New problem -- chewing

[AAK]

Let's start off with we have LOTS for the dogs to chew on.  Stuffables, raw hides, rope things, etc.  

Today, I discovered that Scamp managed to pull up the carpet in an area that it meets the tile.  He managed to destroy via chewing a few inches back and a few inches wide.  All in about 10 min.  

I had a "not good moment" and freaked out (yelled at dog, tossed him outside).  I realize that it wasn't a very good way to handle it--but what should I do.  I can't "reason" with him.  I thought someone was with him; we try to not leave the dogs unattended.  I have lots for them to chew on.  I frequently stuff the kongs (but have yet to figure out how to not make a huge mess with peanut butter, etc), we are very active with the dogs.  

It was a bad day all around but this really took the cake.  We can't fix this.  But, we will live with it--I really want to be able to prevent it from happening again or getting worse.  Short of locking them in their kennels all the time, what can I do?   And what would have been an effective reaction?

Amy

[stardogs]

We all have bad reactions, don't worry about it!  A better option if you catch the pup in the act is to interrupt the behavior (I usually will clap my hands) and redirect them to the correct chew item with praise for chewing on it.  If it's after the fact, take a rolled up newspaper...and bat *yourself* on the head for not supervising closely enough. ;)

I use expens on a hard floor, crates, or tethers to restrict puppies when I can't watch them 100% - better a bit more restriction than a dog learning to chew inappropriate items!

Do you have toys with a variety of textures?  IME the number of toys doesn't matter as much as the variety of toys - the more variety, the more likely the pup can find a chewie with the texture they seek without going to off-limits items. :)  For young pups I usually recommend at least one each: a hard toy (nylabone, marrow bone), a rubber toy (Kong, Busy Buddy toys), a soft toy (like fleecy squeaky toys - as long as your pup doesn't like to shred them), and a rope toy (rope bone, which can be wetted and frozen for teethers, same rules as stuffies).

How old is your pup?  Main teething phases are between 4 and 6 months and again between 8 and 10 months so I generally reccommend additional supervision/restriction during those stages.

[AAK]

Originally Posted by stardogs 

How old is your pup?  Main teething phases are between 4 and 6 months and again between 8 and 10 months so I generally reccommend additional supervision/restriction during those stages.

He is 4 months and a week.  So it looks like this is just the beginning.    I guess we better buckle down on supervising.  We have gotten good at removing items/picking up after ourselved--I just never suspected the carpet (not a throw rug--but the attached carpet!).

Thanks for the tips though.  We do have several textures available.  Up until recently they preferred harder things (wood) and kept trying to eat the edge of the cabinets.

Amy

[stardogs]

Yup his age has a lot to do with it!  You'll probably need to really tighten up your supervision for the next week or so to get him on track and then as he shows he's doing well with the restriction, you can gradually loosen it up again.  If he makes a mistake, you've given him too much freedom and just need to take a step back for a bit until he's ready for the increased responsibility.