew. No ifs ands or buts about it. I encourage it as long as its on the right objects. He's a pup yet. He will learn right and wrong if you teach him.

 

not so sure bout the bottle, stuff messes the dogs gums up.

 

I agree with Crawfish. I'd give him a toy thats not so easily destroyed. Nyla-bones(sp?) work well. Good luck.

 

If he has a toy and if I just touch it he will drop it, but sometimes he will just shake his head trying to get me to play. Being winter right now I cant take him out for walks but I walk him around the house on a leash because he dont get along with one of my other dogs. I did take his bedding away and will wait and see how that goes.

 

Next time I go to the store I will pick up some ALUM and try it.

 

He does have a lot of energy he runs wild when I let him out. Im building him a springpole so he can play with that in the summer. What kind if details would you like??

 

well you kind have answered in other reply to me... do you have a mill? Try any training, sniff out the treat, have him work for his food(sit, stay.... try to have him look at you while you have the food in your hand... decreases chance of obsession over food) these are examples of mental stimulation and may not kill his uncontainable energy(cuz hes a pup) but they should help keep the mind from finding its own source of entertainment(digging out your sprinklers, destroying your air conditioner, eating your tires... just some stuff that can happen). Most of the chewing will be from teething (what is the age of pup again?) so when he chews something undesireable claim it (have a clear mind and visualize what you want to happen before you take the object from your pup because it will help to convey to your pup a strong energy therefore he will drop it...) avoid AT ALL COSTS letting your dog think it is a game to play with the undesired item (dont chase, yell, or accidently play tug of war) when you get it give him the "drop it, leave it, or whatever" and replace with a desired item( rope, tennis ball(not advised), etc) and praise... Make sure you replace with the same item everytime so that your dog associates the "desired" item with play and "undesired items(Im sure there are tons)" with no play. welll i think that is about it PM if more questions

 

First of all, he's a bulldog. He may chew things until the day he dies. It's just something they do. I have had some grow out of it after a year, and some do it at 7 years old. I just take it as a "trait" of the breed.
Second, he's a puppy. You just said you walk him on a leash around the house. This is NOT ENOUGH exercise for a seven month old dog. If he doesn't get along with the other dog, crate one and exercise the other and alternate through-out the day. It's called "rotation". It works quite well with an owner who is willing to try it. And "it's cold outside" is not a valid enough reason for not exercising your dogs. There are so many things you can do for exercise, just use your imagination.
Third, get toys that are "bulldog" proof. Try a kong filled with peanut butter, though I have seen bulldogs tear them in pieces, so you should keep an eye on them. When you notice significant wear and tear, replace them as small pieces could cause a blockage. You may also try looking at your local feed store for Jolly Balls. They are made of a very sturdy plastic or rubber for horses. These work nicely for a dog who loves to push/chase a ball. Nylabones will work as well. I would reccomend you NOT feed the mammoth bones unless you can supervise. They can easily be broken into smaller pieces or splinter.

With any toy, you should always check for hazards and never leave your dog unattended with a chew toy that he could easily choke on. Nylabones can be chewed up into chunks; the kong can do the same. ALWAYS check your dogs' toys.
And, save some specifically for the crate, and some for outside play. This will keep your pup from getting bored easily.

 

Usally by the time I get home from work I got an hour of sunlight left and we go outside an he runs in the yard. I do have a a laser pointer that I play with him with. I do that for maybe an hour or so. Even after I shut it off he will continue to look for the dot for a few hours. I will crate up my other dogs and try to get get my boy some more exercise.

 

My 8 month old is the same way. I felt terrible, but I take away all cloth including a blanket when I am not home and she has to be crated. When I am home she doesn't destroy things, so yes your pup is probably "pent up". I work in an animal hospital and I can bring her with me but she still has to be in one of the kennels. I noticed even there if I gave her a blanket she would shred it, so I took it away. This last week, I gave her a blanket and she didn't shred it. Every time she shreds something and I can catch her in the act, I correct her (no) and take it away. She is slowly starting to respond. It is going to take awhile but keep in mind these dogs are highly intelligent and get bored and are high energy as well. They are master chewers and just keep in mind that whatever toy you give, will be ripped apart in a timely manner. The important thing is that you are there to observe them with something they can easily rip apart because the last thing you want is a foreign body surgery. The kong toy has lasted with mine. If I have to leave her in her crate for a few hours I put some peanut butter in it and freeze it and give it to her to try to keep her occupied for awhile. Good luck.

 

My dog did the same thing around that age. He's inhouse. He chewed everything in sight. He also shredded his bedding, He chewed a couple of my wife's hi heel shoes, I have 2 kids a girl and boy. There have been countless of chewed up/decapitated barbie dolls, ripped up stuffed teddy bears, etc...
I felt like (you're probably feeling this now) I was constantly having to get up and take things away from him.
For him the answer has been excercise, spring poles and discipline, being able to consistently take things away and say no and give him something he could chew on. And eventually he just grew out of it. I think it had alot to do with age too, combined with discipline and excercise. He stopped having that chewing problem around 13-15 months. Now he's good and just walks by toys and other things with no problem.

 

how early do you wake up because when I have to do sumthing l8r in the day I will wake at 4:00 AM and take em both for bout an hour then I get ready for school, then I go to work after school

 

I wake up at 5am and I let him outside for a half hour or so then bring him and and play with him as I get ready for work.

 

If you could wake up earlier and walk him correctly(have him follow you... some may not agree, but I am a firm believer of satisfying instinct... because no matter the breed ALL dogs have the instinct to follow a pack that is stronger than any instinct) you should see improvement... a dog would rather migrate(walk in a submissive way) with their pack leader than play with him. From here you can give him or her food(make sure they are not exhausted or it wont be to good) this will symbolize the dog working for his or her food(also mental stimulation), because it is not natural for a dog to just have food given to them it is natural to work for food.