Heeeeelllllpppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!

[zacofLOW]

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum, and it seems great!

I have Mastiff that is 6 months old and his name is Zeus. I love him very much and he is a great dog, and is very intelligent and learns quickly. He is fully house trained, sits, stays, shakes, and lays down, but for some reason, while i'm at work i cannot keep him from chewing up our couch. he has destroyed the cushion twice now and i fear cushion number 2 is coming soon. Does anyone have any ideas to help correct this behavior?

Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks!

 

[Sabrina]

Keep him contained in a different area of a house....he is a puppy, he is going to chew...you have to take away the temptation! Do you have a backyard, garage? You can use a baby gate to keep him in the kitchen, a crate, etc...I would definitely never give a 6 month old puppy full run of the house- you are asking for trouble

 

[Dino]

You need to crate him if he's to be kept in the house while your not home. Or in a kennel if out side.you can't punish him for chewing if you don't catch him doing it.if you come home to a disaster you can't punish that he can't tell what he's in trouble for .so the best is dont leave him the opportunity to do it while your away.

 

[BettyBoop]

It can be frustrating, but he sounds like a very smart puppy. He is bored when you leave and will find his own entertainment. I agree that he needs to be confined in his "own" space. Along with dog chewy toys, that you know he has used before and enjoys. Dogs will chew, dig, bark and destroy things. That's a dog. He may also be starting the first stages of seperation anxiety. Be sure that you are not making a big deal of coming and going from the house. Good luck!

 

[vin]

My dog (Cody) eats everything. He's 10 months old and weights approx 160. I know its because he's bored. However, when I come home and everything is in its place, nothing is eaten, and all is well, Cody greets me with ears-up and tail wagging. When I come home and there are bills in inumerable pieces, pieces of the backyard tree in the house, the rugs in the backyard, my daughter's bedroom door open and her clothing slobbered on and strewn about the house, that dog knows exactly what he's done. I dont have to yell at him one bit. All I have to do is lower my voice and say, "Cody... this is bad". I take what he's disturbed and put it close to his face and say "Cody... no". I dont yell it. I just use a deep solemn voice. He knows he has touched a bad thing because his scent is all over it. Then I get one of his own toys and I put it close to his face and in a very happy voice say, "Good boy Cody!". Then I repeat the process several times. A few days go by without incident... until he gets bored again. Its okay though. Our couches are old (he hasnt discovered them yet) and he'll grow out of it in about two more years (I hope). Cody is an extremely smart dog and he'll get the hang of things eventually. Comparitively, I cant say that my Rott (had to put him down earlier this year) ever chewed a darn thing.

 

[BettyBoop]

Please get the book on dog behavior by Jean Donaldson. The books title is The Culture Clash. The revolutionary new way to understanding the relationship between humans and domestic dogs. There is a wealth of information in here, from the dog's point of view. I don't in my opinion feel that a dog has guilt towards being caught with destructing the household and its contents. They are simply awaiting the negative downfall from being bored. This book is very helpful to anyone with a dog!

Dogwise.com is a great place for information on canines and behavior.

 

[jen_mccorkle]

My English Mastiff's name is also Zeus! He's 8 months old now and went thru a chewing stage. I bought him a while bunch of the rubber, indestructible toys to keep him occupied. I also invested in one of the toys that you can stuff treats inside, and they have to figure out how to get to the treats. It also helps that we have an older dog for Zeus to play with. Good luck with the chewing stage!