puppies

[jessica31876]

How long does it usually take before a puppy gets out of the -destructive, wanting to chew on everything even though she has plenty of appropriate chew toys- stage??? We like to have our dog sleep in the room with us but our baby Daisy who is going to be five months on the 4th just is not outgrowing it like our other dog did. So we have to crate her at night and a lot of times during the day when she is just to hyper to be running free. She chewed my brand new rocking chair leg and the table that goes with it. Are there other things I could be doing?

 

[nun69]

I would love to know this too cause I have a 7 month old lab and there is pretty much NOTHING he won't chew on!

 

[jessica31876]

We have a big outdoor dog pen we let both dogs go out in to play during the day but the older dog (who is just a few months from being 2) is a keeshond and she cannot be in the heat for long periods so it is only a few minutes at a time a couple times a day. The keeshond is supposed to be extremely high energy but she is just as content to just chill in the room whereever we are next to either me or my husband but the Australian Shepherd has an over-abundance of energy no matter how time we let her run outside and play with her inside.

 

[shupe]

We have a boxer/cocker spaniel mix and we asked the vet the same question when she was about that age. She said that some dogs were just more into chewing than others and she probably would still be a chewer until she was 2 years old. . . and that is just about exactly how long it took!!! Fortunately now at 3, she hardly ever chews anything.

 

[Gemma]

My old dog chewed everything, even when he was 3 years old, he never grew out of it and it drove me MAD!!!

My new puppy is 7 months old and she hardly chews, she chews on her toys that she has but she never sinks her teeth into things she shouldn't. Although when she was 4 months old she had a good nibble on my (unplugged) iPhone charger, grr!

 

[Tamie]

You need to get her out and exercise her more, she has to much energy penned up!!!

When she/he chews on something take away and correct w/ a FIRM voice and give them one of their toys. Buy the KONG toy and place treats or peanut butter in it, in fact more then one is better.

I've trained dogs for 25yrs and have not had one bad apple yet

 

[jessica31876]

Right now we take both dogs out in the morning as soon as we get up, around noon, around four and then around 8 at night. Each time they get walked on a leash until they go potty. Then we put them in the pen to play. (it is pretty large 12x12 at least). They will play for like 10-15 minutes or so in the pen until they want to come in. Even with at least an hour outdoor play and a couple hours indoor play she is still a energizer bunny LOL. But for the chewing is there anything to do to discourage her from chewing further?

You need to get her out and exercise her more, she has to much energy penned up!!!

When she/he chews on something take away and correct w/ a FIRM voice and give them one of their toys. Buy the KONG toy and place treats or peanut butter in it, in fact more then one is better.

I've trained dogs for 25yrs and have not had one bad apple yet

 

[Julie Billingsley]

My brother-in-law has an Australian Shepherd and he has to walk Tilly twice a day for an hour each time. And we are talking a brisk walk. Like you said, they are high energy.

I have a new puppy and I'm finding that she can go 30 mins twice a day in a brisk walk and still have leftover energy. And we also play outside and have "potty walks". I don't know where puppies get all that energy!

 

[pewtertm]

I think part of it is the age, part of it is the breed. And I think Tamie's got it...KONG toys are great, and sounds like your baby needs to get out more.


From Wikipedia:
The Aussie is intelligent, learns quickly, and loves to play. This means that a bored, neglected, unexercised Aussie may invent its own games, activities, and jobs, which to a busy owner might appear to be hyperactivity: for example, an Aussie may go from being at rest to running at top speed for several "laps" around the house before returning to rest. Without something to amuse them, Aussies can become destructive.

Australian shepherds can become extremely destructive if their energy is not directed in a positive way. These dogs require a minimum of 2–3 hours a day of play, exercise, and attention. The dogs thrive in rural, ranch like conditions, and need space to run and play in an urban setting. The Australian shepherd is a high-spirited dog, that requires much attention and work. Teaching them tricks keeps them focused and happy, which also keeps their minds working.

 

[marlathrall]

I think part of it is the age, part of it is the breed. And I think Tamie's got it...KONG toys are great, and sounds like your baby needs to get out more. .[/I]

Yeah, Aussies are high energy breeds. They are meant to be working dogs and they need a job and something to do or they won't be happy. Do you do any kind of training with him? That might help tire him out a little bit, too.

 

[BrattyMeg]

I have 2 aussies with TOTALLY different mannerisms and personalities..I have a lazy one and one that DOES.NOT.STOP

They are working dogs and feel they have a "duty" I can't even vacuum without my younger one trying to "herd" the vacuum cleaner...drives me bonkers but she makes up for it in cuteness and sweetness...she DOES NOT CHEW thank GOD she outgrew that once we started with a Kong toy and play ropes. She has a gazillion toys and ropes she plays with and she does play my gosh she's hyper (she's 2)

 

[jessica31876]

I wish our yard was fenced in...because the county has easements we can fence the yard but have to leave the easement open which would just mean we lose about 25% of our yard or about 1/4 acre. Someone has to be outside with them because there are some vicious dogs around us that roam loose. My husband was walking our keeshond beforre we got the Aussie and had a pitt bull come in the yard growling at them. He managed to pick her up and get inside but there are many others besides that dog...mostly larger dogs

 

[BrattyMeg]

yah there's no way i'd have a large breed dog if I didn't have a fenced yard. They need to be able to play and roam but stay safe too

 

[Sherri Tierney]

You need to get her out and exercise her more, she has to much energy penned up!!!

When she/he chews on something take away and correct w/ a FIRM voice and give them one of their toys. Buy the KONG toy and place treats or peanut butter in it, in fact more then one is better.

I've trained dogs for 25yrs and have not had one bad apple yet

We had a shepherd/lab mix when we first moved in together. We exercised that dog almost continuously when we were home. We worked 3 to midnight. We would come home from work for a 45 minute lunch hour at 7 and we would play outside with him then. Without fail he still chewed on everything he could get to. He destroyed everything he touched. He would not only chew on everything he would poop on it too. It was awful. We started to realize that this was ALWAYS between the time we went back to work at 7:45 and got home at midnight. We never found a mess when we came home at 7. We were talking about it to someone and they suggested not coming home for the lunch break. They said maybe the break was just enough to get him wound up and then us going back to work left him bored and full of energy. Sure enough, we started skipping that at home lunch break (just took our lunches with us) and the huge messes stopped. He still chewed after that but it was a random thing here and there, he didn't destroy the house like he had been. He was over 2 before he stopped chewing though... and kongs, forget about it, he chewed them to bits. They came out with more durable ones not long after he outgrew the chewing stage so I don't know if he could have gone through those or not but the 'original' kongs he could get right through.

The dogs we have now... Jinx was adult sized when we got her, she is a German Shepherd. I'm not sure how old she was. She was dumped out by where my husband works and she hung out there every day and night (they work 24/7) for almost a week. The guys were giving her water and scraps. DH decided one night to bring her home. She had to have been at least a year old. She went through a bit of a chewing phase though but it didn't start until after we had her for at least a year. I don't know what brought that on. Strangely though, she won't touch a dog toy. She never has. She doesn't 'play'. She will run with us and stuff but she won't go near any kind of dog toy. She won't chew on chew toys either. She does like those rawhide chips, we had a neighbor who always gave them to her and she likes those but those are the only 'dog' thing she will go near that isn't food. Lucy is a Westie. We got her when she was 4 months old and, boy, she went through the chewing phase. She was about 2 before she got over it too. Even now, at 3.5 years old, she will chew if she gets too bored and we leave something accessible. She doesn't seek things out to chew on though. She loves to play and loves her toys though, so different from Jinx. It makes me wonder if Jinx was somehow scared away from toys as a puppy.

Thankfully we have a large fenced in yard because we don't really 'do' walks. We've always had either a large fenced in yard or, at very least, a good sized dog run for our dogs though. We've never had to walk them for potty breaks or what have you. My two get all their energy out running up and down the fence line barking at the neighbor dog. The three of them will go at it for 30 minutes at a time, back and forth, back and forth. There is a bad spot in the fence and when we first moved in we scooted an old tire up against it so Jinx will run back and forth jumping over the tire each time. Lucy is too little and has to run around the tire. LOL

 

[jessica31876]

we are hoping to move but still looking for a place. My husband started fencing it off and that is why we bought them a large outdoor dog pen so they could play/run safely.

yah there's no way i'd have a large breed dog if I didn't have a fenced yard. They need to be able to play and roam but stay safe too

 

[jessica31876]

And my Aussie when I hold her she gets REALLY excited. It is like she cannot get close enough to me LOL. She will push and push until she has her head buried in my hair and I am holding her really tight. She only does that will me. Been doing it since she a little one.