Chewing

[Sean / Cara]

This is driving me absolutely insane now. How on earth do you stop a dog from destroying the house when you're out? I got a crate for Ben, but he's bursting out of it while we're out. Today we came in to the kitchen door chewed and stripped down to the glass If he's got the run of the house, he finds everything and anything and rips/chews to bits. Tried the sprays, doesn't work. Running out of ideas now

[Jack]

Sturdier crate required methinks

Staffs, being terriers are swines for chewing so I crate trained mine from pups, having gone through the whole destructive thing with my Mitzi (she wasn't crate trained - how I wished I'd known about them and their correct useage way back then!) The ONLY time they try and get out is when I come home - they are so keen to get too me for kisses and cuddles but I now make them wait until I am ready for that. They LOVE their crates and are happy to go in them - sometimes even if we are home and they are wanting time out or if they're a little off colour and want some alone time - perhaps try and make his crate more appealing for him - make sure it's sturdy and big enough for him to lie comfortably in and to get up standing and turn around. Put comfortable bedding, water in it, food if he'll be in it a while (my girls always have their brekkie in theirs) and perhaps his favourite toy so he has something to do whilst in there.
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Staffies are my life! Visit us at www.staffies.co.uk

[Gaelle]

Gosh I've SO been there and still got the destruction to prove it! Cuthbert unfortunately would NOT take to a crate no matter how we tried so if you can get him used to and enjoying being in a crate it's a great help. Trust me on that!
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Happiness is watching my dog chase leaves dancing in the breeze.

[graceb]

What kind of crate do you have is it Plastic or wire? I think craig and Tracy had a problem with their dog escaping! I'll search the posts and see what their solution was.
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Grace & Dexter

[tricia]

Copper my new border terrier is a great escape artist at night as well.... gets out of his crate no probs...
Tried tying his escape routes up with garden wire, only to find he was out and about in the utility room again this morning...
He hasn't been destructive though... well apart from eating a pair of wellies!!
Think he is just missing the girls, and desperate to get to them
Haven't had this prob before with the girls and their crates.
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Border Terriers........
You can't have just one.........
They're addictive you know!!!!

[John Thomson]

If a dog is getting out of a crate then it is not secure........try using leash trigger clips to secure the doors ( you can get cheap ones in Poundland)......it is for the dogs own safety.

john
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John Thomson
www.cumbernaulddogtraining.co.uk

[kendal]

see with the sprays make sure he didnt like the taste, what we did with out lot was sprayed it in there mouth or soak some Cotton wool in it and place it in there mouth that way they get a full tast of it. in theory this mean that when they smell it they want to stay as far away from it as possible. how every i do know some dogs that still chewed it.

(lol i was a horrendous nail biter and i still chewed through the nasty tasting nail varnish designed to stop me lol)

i would definitely advise a stronger crate, as well as your house getting damaged he could hust himself braking out of it.
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[Sean / Cara]

It's a wire crate, the first time we left him with it he'd taken a whole side off of it. The second time was today and he'd burst open one corner and seems he must've squeezed himself out of it - so yes, huge worry he's going to hurt himself.

This is the type of crate we got:

http://www.rosewoodpet.com/products/range_42.asp?id=42&sgid=136#

John - I was thinking maybe of cable ties to secure it tightly at the clips the sides attatch at? The door he hasn't managed to open, it's the actual crate he's bursting through

Kendal, will try that with the spray and cotton wool. Although, he doesn't chew furniture/doors when we're about - that's the first he's ever gone for something like the door. It's only toys and things left lying about by Aidan(and the fact he thinks its great fun to see the dog chewing )

There's no way possible other than crating him I can think of. I've had to phone Virgin twice in a week for new remotes to be sent out, had to phone them again for him chewing through the cable wire when we tried the garden when it was dry, replace house phones, he NEARLY got the new camera(thank god for camera cases) and pulled the fireplace off the wall from jumping up to get said remotes.

As for making him comfortable, he had water, food, loads of bedding(including the blanket he likes to suck on), a few toys to do as he pleased with.

[Suzanne H]

Bored young dogs are destructive. We found that with Otto - never chewed a thing in his life, but when he was out of the crate alone after an operation he chewed.

Crate is the only way to stop it. You may have to get a new one designed for escape artists if the ties don't work.

Another idea is a kong - stuffed with stuff really difficult to get out....distract him a bit.

[Sean / Cara]

Yup, he has a kong
Will need to try stuffing it. Well, we need to go out today so will set up cable ties and see if he manages it. Not holding out much hope, all I've done this morning is chase him about for stealing toys to chew! Keep telling myself it'll be worth it in the end Daft dogs eh?

[Suzanne H]

We've been trying to wean Otto out of his crate because it's a bit too small for him and I don't want to big crates kicking about come a new puppy. and so far so good.

I put peanut butter in the kong, then a dog biscuit shaped so it has to be forced in ie he has to work hard to get at it.

Also just make sure there is nothing at dog level he can chew...ie I don't leave bananas or a certain plant or my slippers anywhere near him. I also keep him in the ktichen away with no access to the front door and the postman which wound him up.

he does love to chew, but he's not been too destructive thankfully. When he was a pup he was once caught with his gums around the table leg, and I skooshed him from behind with a plant sprayer. worked with the bin as well. He didn't see me doing it tho.

We also have a nylobone which is left around and rawhide chews regular chews...when he's encouraged to chew on...much better than a crap slipper.

[graceb]

If you are going to use cable ties, make sure you use one at every single square sides bottom and top, as far as I know when they start escaping out a crate they will keep trying and get more determined every time, so you need to make it just about impossible for them to give it up. If he gets out after thoroughly securing with the cable ties then you may need to get a better crate. I used to have one that certainly would have not been possible for a dog to get out of as it was bolted at everywhere then the metal tray was bolted on to sides. Dont have it any more, it was made to fit into a estate car.

You could also try leaving a nice raw meaty marrow bone
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Grace & Dexter

[tricia]

The peanut butter in the kong is good... you can also try freezing it... keeps them going longer!!
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Border Terriers........
You can't have just one.........
They're addictive you know!!!!

[kendal]

a good thing to do with the kong is to put some biscuits in it the fill the rest with cream cheese or peanut butter like Tricia suggested, and freeze it, as it will keep there attention longer.
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microchiping and grooming www.chipnclip.co.uk