Puppy problem

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fitsporation96
fitsporation96 Posts: 117
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I have had a puppy 18 weeks old as of today and he is constantly biting everything, the chairs, table, doors, feet, basically everything and I am at my wits end, all I am thinking is golly gosh when he grows up he will be better surely? I was wondering if anyone has any tactics for this problem? I was thinking of walking him for an hour a day, getting him more toys, I don't like to tap him when he is naughty, but what else can I do?

Thank you.

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  • libbydoodle11
    libbydoodle11 Posts: 1,351 Member
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    Critters are cute for a reason.

    Toys, toys, toys and a couple of walks a day.
  • MrsBooBear
    MrsBooBear Posts: 12,618 Member
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    Haven't lived with dogs for quite a while, but with kittens/cats, it's worth trying the distraction technique. As soon as he/she starts getting bitey, distract with a favourite toy/game. May take a while but seems to have helped with our Remy when he was a kitten who was partial to chewing on hands,toes etc. HTH?
  • MIM49
    MIM49 Posts: 255 Member
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    Between the ages of 4-6 months puppies teeth--lose their baby teeth and get their adult teeth. They want to chew and bite on everything. When home, distracting works well. You can also hold his mouth closed, tell him no, and then give him a suitable toy to chew. However if left alone nothing is safe--furniture, shoes, clothing. I recommend crate training where he is safely contained and can't do any damage. Never make it a punishment. Provide special toys like a big,messy chewable bone only in the crate so he won't mind going in there.
  • fitsporation96
    fitsporation96 Posts: 117
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    Thank you for your suggestions, I haven't been out of the house without him, I was thinking of putting him in a puppy pen but I wouldn't know?
  • MrsBooBear
    MrsBooBear Posts: 12,618 Member
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    I've heard some good things about crate training. Perhaps have a Google for some canine help sites?
  • MIM49
    MIM49 Posts: 255 Member
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    puppy pen will work. what kind of pup? I raised (bred and showed) English Bulldogs for 20myears so have a lot of experience with puppies.
  • sentaruu
    sentaruu Posts: 2,206 Member
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    The little one is probably just teething. Get the pup some different textured/toughness chew toys and try crating when you leave the pup alone to minimize damage.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    We crate our dogs, but puppies still teeth everywhere. Try several types of toys, my dogs hate rubber, but like nylon.
  • Dgydad
    Dgydad Posts: 104 Member
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    Between the ages of 4-6 months puppies teeth--lose their baby teeth and get their adult teeth. They want to chew and bite on everything. When home, distracting works well. You can also hold his mouth closed, tell him no, and then give him a suitable toy to chew. However if left alone nothing is safe--furniture, shoes, clothing. I recommend crate training where he is safely contained and can't do any damage. Never make it a punishment. Provide special toys like a big,messy chewable bone only in the crate so he won't mind going in there.

    This! Your beastie is at the age were it has an urge to chew that cannot be ignored. When you can't be there to supervise, a proper crate is the way to go. Some folks might feel it's cruel, but as long as the animal can stand, turn, and stretch easily, its O.K. I've utilized crate training w/ all 4 of the German Shepherds I've had, and it worked well. They all seemed to view the crate as a safe place, and would go into it of their own volition at times. Two things important to avoid w/ crate training are 1) don't overdo it - keep the confinement to the minimum, and 2) NEVER use the crate as discipline.
    Good luck! Despite my best efforts, I still had a good bit of a queen size sleeper sofa "eaten" by one of my "bears"...............
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
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    Puppies gotta chew and you are right, punishing them for it is not the answer. I took in a young lab mix (my guess is that he was between 6 and 8 months) 2 years ago. He had been severely abused. It was apparent that someone had beaten him for chewing on things. Rather than cure him, it made him highly anxious about everything. And what was his release for the anxiety? Yep, more chewing. I just had to put lots of toys and chewies around the yard and turn a blind eye to the damage. Discipline on any level at that point put him into a panic.

    He's grown out of it for the most part now. Sure, I lost some stuff (including 2 new pairs of Birkinstocks, garhh) and all the wooden benches and steps on my deck have chew marks but that's just stuff and I gained a wonderful, loving companion.
  • Shalva
    Shalva Posts: 55 Member
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    You don't say what breed the puppy is and that does matter.

    Keep in mind that teething will get worse between 8 and 13 months and that is when the real destruction happens if you are not careful.

    Tapping does absolutely no good. I will honestly say that I have never had a reason to hit/tap my dogs, not that I haven't felt like it but it really doesn't help especially for something like teething which is a biological need.

    You need lots of good hard chewables and to be watching that puppy constantly, crates are wonderful things for just this reason, when you can't watch puppy, into the crate he/she goes with a good hard chewable, ie. marrow bone, or my dogs (I have 7 retrievers and an Irish wolfhound, we show, compete with and occasionally breed) really love those hard white nylabones or the big nylabones and even for my aggressive chewers those work well although are a bit expensive to start. Have a bunch of chewables handy and when you catch puppy chewing something he/she shouldn't you need to do a loud ehhh ehhh and then redirect to something that he/she is allowed to chew.

    good luck
    puppyhood is way over rated... there is a reason they are cute... it is so you don't want to kill them.... we call it survival of the cutest

    Stephanie
    (and 6 golden retrievers, 1 Flat Coated Retriever and The Irish Wolfhound)
  • fitsporation96
    fitsporation96 Posts: 117
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    he is a bichon frise, thank you so much for all of your advice everyone.
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,406 Member
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    My puppy had the same issue. She would chew EVERYTHING. You just have to keep a close eye, and when they chew something they shouldnt, you yell "NO!" or "BAD DOG" and remove that item from them. Then place one of their toys/bones infront of them to chew. Then say "good dog".

    Puppies need to chew, they just struggle to figure out what is appropriate and what is not. Luckily, my dog caught on VERY quick..this lasted about 1 week until she got the hang of what was hers and what was not.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    I can't help with the chewing issue but if it starts digging up your yard buy one of those little plasic kiddies pools and fill it with sand. It stopped our puppy digging elsewhere and she loves it.
  • katday680
    katday680 Posts: 9
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    Most stores sell a bitter apple spray that we can't smell but when puppy goes to chew he will be deterred big time! Exercise helps, but you also want something like a nylabone to chew on to help with teething. Its a frustrating process but will get better when your pup starts to get their adult teeth. Feel free to PM me with any other questions.
  • rosy_08
    rosy_08 Posts: 51 Member
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    As others have mentioned, crate training is great for when you're not home. If your puppy bites you or tries nibbling on you, make a high pitched yelp-like sound and walk away. It will teach the pup, that biting makes you go away, and all they want is your love and attention so the biting should stop fairly quickly. For items that he likes to chew on, try spraying bitter apple spray. You can get it at pet stores. It works wonders but don't get any on your hand. It tastes awful if you forget it's there and bite your nails. XD
  • I_am_Kara
    I_am_Kara Posts: 2,593 Member
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    Crates or puppy pens work great, as well as providing toys for the puppy to chew on. Some great toys are kongs and toys that U can hide food inside. The puzzle (trying to get the food out) occupies them for a while, prevents boredom, and also prevents damage to your things. They can also be stuffed with multiple types of treats from dog food and peanut butter (or cheese) to dog friendly veggies (carrots, peas, and green beans are actually great treats for dogs, recommended by Veterinarians, and keep them from gaining to much weight).

    You can also try a spray bottle with water or a can full of coins (or beans...something that rattles). When you catch the puppy chewing something you can then spray him or shake the can to pull their attention from the object. Follow up by firmly telling the puppy "no" and then direct the attention elsewhere. Some people do not like these methods because they think they will cause the puppy to be afraid of water or noise, but it honestly does not hurt the puppy and is a training method that works for many people...it's better than physical punishment (hitting or a shock collar).

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