Dogs eating furniture

knipex

We recently rescued two dogs (a female English Mastiff around 5 or 6 a male Husky cross that we think is around 3...) and to date they have been great. A few bad habits that we had to or are dealing with but they are great, great with the kids, great with us and part of the family.

Except.

They are destroying our Kitchen furniture. They eat chair's and to a lesser extent the table..

I have spent weeks watching them and as soon as they tried to nibble the furniture I stop them substituted something else. Now they wont touch the furniture during the day but at night they sleep in the kitchen and in the morning its sweep up the bits of wood. Its gotten so bad we had to dump a chair as they had virtually eaten through one of the legs and if this keeps up two more will have to follow..

I give them plenty of exercise, they have loads of toys, ropes, knotted ropes, chew toys. At night I have even tried giving them each a kong stuffed with peanut butter or wet dog food and some dog biscuits.

They love that but still chew the furniture. I have tried multiple anti chew sprays, coated stuff in pepper and even Cayenne pepper (which they now lick from my fingers) but no luck..

My wife is starting to loose all sense of humor about this and is starting to demand that the dogs sleep outside (in a kennel or perhaps a shed)..

We had considered the utility but we keep their food, boots, brushes, mops etc out there so that is a disaster waiting to happen.. (when we first got them they constantly took clothing, shoes, brushes etc but we have stopped that and if I leave them in the utility that will all start again.)

The other thing I have noticed is that they seen to have a fascination with chewing wood. Even when they are outside they will find sticks or even firewood logs to chew. No matter how well we keep the garden clean or collect the wood they will find some. (we have trees over hanging our garden that are constantly dropping twigs or bits of branches and one of them even dug up a stump of a small ash tree I cut down a few years go to chew.. They will happily ignore their chew toys and to chew a dirty old branch or the tree stump..

I really don't want to put them outside at night, especially as the weather is getting colder but we need kitchen chairs..

I don't think its a dietary issue, they are fed with Royal Canin and from time to time they get meat ( beef heart, liver, chicken or kidneys) and sometimes fish. (normally with Rice, potato, parsley, carrot etc). We also add a little cod liver oil to their feed.


Edit title should read "Dogs eating furniture" but cannot change it now..
Mod edit: that's fixed for you now OP ;-)

Nody

My first reaction would be that you need a dog behavurist (sp) to visit you; there are a few people here that can give you good suggestions of loca once if you give the general area where you live.

Gran Hermano

Crate them overnight?

Toulouse

Crate training, there's loads of past topics on here about it if you do a search.

cocker5

OP...

Buy some crib halt.... paint it on your wood (its clear) and you furniture indoors.... it will help with the chewing alot

http://www.triequestrian.ie/tri-equestrian-product-categories/for-the-horse?page=shop.product_details&flypage=youjoomla.tpl&product_id=1844&category_id=95

BTW OP change to Cod liver oil, its not good for dogs, try salmon oil for dogs you can get it on www.zooplus.ie

nemo32

cocker5 wrote: »

OP...

Buy some crib halt.... paint it on your wood (its clear) and you furniture indoors.... it will help with the chewing alot

http://www.triequestrian.i/tri-equestrian-product-categories/for-the-horse?page=shop.product_details&flypage=youjoomla.tpl&product_id=1844&category_id=95

BTW OP change to Cod liver oil, its not good for dogs, try salmon oil for dogs you can get it on www.zooplus.ie

This worked for our dog who ate his way through his first kennel. Best of luck :-)

sillysmiles

Are they the same with the kitchen cabinets? Or other furniture? If they don't eat the doors of cabinets, could the not sleep in the utility or another room?

knipex

sillysmiles wrote: »

Are they the same with the kitchen cabinets? Or other furniture? If they don't eat the doors of cabinets, could the not sleep in the utility or another room?

They will eat pretty much anything that made of wood including skirting and cabinets but the chairs are their favorite.

I had considered the utility but that is where we store shoes, boots, brushs, mops etc and that is a disaster waiting to happen.

As I said they have loads of chew toys but ignore them except to play fetch. The only exception was a rubber "wooden log" that the local pet store gave us free which they destroyed in 15 minutes..

They will chew the Kong as long as there is food in it but the second its empty back to the furniture..

I bought two Durabones for them today but they ignored them....

I am actually considering bringing in two ash logs (firewood) and see if they will chew them instead...

Stheno

knipex wrote: »

They will eat pretty much anything that made of wood including skirting and cabinets but the chairs are their favorite.

I had considered the utility but that is where we store shoes, boots, brushs, mops etc and that is a disaster waiting to happen.

As I said they have loads of chew toys but ignore them except to play fetch. The only exception was a rubber "wooden log" that the local pet store gave us free which they destroyed in 15 minutes..

They will chew the Kong as long as there is food in it but the second its empty back to the furniture..

I bought two Durabones for them today but they ignored them....

I am actually considering bringing in two ash logs (firewood) and see if they will chew them instead...

I'm having visions of mounds of sawdust greeting you each morning.

Could you remove the wooden furniture for a time, or do you suspect you would then have no skirting/doors?

Crating is also a good option, You'd need two decent sized crates though which may take up a lot of room.

knipex

cocker5 wrote: »

OP...

Buy some crib halt.... paint it on your wood (its clear) and you furniture indoors.... it will help with the chewing alot

http://www.triequestrian.ie/tri-equestrian-product-categories/for-the-horse?page=shop.product_details&flypage=youjoomla.tpl&product_id=1844&category_id=95

BTW OP change to Cod liver oil, its not good for dogs, try salmon oil for dogs you can get it on www.zooplus.ie

I was always told cod liver oil was great for dogs !! Salmon oil is available in pretty much all the pet stores I have been into so thanks for the tip.

I will try the Crib Halt and see if it works..

tk123

knipex wrote: »

I bought two Durabones for them today but they ignored them....

Try skuffing up the edges of them and rub in something like peanut butter/marmite etc to get them interested. You can can stick shaped nylabones btw :pac:

aonb

Did these two dogs come from the same previous home?

Just FYI, some woods are 'poison' to dogs - chewing raw wood in the garden I mean - apart from Laurel, Laburnum and Yew, I cant remember which other ones offhand but there is a list you can google.
Its also dangerous for dogs to chew wood in case they get splinters in their mouths or ingest them.

Hope the Crib Halt works (stops horses crib biting). Sounds like a total habit - the crate should help - Im sure the crate-experts will reply to you soon with advise.My dogs sleep in the family room which is open plan to the kitchen, we've put an adapted baby-fire-guard type contraption up to stop them getting to the kitchen door where they scratch to get us to come and let them down to our bedroom.

DBB

I'd suggest a large puppy playpen instead of crates. They're more spacious, not as claustrophobic for dogs who are worried about confinement, there's room for both dogs, beds, water bowls, and loooaaadddsss of appropriate chew toys. And, like crates, but even easier, it'll fold flat and store away easily when you don't need it.
Here's the type I mean so you can envisage it: I have an extra-tall one which easily and effectively contained my large GSD when she went through a chewy phase as a youngster.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B007ML9WL8/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1381787659&sr=1-7&pi=AC_SX110_SY165


On the chewy stuff front, stuffed kongs are great, but you may need a few of them, and possibly need to make them harder to empty, but still yum. Look up http://kongcompany.com for recipe ideas :-D
You'll also find a range of harder and longer-lasting dried meat chews on sites like http://www.zooplus.ie, including bull's pizzles, and other goodies.
I wouldn't allow them to eat wood "on purpose" (like throwing a tree branch in with them!) because as has been mentioned, splinters can do damage, not just in the mouth but further down the digestive tract.

Just have it in the back if your mind that excessive chewing and eating non-food items can be a sign of an underlying health problem, and whilst I'm not suggesting that both dogs have a problem, it's possible that one might, whilst the other has learned to copy him/her. It might do no harm to have them fully checked out.

amazingemmet

When I was fostering dogs and puppies this was quite common and quick fix was a couple of drops of oil of wintergreen in a spray bottle of water and giving the furniture a light spray. They'll try it once then stop. Very effective.

knipex

aonb wrote: »

Did these two dogs come from the same previous home?

Different homes (one was taken from a pound and the other was found severely underweight in an old house about 150 miles away) but they were kenneled together in the rescue center for about 6 months.

aonb wrote: »

Just FYI, some woods are 'poison' to dogs - chewing raw wood in the garden I mean - apart from Laurel, Laburnum and Yew, I cant remember which other ones offhand but there is a list you can google.

Thanks for the heads up but I was aware of that. My garden has ash, white thorn and some pine. We did have some yew but that was taken out before we got the dogs and I will not plant a laurel hedge for that very reason.. I found out the hard way many years ago and try to keep my garden dog friendly..

aonb wrote: »

Its also dangerous for dogs to chew wood in case they get splinters in their mouths or ingest them.

That was my original big fear but I have been watching them carefully and they don't swallow. They chew and break up the wood and spit it out.. Its purely habit and a bad habit..

I got two dogs on purpose.. We cannot be home with them all the time and they keep one another company, exercise one another (they spend hours wrestling, playing tug of war, chasing one another). These two were very well socialised and had their pack relationship in place.. I exercise them both, they love to chase balls or pretty much anything that you want to play with, they will play tug of war all day. I walk them as often as I can (at least 10 miles a week), they have kids to play with, lots of toys and spend as much time in the house as they like (when we are home)..

They are both house trained and are reasonably well lead trained (they tend to pull when excited) and outside of the furniture eating and pretty good. (they had big problems with stealing food but we have pretty much stopped that but they (especially the Husky cross) tend to beg a lot...

Their recall isn't great. (Mastiff is pretty good but not 100% and the Husky cross has poor recall) so letting them run free in a park or field is out of the question.. BUT I do give them a run on a long lead..

To be honest I don't like my dogs over trained, As long as they are lead trained, sociable with people and other dogs, well behaved on a lead (calm, will sit and stay etc.) are good with the kids, don't steal food, jump up on everyone and are house trained I am happy..

Its been alot of work but we are 90% there and if I could deal with the furniture eating I would be very happy.. They are great dogs, great personalities, zero aggression, loyal, playful, independent, stubborn, pig headed but everyone I meet when out walking loves them... Some of the kids round here watch for them and come out to meet them when we are out for a walk...

knipex

DBB wrote: »

I'd suggest a large puppy playpen instead of crates. They're more spacious, not as claustrophobic for dogs who are worried about confinement, there's room for both dogs, beds, water bowls, and loooaaadddsss of appropriate chew toys. And, like crates, but even easier, it'll fold flat and store away easily when you don't need it.
Here's the type I mean so you can envisage it: I have an extra-tall one which easily and effectively contained my large GSD when she went through a chewy phase as a youngster.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B007ML9WL8/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1381787659&sr=1-7&pi=AC_SX110_SY165

Just have it in the back if your mind that excessive chewing and eating non-food items can be a sign of an underlying health problem, and whilst I'm not suggesting that both dogs have a problem, it's possible that one might, whilst the other has learned to copy him/her. It might do no harm to have them fully checked out.

The playpen idea is a good one and some thing I will look at if the crib halt does not work..

One for the first things I looked at was a potential health issue and they both got the all clear from the vets..

knipex

tk123 wrote: »

Try skuffing up the edges of them and rub in something like peanut butter/marmite etc to get them interested. You can can stick shaped nylabones btw :pac:

I have tried that. Roughed up the edges as best I could and coated them with peanut butter... Licked off the peanut butter and that's it. They do play with them (who can keep both) but so far are not chewing them..

They don't seem to have an interest in chewing anything that does not break up as a result.

Last night we had a breakthrough with no chewing.. Out of desperation (and a heads up from an old neighbour) I smeared Vics vaporub on the chair legs and it worked (although the smell in the room means its not a long term solution) and I saw some teeth marks (not many) on one of the durabones..

Will apply the crib-halt today (after I wash off the vaporub) and report back tomorrow..

(for the record its not sawdust I am presented with but about little chips and splinters covered in drool.. on a bad morning I could have a dustpan full)

aonb

knipex wrote: »

Different homes (one was taken from a pound and the other was found severely underweight in an old house about 150 miles away) but they were kenneled together in the rescue center for about 6 months.




Thanks for the heads up but I was aware of that. My garden has ash, white thorn and some pine. We did have some yew but that was taken out before we got the dogs and I will not plant a laurel hedge for that very reason.. I found out the hard way many years ago and try to keep my garden dog friendly..




That was my original big fear but I have been watching them carefully and they don't swallow. They chew and break up the wood and spit it out.. Its purely habit and a bad habit..

I got two dogs on purpose.. We cannot be home with them all the time and they keep one another company, exercise one another (they spend hours wrestling, playing tug of war, chasing one another). These two were very well socialised and had their pack relationship in place.. I exercise them both, they love to chase balls or pretty much anything that you want to play with, they will play tug of war all day. I walk them as often as I can (at least 10 miles a week), they have kids to play with, lots of toys and spend as much time in the house as they like (when we are home)..

They are both house trained and are reasonably well lead trained (they tend to pull when excited) and outside of the furniture eating and pretty good. (they had big problems with stealing food but we have pretty much stopped that but they (especially the Husky cross) tend to beg a lot...

Their recall isn't great. (Mastiff is pretty good but not 100% and the Husky cross has poor recall) so letting them run free in a park or field is out of the question.. BUT I do give them a run on a long lead..

To be honest I don't like my dogs over trained, As long as they are lead trained, sociable with people and other dogs, well behaved on a lead (calm, will sit and stay etc.) are good with the kids, don't steal food, jump up on everyone and are house trained I am happy..

Its been alot of work but we are 90% there and if I could deal with the furniture eating I would be very happy.. They are great dogs, great personalities, zero aggression, loyal, playful, independent, stubborn, pig headed but everyone I meet when out walking loves them... Some of the kids round here watch for them and come out to meet them when we are out for a walk...

OP, sounds like these two dogs were VERY lucky to be rescued by you and your family. I hope the CribHalt works (since as you say its the 'only' major problem left!) - let us know how you get on - fingers crossed for you all

tk123

knipex wrote: »

I have tried that. Roughed up the edges as best I could and coated them with peanut butter... Licked off the peanut butter and that's it. They do play with them (who can keep both) but so far are not chewing them..

They don't seem to have an interest in chewing anything that does not break up as a result.

Last night we had a breakthrough with no chewing.. Out of desperation (and a heads up from an old neighbour) I smeared Vics vaporub on the chair legs and it worked (although the smell in the room means its not a long term solution) and I saw some teeth marks (not many) on one of the durabones..

My dog would be the same - he'll start off a bit slow then all of a sudden go mad chewing them lol! :pac::pac:
I was going to suggest antlers but if you get the wrong size the dogs could end up chipping their teeth. Maybe the easy chew ones here might be an option to try the dogs out with them because the 'marrow' will break off as their chew.
My own dog loves a good chew of a stick - puppy is copying him but where he shreds it all up she eats it! :rolleyes:

knipex

Thank you Aonb

It appears the Crib Halt is a success. I noticed one fo the dogs give a chair leg a sniff after they came after a few confused looks and a couple of more sniffs he gave it a lick and the result was (to be honest) very funny.. Lots of confused looks, followed by dirty looks, lots of water and some very ungentlemanly behavior..

Woke up this morning and not a splinter to be seen (and the Durabones untouched despite soaking in a beef broth for 4 hours..).

Those antlers look ideal.. I had looked at the normal ones but they just looked a little hard.. I may try out the easy chew and see how they get on..

If this keeps up the my wifes sense of humor will return and all the other minor problems will become less of an issue..

(FYI if that crib halt gets on your fingers its not easy to wash off and it tastes nasty... )

DBB

Just to warn you of my experience with the antlers, and this refers to the complete chunks rather than the easy chew ones, my dog's teeth are destroyed by them, so much so that she's going to need specialised dental repair treatment. She's not a hard chewer either, and I rue the day I bought those antlers.

RubyGirl

Vick's vapor rub is great aswell. Rub a bit onto anywhere u dont want chewed.

the_wee_eejit

I'm glad to hear the paste is working as a temporary measure. Just some thoughts on the subject for the long-term (though it sounds as though you have well-socialised dogs).

Chewing/nibbling things such as wood can indicate 2 things; 1.anxiety and 2.deficient in diet nutrients.
As you have already mentioned the dogs have alternative chews but ignore them I would look at option 2 (diet deficiency). Google 'PICA' for an idea of what i'm talking about. You didn't say what they eat but it may be worth looking at for long-term benefits and an end to wood eating. (I'm hoping you don't feed kibble, it's the worst possible diet any dog can have). Raw is best.

I agree with another poster re:antlers. Dogs love them but they are so brick hard they can crack teeth easily.

I would also urge you to get those dogs on an off leash run for at least an hour daily - especially the husky cross! This breed was born to run and you will reap the benefits in any anxiety issues by doing this.
I know you worry about the recall of your dogs but why not work on it? Ignoring it will only mean your dogs have a life without ever running free and playing with other dogs which is very sad. If you have a good bond with your dogs then recall is natural to them anyway so its no big deal, trust your dogs and go have some fun!

Have a look at their diet, the wood eating could be as simple as making a change or addition of some nutrients. Good luck, sounds like you have lovely dogs and are dedicated to their welfare which is always nice to hear.

muddypaws

the_wee_eejit wrote: »

I would also urge you to get those dogs on an off leash run for at least an hour daily - especially the husky cross! This breed was born to run and you will reap the benefits in any anxiety issues by doing this.
I know you worry about the recall of your dogs but why not work on it? Ignoring it will only mean your dogs have a life without ever running free and playing with other dogs which is very sad. If you have a good bond with your dogs then recall is natural to them anyway so its no big deal, trust your dogs and go have some fun!

yep, huskies were born to run, in harness not run free. They were turned loose in the summer to fend for themselves, so have a very high prey drive and not one single husky breed club or welfare organisation in the world recommends letting them run free in an unenclosed area. Please do some research before you give out advice like this.

the_wee_eejit

muddypaws wrote: »

yep, huskies were born to run, in harness not run free. They were turned loose in the summer to fend for themselves, so have a very high prey drive and not one single husky breed club or welfare organisation in the world recommends letting them run free in an unenclosed area. Please do some research before you give out advice like this.

I'm a professional dog walker and have 2 husky's and 1 malamute which I walk ALL OFF LEASH So yes, I have not only done my research but actual deal with it on a daily basis.
I am so sick and tired of people insisting these breeds should not run free ever! Proof is in the pudding! Mine all have excellent recall and run free and interact with my pack with no issues whatsoever. I guess its down to training and a good handler eh? Oh and incidentally, I am also friends with our local husky running club - most are trained to run with the harness but many of the members also run their dogs off leash with no problems.

I wouldn't dish out advice as you so put it if i didn't have experience in the matter!!

knipex

the_wee_eejit wrote: »

I'm a professional dog walker and have 2 husky's and 1 malamute which I walk ALL OFF LEASH So yes, I have not only done my research but actual deal with it on a daily basis.
I am so sick and tired of people insisting these breeds should not run free ever! Proof is in the pudding! Mine all have excellent recall and run free and interact with my pack with no issues whatsoever. I guess its down to training and a good handler eh? Oh and incidentally, I am also friends with our local husky running club - most are trained to run with the harness but many of the members also run their dogs off leash with no problems.

I wouldn't dish out advice as you so put it if i didn't have experience in the matter!!

I live in a rural area with an acre of secure fenced in garden. The have complete free run there which they both use. The area is also full of rabbits and I guarantee you that if he sees a rabbit no matter what I say or do he is gone..

Neighbours have chickens, hens and ducks, we are surrounded by cattle and horses (which dont actually bother him). I have never met a breeder, trainer or dog behaviourist that would recomend free running a husky in an area like this. One small running animal and there is a strong possibilty they are gone. Their prey instinct is too strong to trust them. I love my dogs too much to risk them..

While I am a fan of the raw diet saying kibble is the worst thing you could feed a dog is complete and utter nonsense.. There are loads of worse things fed to dogs every day than a decent kibble diet.. I beleive raw is better than kibble but would never condem anyone that feeds their dog kibble.. I did so for many years and even these dogs get kibble on occasion.

I have a daughter that sucks her thumb. Thats not because of a dietary issue. It started as a comfort thing and is now a bad habbit. A habit that we will break in time..

The chewing issue is the exact same. These dogs were poorly treated. One spent almost the first 2 years of their life locked in a shed on their own and starved.. The other one we dont know the history of but was found in a pound very underweight and traumatised. I would be more amazed if they didnt have comforting based habits...

muddypaws

the_wee_eejit wrote: »

I'm a professional dog walker and have 2 husky's and 1 malamute which I walk ALL OFF LEASH So yes, I have not only done my research but actual deal with it on a daily basis.
I am so sick and tired of people insisting these breeds should not run free ever! Proof is in the pudding! Mine all have excellent recall and run free and interact with my pack with no issues whatsoever. I guess its down to training and a good handler eh? Oh and incidentally, I am also friends with our local husky running club - most are trained to run with the harness but many of the members also run their dogs off leash with no problems.

I wouldn't dish out advice as you so put it if i didn't have experience in the matter!!

I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you as to who knows more about the northern breeds, but guess what, I run my dogs in harness in Ireland and abroad, and no, there is not one single reputable club that advocates huskies off leash. If you live in Ireland I'd love to know which 'husky running club' you are friends with, as neither of the 3 clubs at present on the island advocate that.

I am sick to death of that accusation, that if sibe owners don't let their dog run free, that its down to training and the handler. My dogs turn right and left on a single word, stop and go, speed up and slow down, they are also trained to recall, and obedience, some even do agility, but I guess I'm just lazy and a crap handler. I prefer to think of it as knowing and understanding the breed and not being willing to take a risk with their lives.

Thankfully the OP has the lives of her/his dogs and the local livestock as their priority, and has done the research and is keeping all of the animals safe.

the_wee_eejit

muddypaws wrote: »

I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you as to who knows more about the northern breeds, but guess what, I run my dogs in harness in Ireland and abroad, and no, there is not one single reputable club that advocates huskies off leash. If you live in Ireland I'd love to know which 'husky running club' you are friends with, as neither of the 3 clubs at present on the island advocate that.

I am sick to death of that accusation, that if sibe owners don't let their dog run free, that its down to training and the handler. My dogs turn right and left on a single word, stop and go, speed up and slow down, they are also trained to recall, and obedience, some even do agility, but I guess I'm just lazy and a crap handler. I prefer to think of it as knowing and understanding the breed and not being willing to take a risk with their lives.

Thankfully the OP has the lives of her/his dogs and the local livestock as their priority, and has done the research and is keeping all of the animals safe.

I totally agree with you that any prey driven dog off leash has to be done responsibly and away from livestock (ducks etc) Jeezo I never said anything to the contrary and certainly don't let mine near wildlife or livestock either!!!! All I was saying was that it IS possible if that's the way you want to go.

I'm in Scotland to answer your question, not that it should matter where I am. The clubs here, like you, run all over Europe, and like you, have exceptionally well trained dogs that are never allowed off-leash. It takes a lot of dedication and training and i admire that. In fact I was at a huge rally today and watched lots of teams of huskys pulling carts. It's such a buzz to see and know that the dogs are having a great life!
There is a huge difference however between these working dogs and pets (not a difference in the dogs traits but a huge difference in their circumstance, working dogs get to run, family pets tend not to be so lucky!) The dogs i personally walk are family pets and from what i could gather, the OP's dog is a cross husky kept as a pet. With that in mind, I was merely suggesting that the dog may reap the benefits with any anxiety issues by getting a good run off-leash if possible and not to shy away from working at that goal just because it has a bit of husky in it.

I think that's a real shame for such a breed born to run hence my eagerness to say it IS possible under the right circumstances.

We do have 2 other clubs here for 'family pet' huskies ie: beginners who are taught to run with the dog in harness. That's a great way for pet husky owners to get their dogs on a run so if you have something like that in ireland i would encourage the OP giving it a go! I only have the dogs interest at heart so please take my posts as such. I wish the OP well with his dogs issues and hope it works out good for him in the end.

muddypaws

I know people who ran at Whitelee today, unless you mean The Quest Lite, which was also held this weekend, and like me, their huskies are pets who sleep in their homes, and just happen to work in harness, as do members of SDAS, SSHC, Scottish Sled Dog Society, and the people that run with Lyndsay and Cani-fit. There are 3 clubs in Ireland promoting working dogs in harness, and again, these dogs are family pets who happen to be worked as a hobby for the most part.

I agree that if the OP could get the husky cross out working in harness it would be the best way to appropriately exercise the dog, be that on a scooter, bike or canicross, there are small canicross clubs around Ireland.

the_wee_eejit

muddypaws wrote: »

I know people who ran at Whitelee today, unless you mean The Quest Lite, which was also held this weekend, and like me, their huskies are pets who sleep in their homes, and just happen to work in harness, as do members of SDAS, SSHC, Scottish Sled Dog Society, and the people that run with Lyndsay and Cani-fit. There are 3 clubs in Ireland promoting working dogs in harness, and again, these dogs are family pets who happen to be worked as a hobby for the most part.

I agree that if the OP could get the husky cross out working in harness it would be the best way to appropriately exercise the dog, be that on a scooter, bike or canicross, there are small canicross clubs around Ireland.

Yes it was at Whitelee! I'm pretty sure it was the SSHC, they were there yesterday as well. It was a fantastic sight to see despite the pissin rain, i don't think i have ever seen so many huskies in my life! So glad to hear they have canicross available in ireland too, it's ideal for dogs that cant get off leash normally and as far as i am aware other breeds are also welcome which is great!

boomerang

Back to the original focus of the thread -

Knipex, the Whole Dog Journal is a really good publication. You might find their e-book on managing destructive chewing helpful:

https://secure.whole-dog-journal.com/subscribe/main.html?s=FB_totw102213#ebooks