DESTRUCTION
Puppies are puppies, no matter the breed. We were spoiled with Cooper - he rarely chewed anything. Since we are retired, he was always with us. But he left our shoes alone, never chewed the tables and chairs and the few things he started chewing on were met with the commands, "Not yours", and later (after training classes), "Leave it." We would then spray Apple Bitter on the item and he rarely chewed on them again.
Fast forward three months and adding Murphy to the mix. What a difference...he chewed everything and anything! The stuffed animals were initially safe but anything wood...oh my!
This was just the beginning of the destruction of our new Adirondack furniture...we eventually removed them from the deck. Then Murphy moved on to the deck support rails!
Then Murphy started in on the toys...
Christmas came and they had never touched anything on the coffee table...until my handmade (by a friend) manger. Murphy must have been hungry!
Next Cooper joined in the fun and started attacking their bedding, destroying this one and a second one. We now have a rubber mat meant for horse stalls, cut to size!
Finally Cooper started going for the other toys...this little pig had been with him for months...until...
Nothing is safe when it comes to the toys now...one by one, the stuffed ones are being demolished. Two seem to be surviving - the duck and Cooper's first moose (we have the small and medium). The absolute favorite toy that has mostly survived (even being taken outside, buried, dug up, carried back inside) are the tiny animals in these types of toys. Cooper adores the teensy squirrels, carrying them around like babies and never chewing on them and Murphy behaves as well. LOL!
We do buy various chew items. When they were young, Yaky Chews were perfect. They would last for days. Now they demolish them in hours. Bully sticks are gone almost immediately We moved up to Buffalo Braids, they went from a couple of hours to maybe 10-15 minutes now. The elk antlers still last the longest but they seem to enjoy pig ears and hooves that we get at Tractor Supply the most.
CAUTION: Closely monitor play/chew/eat times with all toys and treats!.
They will outgrow it...they will outgrow it...they will outgrow it...wont' they? LOL
Doodle on!
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Stu and Donna
Oh my! We had similar travails with our rescue pup when he was new to our family. He did settle in, but not before destroying a few of our treasures. Luckily, he is now one of our treasures himself.
ReplyDelete@mirymom1 from
Balancing Act
We have given up on the stuffies except for the baby size. They both love those and don't try to destroy them. The latest attack is our deck...they have both become wood chewers. Argh! Working on more training and more hard chew treats.
DeleteOne of my dogs (not the Doodle!) barely dents his toys, but he can't have them (other than huge Nylabones for power chewers, the absolute only thing Edward can't chew up)until Edward the Goldendoodle goes to bed! Edwards guts a toy in seconds. He only gets presents from thrift stores and garage sales! He never bothers his bed or thankfully pillows, even though they look like "stuffies." Oh, he has a mania about socks, but only when he hears us unlocking the door. It's easier to train the family to put them away than to train him.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the look on that guilty Doodle's face! Amazing!
He had that pig for months....then one day, it was no more. I was so lucky to catch that expression. LOL!
DeleteYou are right about training the family...that's how we manage kitchen counter surfing. Nothing left out they can reach!
Some do some do not. We were lucky for a long time. My guys were not distrustive. Then I babysat a friends dog for a month while they recovered from hip surgery. I had no idea how distructive a adult dog could be. In 24 hours all toys were trashed. And dog beds were torn. It was a LONG month and we can no longer have soft toys. My guys now love destuffing toys. Dog training never stops. Even with my 6 and 3 year old girls.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning! LOL! Cooper was so good until Murphy arrived and Murphy was much more of a chewer. Now they both destroy equally. LOL!
Deleteyay! Dog tales! I'm Muffy who taught you Doggo Lingos yesterday! I loved Murphy and Cooper because I'm starting to chew on Mom's chairs too. Shh..don;t tell Mommy please :)
ReplyDeleteExercise for Dogs
Eggs On Toast
Hi Muffy! Watch everything your mom does. Ours sprays this nasty tasting bitter stuff on the things inside. So we don't chew inside anymore, at least not too often. Well, except those fluffy things that squeak. We LOVE to kill them!
DeleteLoving your pictures! Bernie has the same moose:) Marvin Moose has been with us since Bernie came home. He's so attached, I actually bought a back-up moose just in case. I'm thankful that Bernie and Lizzie aren't super destructive. Lizzie chews on the sofa pillow corners and my walking shoes, but Bernie usually doesn't tear things up. I was surprised, of course, when I came home from school last year and Bernie had eaten an entire pile of student papers. I had to take a picture to show my students that MY dog had eaten their homework. They all got As in the spirit of Doodle love:)
ReplyDeleteWe have to watch the edges of throw rugs. Apple bitter spray helped with that but if they find a loose thread, watch out! We have both sizes of the moose and how he survives, I don't know. Moose, duck, baby squirrels...everything else. GONE! LOL!
DeleteOh no! Murphy taught Cooper the joys of destruction! Hopefully they outgrow it but after reading the comments, I see that isn't a given.
ReplyDeleteWe once had a cat who LOVED underwear. If he found a pair, he dragged them to his food dish and sometimes put them in his water dish. We always warned house guests that the could not leave underwear where the cat could get them. One guest did not listen and we found her red thong in the food the next morning. LOL! She used the drawers and hamper after that.
That is too funny about the cat!!! Thanks for sharing.
DeleteI so want a dog, but my mum won't have one in the house! I suppose getting a rescue dog might avoid the awkward puppy chewing stage!
ReplyDeleteEnd of the World by McFly
Sometimes yes, sometimes no because some dogs never stop chewing. But still worth it!!
DeleteI know how that destruction thing can go. My sister who had never been a dog owner obtained a puppy not too long ago and she has been accepting some of the household damage that can come with puppy ownership. She has such a nice house and so much nice stuff and has always been so meticulous about keeping it all up that I'm surprised that she's become so lax about those things.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
I understand...in my younger years, I would have freaked. Now we have a house we bought last year with old carpet and used furniture. Thank goodness!!
DeleteThey really do influence each other.
ReplyDeleteYes they grow up but will your home survive?
https://moondustwriter.com/2018/04/05/education-children-atozchallenge/
LOL! We keep tackling each issue, one at a time. Next is spraying a No Chew solution on the deck where they chew. Sigh... (But we love them!!)
DeleteOur son and his wife's puppy is going through the chewing phase (we hope) too! Shoes, garden hoses, clothes . . . you name it, even though the chew toys are a regular item on the shopping list now.
ReplyDeleteWe had great luck with the Himalayan Yacky Chews but now they eat them in ten minutes. Same with bully sticks. The Elk Antlers are the final hold-out. LOL!
DeleteWe have truly been fortunate with all 3 of our girls. Molly, at 11, and Daisy, at 8, has started chewing again. Late in life bloomers, aren't they? Lol... fortunately it's wood, and we don't have wood furniture. So since the guys are building horse stalls, work benches for the shop, and a fence for my garden, I gave them several cutoff 2x4 pieces. They are happy, and so are we. But the strange thing they are doing is going in my garden, and laying on the nice warm, clean dirt ... their fabv place to chew on things... hence building a new garden fence. Oh, and they love the kong wrapped in material with several tails. They throw it around to each other. Anything to keep them out of my freshly planted garden makes mom a very happy person. Our girls only chewed for the first couple years of their lives, and only on things we gave them. We did use the training collars, on the high vibration mode, which works because it is a huge startle to them. I don't like the shock mode. But vibration is really good. So, we have had no chewers for about 6 years. Such a nice long time. We got spoiled, and forgot what the chewing was like. Lol..
ReplyDeleteWe are discouraging the wood chewing because of the danger of ingesting a piece and it getting stuck somewhere, piercing something. Argh!!! Stu sprayed all the railings & lattice work on the deck and hopefully they won't like the taste and will stop. Time for some new pig ears and elk/deer antlers!
DeleteThey will definitely outgrow it....sooner or later!
ReplyDeleteI am a huge dog lover and thoroughly enjoyed this post.
#AtoZChallenge Road Trip
So glad you dropped in...I forgot all about the A-Z Road Trip since I've been busily blogging and followed over 70 blogs during the event. LOL!
DeleteStopping by from the #AtoZChallenge Road Trip! We've had quite a number of dogs over the years and fortunately, haven't had a chewer! I can't imagine how my husband would react to that!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. Years ago, I had a Golden Retriever who was a chewer and later a Great Dane who loved to eat anything leather. LOL! The #2Doods are pretty much limited to the few toys they haven't destroyed, Yaky Chews, elk antlers and the like.
Delete"They will outgrow it...they will outgrow it...they will outgrow it...wont' they? LOL" I hear you. I'm hoping Caitlin will stop demolishing everything in sight -- and then she'll be good for a few hours before destroying... Today, her bed. Again. Callum has always been a good boy. But now that he has a little sister, he gets this crazy look in his eyes when she comes near his toys. (I totally get it: she will destroy it.) Sigh. It's better than two months ago. So yeah, she'll outgrow it. Soon, I hope.
ReplyDeleteRonel from Ronel the Mythmaker A-Z road-tripping with Everything Writerly: D is for Do
LOL! Well, they are now 16 & 19 months old and have, for the most part, outgrown it. We gave up on stuffies, we do try to find flat unstuffed with no squeakers. They play tug of war with them. But squeakers are a no go... Oh, the teensy, tiny squirrels are still favorites and unchewed. Go figure...
DeleteDogs, especially puppies all have that chewing instinct. For that matter, human babies do, too. So long as they get through it safely... I'm visiting from the A to Z road trip.
ReplyDeleteIt was an adventure, Heather. I look back and laugh. Thanks for stopping by!
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