Expert: Madeline S. Friedman, M.A. - 1/31/2012

Question
"Dear Madeline, I have read you biography and I promise to read and rate your response within three days.  I understand that your time is valuable, that you are most likely spending at least 45 minutes of your time in response to my question, and I understand too that when questioners read and rate your responses fairly that you make random donations to animal shelters to help homeless animals.  In the interest of being appreciative of your time AND helping shelter dogs and cats, I agree that I will rate your response and give you fair feedback."

I have rescued many cats (have 11) and 2 dogs. Recently, we lost our Bermese Mtn Dog and then adopted a 1-1/2 yr old Great Pyenees from a Rescue Center. WE LOVE HER! She starred as "Paws" in Santa Paws Walt Disney's movie. She had been kept in a crate a lot and we were warned to get one. We did, but really don't use it as Sadie trained us on how to house break her and that's good now. BUT, here's one of the main problems: every toy gets eaten quickly. That gets expensive. Then the worst problem is Sadie and other dog Blue (sheppard mix 1 yr old) play on our wooden deck, and Sadie has started munching on the railing and recently on our wooden d-log SIDING and deck furniture!! I've tried spraying Bitter Apple on the chewing spots and she loves it. Then tried Pepper, Cayenee Pepper, Pepper spray and now there's several places she's chewed. I need to STOP THIS DESTRUCTIVE CHEWING!! Please help me with some ideas on what to do. The deck is a great, clean, safe place for then to run and play, but our house is getting ruined! Please help!!!  Thank you!

Answer
Hi Yvonne,

Thank you for sending me a question at AllExperts and agreeing to the virtual contract in my bio.  Now, on to Sadie and her chewing.

It appears to me from your description that she's unsupervised much of the tome when she's being expected to entertain herself with your other dog out on the deck, and otherwise.  This is a no-no.  You need to be present to see at what point she's becoming ramped up and going overboard on her chewing, and also so you can stop her as soon as she starts.  If she never is told when she is chewing the wrong item AS SOON AS SHE STARTS then she will never learn.  Therefore, you need to supervise her AT ALL TIMES just as you would a puppy.

When you stop her from inappropriate chewing, you also need to immediately redirect her to an APPROPRIATE chew toy until she gets the idea, over many repetitions, "the decking is not okay to chew, but these toys are okay to chew." The concept is not very difficult to teach a dog ifnyou supervise and are consistent about stopping the inappropriate chewing and redirecting her to something appropriate every time.

Dogs have a natural need to chew, and should be encouraged to chew their toys, so it's our job to provide these opportunities for our dogs.  Make sure, too, that she isngetting enough supervised, interactive physical activity with you, which may cut down on her need to chew if she happens to be chewing excessively.  An excessive need to chew may be an indicator that a dog is bored and needs more interactive time with the owner walking, playing, training, fetching, etc.  There's a saying in dog training: "A tired dog is a good dog." How true I have found this to be!

For chew toys, check some of the pet stores near you, or do an Internet search for "rugged dog chew toys." I always recommend stuffed Kong toys as Kong makes a very good product.  You can also check www.petproductadvisor.com for the latest on dog toys.

Best regards,
Madeline Friedman, M.A.