Dog Question

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by Gargoyle

We have a couple greater swiss mountain dogs. The male loved to chew things and we tried some kind of rosemary spray that he actually loved to chew on. We had very good luck with Grannick's Bitter Apple spray. The only negative is it seems to only last a short time before you have to re-apply it.

Good luck!

Stuff works great.
Many, many years ago, used it for a yorkie that loved chewing up the dining table and chairs.
It worked.

[Pulse]

Training....training....training...early and consistently. Bitter Apple will work in some cases but randomly at best and isn't a silver bullet for chewing. Dogs chew my nature so given you have the advantage of getting a puppy, condition him/her at an early stage and be consistent in your training. Pick one or 2 chew toys that will be "thiers" to chew on. DO NOT make it a toy that is similar to a human piece of clothing etc. ( I.E. a shoe, etc...) Dogs cannot differentiate between their "shoe" and your shoe...to them, it's a chew toy. So go buy them a toy that they can use regularly to chew on that won't be confused with something else they shouldn't be chewing.

NOTHING and I mean NOTHING works better than consistency when it comes to training a dog. Dogs look to YOU to guide them so do it and do it consistently. Having a puppy is a great advantage as they will look to you to teach them the appropriate way to behave. Now that does't mean that a full grown dog can't be reconditioned, far from the truth. The old adage that an old dog can't learn new tricks is total BS...hehehe. Exercise the hell out of them, then proceed to train them (fetch, stay, sit, blah blah blah), then praise them after they do it right. (in that order)

I could go on and on and on and on about this as i've trained dozens upon dozens of dogs over the years this way so feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss this in more detail or have more questions and want my opinion.

Training a dog is a lot simpler than it's made out to be and never requires aggressive/negative behavior on your part to accomplish what you want...(yelling/hitting/etc.)

Now, this is just one opinion and many here have had huge success in their own methods which is great so take it for what it's worth. Just a random guy offering an opinion on a topic you asked about on an open forum...hehehe.

Smoke on!

[smitdavi]

Originally Posted by Pulse

Training....training....training...early and consistently. Bitter Apple will work in some cases but randomly at best and isn't a silver bullet for chewing. Dogs chew my nature so given you have the advantage of getting a puppy, condition him/her at an early stage and be consistent in your training. Pick one or 2 chew toys that will be "thiers" to chew on. DO NOT make it a toy that is similar to a human piece of clothing etc. ( I.E. a shoe, etc...) Dogs cannot differentiate between their "shoe" and your shoe...to them, it's a chew toy. So go buy them a toy that they can use regularly to chew on that won't be confused with something else they shouldn't be chewing.

NOTHING and I mean NOTHING works better than consistency when it comes to training a dog. Dogs look to YOU to guide them so do it and do it consistently. Having a puppy is a great advantage as they will look to you to teach them the appropriate way to behave. Now that does't mean that a full grown dog can't be reconditioned, far from the truth. The old adage that an old dog can't learn new tricks is total BS...hehehe. Exercise the hell out of them, then proceed to train them (fetch, stay, sit, blah blah blah), then praise them after they do it right. (in that order)

I could go on and on and on and on about this as i've trained dozens upon dozens of dogs over the years this way so feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss this in more detail or have more questions and want my opinion.

Training a dog is a lot simpler than it's made out to be and never requires aggressive/negative behavior on your part to accomplish what you want...(yelling/hitting/etc.)

Now, this is just one opinion and many here have had huge success in their own methods which is great so take it for what it's worth. Just a random guy offering an opinion on a topic you asked about on an open forum...hehehe.

Smoke on!

Wow...thanks for the response. Some good insight there. We find out today from the landlord if they will allow it or not. So keeping fingers crossed, I might pm you later today

[King James]

I second (well maybe 4th by now) using bitter apple. Although, I've never had to use it. Usually having a chew tow and watching closely to correct them (like Pulse said) if they start chewing works.

[kgoings]

Training Training Training, and get the dog a KONG!

[mikeyj23]

I disagree with the yelling, pulling the ear, etc. It doesn't take much to discourage chewing. Find your dog a chew toy that it simply can't ignore (KONG). Use some bitter apple spray to spray down power cords or other favorite chewed items, and then when you catch puppy chewing, give them a firm "NO" and provide them with their chew toy. Chewing is necessary for puppies and shouldn't be discouraged, just redirected.

[tenbaseg]

My black lab pup loved the nylabones (sp). The puppy ones they can really go after and they are safe to digest (in moderation).

I think supervision and distraction are the keys.

[UK Bro]

Originally Posted by kgoings

Training Training Training, and get the dog a KONG!

Plenty of time and LOADS of patience !

[smitdavi]

We have an appointment tomorrow morning to look at a Choc Lab puppy. We will probably come home with him if everything goes ok.

[Genetic Defect]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Stuff works great.
Many, many years ago, used it for a yorkie that loved chewing up the dining table and chairs.
It worked.

maybe you should spray Bill's ankles with bitter apple.

[jledou]

Originally Posted by smitdavi

We have an appointment tomorrow morning to look at a Choc Lab puppy. We will probably come home with him if everything goes ok.

Best of luck. The KONGs and Nylabones work well. For our beagle (destructo dog) we have to keep an eye on him constantly and have a well stocked bin of rawhides to redirect his focus when the others fail.

[SteveA]

Originally Posted by smitdavi

Katie and I are looking to get a Choc Lab puppy in the near future. The question is: Is there anything that I can rub on the legs of our TV stand,coffee table, and table and chair legs to keep the dog from chewing on it? Or are there any other tips to keep them from chewing on the furniture?

Thanks

As I'm sure others have said, use apple bitter. Don't get the substitutes. I had a pointer that didn't like the substitute at first and then started enjoying it! Got apple bitter and if he saw me with the bottle he ran. Hated that stuff.

Also, have a box of chew toys somewhere that he has access to. Anytime he starts to chew something inappropriate, scold him and then take him to the box. Encourage him to take something out to play with and praise him when he does.

With that said, you will be doing yourself, your furniture and your new friend a huge favor by taking him to obedience training.

[Genetic Defect]

Originally Posted by SteveA

As I'm sure others have said, use apple bitter. Don't get the substitutes. I had a pointer that didn't like the substitute at first and then started enjoying it! Got apple bitter and if he saw me with the bottle he ran. Hated that stuff.

Also, have a box of chew toys somewhere that he has access to. Anytime he starts to chew something inappropriate, scold him and then take him to the box. Encourage him to take something out to play with and praise him when he does.

With that said, you will be doing yourself, your furniture and your new friend a huge favor by taking him to obedience training.

[AriesOpusX]

Bitter apple never worked for me the dog liked the crap!!

I agree with give them plenty of toys to chew, our new puppy never chewed anything he wasn't supposed to because we gave him his toys when it was play time and he got to chew them all to shreds.

[chibnkr]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Stuff works great.
Many, many years ago, used it for a yorkie that loved chewing up the dining table and chairs.
It worked.

Yeah, that's what my wife told me...bitter apple. FWIW, she is a veterinarian so she knows her stuff, LOL.

[Footbag]

I had a Chocolate lab. You can use bitter apple spray, but my suggestion would be to crate train the dog, and leave him in the crate when you are out. When you are around, if you see him chewing, scold him sternly and consistently. Chocolate labs are very smart dogs and he will be trained in a few weeks.
Rocky used to be able to open the front door of our house and close it after himself. I was also training him to open the fridge and bring me a beer, but once he learned to open the fridge, my reward wasn't enough to compensate for whatever was on the bottom shelf. Then we had to train him not to open the fridge.

[smitdavi]

Originally Posted by Footbag

I had a Chocolate lab. You can use bitter apple spray, but my suggestion would be to crate train the dog, and leave him in the crate when you are out. When you are around, if you see him chewing, scold him sternly and consistently. Chocolate labs are very smart dogs and he will be trained in a few weeks.
Rocky used to be able to open the front door of our house and close it after himself. I was also training him to open the fridge and bring me a beer, but once he learned to open the fridge, my reward wasn't enough to compensate for whatever was on the bottom shelf. Then we had to train him not to open the fridge.

Crate training is def the way we were thinking of going


Currently were just puppy proofing the house

[Genetic Defect]

Originally Posted by chibnkr

Yeah, that's what my wife told me...bitter apple. FWIW, she is a veterinarian so she knows her stuff, LOL.

she did marry you

[RGD.]

Another thumbs up on the Bitter Apple - but the way I found best to use it is this:

Take a rag and soak it with the Bitter Apple. Let the puppy smell it - and then pretty much just put it in his/her mouth. This way they will know that the smell goes with the taste - and will avoid it.

But as noted above - some dogs actually like it. My neighbors have a new Boston Terrier pup that goes around licking it off the furniture. Go figure.

Bitter Apple is safe for most all furniture finishes and fabrics with the exception of lacquer I have found. As with most liquids, lacquer tends to cloud slightly if you put enough on.

Best bet is the above and plenty of chew toys, bones and training crate as chewing is vital.


Ron

[smitdavi]

Picked up a few things last night: Leash, collar, food bowls...and got the crate from my parents. Will pick up some more stuff as we go along! Were leaving within the hour. Don't think were gonna bring him home tomorrow. Katie will be out of town all afternoon and evening and I'm having some friends over tonight. We'll probably pick it up and bring him home on Sunday when he can spend the entire day with US and not be in shock with all the people over and in the house.....but were REALLY excited