Shes chewing EVERYTHING. Help!

niavd

We adopted a 2nd dog at the weekend. Shes a 7 month old lurcher X. She is already big enough as in tall weighing about 18kgs. She has settled in really well with our current dog and is an absolute sweetheart, so affectionate and good natured. BUT as soon as we leave the house she is so destructive. Every time I think I have removed everything out of her reach, I come back and she has found something else to chew and destroy. She has and never will be left for any longer than 4 hours a day and she has the company of our other dog but so far any time we leave her (even just to go upstairs for a few minutes) when we come back she has chewed up something else.
There are loads of toys around so its not like she hasn't got anything.
Please someone tell me this will end soon or eventually. I don't remember our current dog ever being this bad when he was a pup.

ShaShaBear

niavd wrote: »

We adopted a 2nd dog at the weekend. Shes a 7 month old lurcher X. She is already big enough as in tall weighing about 18kgs. She has settled in really well with our current dog and is an absolute sweetheart, so affectionate and good natured. BUT as soon as we leave the house she is so destructive. Every time I think I have removed everything out of her reach, I come back and she has found something else to chew and destroy. She has and never will be left for any longer than 4 hours a day and she has the company of our other dog but so far any time we leave her (even just to go upstairs for a few minutes) when we come back she has chewed up something else.
There are loads of toys around so its not like she hasn't got anything.
Please someone tell me this will end soon or eventually. I don't remember our current dog ever being this bad when he was a pup.

Sounds more like separation anxiety than typical puppy behaviour!

niavd

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Sounds more like separation anxiety than typical puppy behaviour!

Any idea on how I could help her get past this? I have never had a dog with separation anxiety before? I kind of just presumed that if she was there with my other dog then she would be ok and settle?!
She is a very chilled out dog in every other sense of the word but I know nothing about her background as we rescued her from a shelter so we only know everything that they have told us.

aonb

if the ONLY time she is chewing things is when she is LEFT on her own by you humans, then it could be seperation anxiety.
Im assuming her teeth were checked by the shelter folks as part of her health check? Have you asked the shelter if she was a chewer, or if she was showing signs of seperation anxiety?
If you leave the room, is she crying/scratching at the door etc, or does she go straight to chew-mode?
Chewing can be a sign of boredom also
Is she getting lots of exercise? Lurchers typically need a good run/blast of exercise
She is a puppy - she could be teething?
You only have her 3 days, you should get her teeth checked, get her a general vet check to ensure she is well/healthy. If she gets the all clear from him/her, you need to nip this habit in the bud quickly before its set in stone.
Some dogs have zero interest in toys - a nice raw bone or rawhide type would be better maybe
There are lots of threads on here about seperation anxiety and related topics.
I would talk to the rescue you got her from first. They might have access to a behaviourist if this is a behaviour issue

niavd

Hi aonb. To be totally honest I don't think it is separation anxiety because she doesn't cry or whinge when I go upstairs or leave etc and I left the 2 of them for an hour yesterday while I was out hovering the cars but kept looking in the window and she was fast asleep in her bed the whole time without a care in the world. Im thinking its more like boredom.
I had her checked over by our own vet on the way home after we collected her and also to get her stitches out from her spaying operation. Her teeth are perfect and the rescue said she was fine when with them and didnt show any worrying signs.

In saying all of this maybe she is just settling in, she was good as gold all last night and beside just a bit of fluff out of her bed there was nothing else damaged. But stupidly I left my handbag within reach of her when I left the house today for a few hours (I completely forgot where I had left it) and she tore it to pieces and all of its contents. My fault I know but still quite annoyed. I just put her outside afterwards and didn't give out because I didn't know if she would understand why I was giving out to her.

I cant give her rawhide bones as my current dog is a demon when he is near these and I don't want to give them any excuses to get into a fight.

Like you said we have only had her 5 days now, she is getting 2 walks a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon/evening. Im hoping once she gets used to our routine then she might grow out of it. Poor divil was dumped on the streets at a young age with her 3 brothers so she might take a while to settle in after being in a few different kennels.

tk123

OP can you maybe leave her a destruction box - like a cardboard with some treats inside or news papers etc? Basically something you don't mind her destroying as a short term solution until she has time to settle in and you can decide what's going. Recording them when you leave is handy too so you can see exactly what's going on - assuming she doesn't wreck the camera lol!

aonb

Poor dog, sounds like she is finding her feet all right - remember she is still a baby, settling in to another new place, just been spayed, new owners and another new dog to contend with - you will have to cut her a LOT of slack while she settles. Kudos to you for adopting a dog from a rescue, but also for having some patience with your new pet... GREAT news that its probably not sep.anxiety then - a really difficult problem to fix sometimes. Sensible of you not to introduce anything that might cause aggro with your older dog and the new arrival. While she settles in - it will take weeks - do lots of playing with her, give her some new boredom-busting time, like learning new commands, the walks are great. I would continue to leave her alone while you potter about - to get her used to you not being there.

I wish you all the very best of luck, and hope it continues to improve and she settles well. Keep her active - even small things like putting a bit of kibble in a bit of newspaper for her to have some fun shredding, hide a bit of kibble under a mat, and let her figure out how to get it out etc etc - all little things to bond with her, and get her used to being handled, and destressing.

Latatian

Get her a good-sized crate and a kong (or similar*) filled with peanut butter.

I've terriers and I don't believe in leaving terriers unsupervised together so they are always crated when they're at home alone. They are happy out, they hop straight into the crate as soon as I move anywhere near it in the hopes that they'll be given a few biscuits or a kong. It also stopped one dog's habit of growling at night- she seems to just feel safer in the crate.

I would get her checked out for separation anxiety etc- maybe leave her at home once or twice and record her before doing it, because if she has separation anxiety they can hurt their teeth if they chew frantically at the crate. And introduce it gradually, too. You can put her into the crate with a rawhide because it'll also keep out the other dog, teach her that it's a place where nice things happen.

She might very well know that you're not too far when you're outside hoovering the cars or upstairs (or not care when she's asleep!) but still freak out when you're gone entirely.

*You can get a purple thing called a 'busy buddy squirrel dude' that also does the job, or a jollypet rubber toy you can put food inside. It makes it more attractive than other things they can find to chew.

Cherry Blossom

My Sheltie destroys things but only very occasionally. I have always thought the reason was because he very rarely chewed anything as a pup so there wasn't really enough opportunity to teach him not to do it so he doesn't know it's bold. It could be something like that. Maybe she was just left outside to her own devices or there was nothing available to her to chew. If she only does it when you are not there she may have been given a slap for doing it so just learned to do it when no people are around. I think the chew box is a great idea, maybe give that a go. It could be hard to train her out of it if she will only do it when left alone.

borderlinemeath

I second the crate training route. Not only will it be a secure space, but it means you can give things like rawhides/meaty bones separately without the worry of resource guarding and fighting for food. It's also a safe space in the knowledge that she can't chew anything that can cause her internal damage, such as electric cables/chargers, foodstuffs that are dangerous or general household items. I know of a dog that needed surgery to remove a hard plastic hoover nozzle that he had eaten while confined in the utility room.

niavd

I have a kong already but havnt tried her with that yet. I might buy a 2nd one so I can give one to both dogs, don't want to leave my other poor little man out as its probably distressing for him too - although he seems to be taking it all in his stride fairly well.
The cardboard box and newspaper ideas are good but only if they aren't actually going to re-inforce this destructive behaviour? like giving old socks/ shoes etc and expecting her to know the difference between them and new ones. Might be a bit confusing?? if not then that would probably be a great idea. I have no problem picking up the mess after wards so long as she hasn't tried to destroy anything else in the process.

I have to give her credit aswel that she has only had 1 accident so far when she done a wee in the kitchen, other than that she has been so good and shes so adorable and good natured. She is smart too and already knows sit and lie down on command. Shes so fidgety they don't last long though haha

Latatian

Just to say- the reason the kong is good is because you can stuff it with food and make it more attractive than the other toys are.

But if your other dog is prone to fight it might be a better idea to have it only in the crate, not with both of them around the house or shut into a room. Might be safer to separate them with it.

niavd

I don't have a crate and to be honest id really rather not have to go out and buy one. Not that I don't agree with them, im sure theyre great but id just rather not have to use one, she is confined enough as it is with only having the kitchen and hall to walk around.
Roll on the days when she can have full run of the house like our current fella has had and we wont have to worry about her destroying everything

borderlinemeath

niavd wrote: »

I don't have a crate and to be honest id really rather not have to go out and buy one. Not that I don't agree with them, im sure theyre great but id just rather not have to use one, she is confined enough as it is with only having the kitchen and hall to walk around.
Roll on the days when she can have full run of the house like our current fella has had and we wont have to worry about her destroying everything

Dogs tend to do nothing other than snooze when their owners aren't around. As you said yourself after you saw her through the window, she was fast asleep! It's not really about confining them so they don't get any freedom, rather it's a way of keeping them safe when you can't be there to supervise - from each other if food is an issue, and from household items that could be dangerous if chewed and ingested.

Edited to add: I never had one with my first dog, barely knew what they were for! But I got one for my second dog and really saw the benefits of them.

Latatian

My view on this is that if a dog is safe to leave out, I don't bother with the crate- I didn't like them at all, before I used one. If your girl's safe to leave out, won't chew anything, you have managed to dog proof the area she's in so that's stopped happening, then there is no need for the crate so you're grand. It's an option to consider if this continues to be a problem- and it might help break the habit.

But for my terriers they are safer in the crate than without it. So if your dog continues chewing things have a look at her behaviour and weigh up the possible safety considerations vs how much confinement you want. I've been the one driving to the vet at midnight with a dog who's eaten something they shouldn't, so that's always a big factor with me. I took all of the food out of the kitchen- rearranged the whole thing. What did she do? She opened the cupboard and ate an entire box of Barry's tea, a packet of instant coffee, and some napkins. And some unidentifiable bits of plastic. So I'm a bit over-cautious about these things.

Could you confine the two in separate rooms, maybe shut her into the kitchen or hall or something? That way you could give her something more enticing to chew like rawhide or the kong, without having to worry about the other lad.

tk123

niavd wrote: »

I have a kong already but havnt tried her with that yet. I might buy a 2nd one so I can give one to both dogs, don't want to leave my other poor little man out as its probably distressing for him too - although he seems to be taking it all in his stride fairly well.
The cardboard box and newspaper ideas are good but only if they aren't actually going to re-inforce this destructive behaviour? like giving old socks/ shoes etc and expecting her to know the difference between them and new ones. Might be a bit confusing?? if not then that would probably be a great idea. I have no problem picking up the mess after wards so long as she hasn't tried to destroy anything else in the process.

I have to give her credit aswel that she has only had 1 accident so far when she done a wee in the kitchen, other than that she has been so good and shes so adorable and good natured. She is smart too and already knows sit and lie down on command. Shes so fidgety they don't last long though haha

With my two they know when I give them say a box it's theirs to rip up - they never rip up other boxes etc around the house. The only thing that ever gets ripped or shredded in the house would be the odd time somebody drops a tissue and Lucy comes across it! :P Outside Bailey pulls these weird red footballs out of the river that the kids in one of the schools must kick over the fence... they're like vinyl on the outside and sponge inside - he rips them to bits lol!!

DBB

Another thing to consider here, and it ties in somewhat with what adrenalinjunkie says above, the newbie may be engaging in "separation fun", rather than separation anxiety... that is, she wants to shred stuff, but she's psychologically inhibited from doing so in front of humans (possibly because of previous punishment), so waits until you're gone so that she can have her fun. I think it would be immensely helpful to record her whilst you're out, just to see what's going on and to get a feel for whether this is an anxiety issue, or a home alone issue!

I'm going to differ a little from others here... I think crates are great. But there's a time and a place for them. I don't think it's a good idea to crate a lurcher-sized dog for up to the 4 hours she's to be left alone, and I don't think it's a good plan to crate a dog that has suspected separation anxiety.
I far, far prefer playpens.. this sort of thing:
http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/rodents/runs_fencing/eight_sided_runs/outback/126789

They don't confine the dog to the point of distressing it, and they can be used to cordon off areas of a room, rather than containing the dog within it, if you see what I mean.
I'll be honest OP, I would be very slow indeed to leave two dogs alone together when they don't know each other too well at this early stage, and even if there was no problem with the new lady chewing stuff, because of your male's possible possessiveness, I'd be suggesting that you keep them physically, but not visually isolated for the next few weeks, until there is a better bond cemented between them. Leaving them alone with no barriers is risky. So a playpen would serve multiple functions.. at worst, I'd be dog-proofing a room for her to stay in, and dividing her from the neighbouring area where your own fella is with a baby gate.
It also means that you can utilise food-based interactive toys with both dogs whilst you're out, in the knowledge that there'll be no damage done. Trying to deal with separation issues without using food-based interactive toys is going to make your job a lot more difficult.

borderlinemeath

^^

What height is the tallest one though? I don't think I've met a whippet or a lurcher that doesn't have a decent spring to jump over a tall gate so it might render a playpen an expensive piece of agility equipment!

Reminds me of this, "try to keep Stella in the yard"...."damn it":D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNBfqLCJlXM

Boskowski

Could you just put the two of them out whenever you leave? Suitable kennels assumed and all that?

niavd

I will give her another week and if still no improvement then il consider getting a crate. I separated the two dogs yesterday evening for a while just to give them a break from each other and she cried loads for him. She has never been without another dog, she was found dumped with 3 of her brothers and until last Saturday has never been completely without them so its understandable that she feels she needs to be with another dog. I am going to start training classes with her next week on her own so I will mention it to the trainer if she is still being as destructive as she was.

I don't think there is anything dangerous that she could get hold of really. I have completely puppy proofed everything now - I think :-/ and thankfully she cant get into the cupboards but all food etc is in the higher ones anyway so even if she did I doubt she would have much interest in plates and cups haha.

I really appreciate all the replies and will definitely look into getting a crate if this persists.
Thank you.

borderlinemeath

niavd wrote: »

I will give her another week and if still no improvement then il consider getting a crate. I separated the two dogs yesterday evening for a while just to give them a break from each other and she cried loads for him. She has never been without another dog, she was found dumped with 3 of her brothers and until last Saturday has never been completely without them so its understandable that she feels she needs to be with another dog. I am going to start training classes with her next week on her own so I will mention it to the trainer if she is still being as destructive as she was.

I don't think there is anything dangerous that she could get hold of really. I have completely puppy proofed everything now - I think :-/ and thankfully she cant get into the cupboards but all food etc is in the higher ones anyway so even if she did I doubt she would have much interest in plates and cups haha.

I really appreciate all the replies and will definitely look into getting a crate if this persists.
Thank you.

You could put child locks on the lower cupboards to stop her nosying in them too. While not food, you never know what she may find chewable in the press under the kitchen sink - detergents, bleaches etc!

And I'd look at trying to have a little separate time where she's just with you, it's really beneficial for dogs to have the coping mechanism to be away from their littermates or new brothers and sisters. At some point she may have to overnight in the vets, or your other dog will, or even if only one goes to the groomers. If she was with her siblings until now, then she could have a bit of anxiety coping without them. It's why people aren't recommended to get 2 pups from the same litter, as they can bond to each other rather than their humans and have difficulty alone.

borderlinemeath

Boskowski wrote: »

Could you just put the two of them out whenever you leave? Suitable kennels assumed and all that?

It's not really safe to leave dogs in gardens anymore. And in particular Lurchers. They would really attract a particular type of thief:(

DBB

borderlinemeath wrote: »

^^

What height is the tallest one though? I don't think I've met a whippet or a lurcher that doesn't have a decent spring to jump over a tall gate so it might render a playpen an expensive piece of agility equipment!

Reminds me of this, "try to keep Stella in the yard"...."damn it":D

The one I've used for dozens of foster dogs is the tallest one... 91.5cm, which is about waist height. Giving a dog a running start at a jump as in that video is a very different prospect to what is a standing jump if the dog is kept in the playpen. Whilst it's certainly not impossible for a dog to spring out, I'd say the likelihood is about the same of a distressed dog chewing its way out of a crate... If they're distressed enough to escape, they're going to do what they have to do to get out. I'd rather an unharmed dog having cleared the playpen, than an injured dog having chewed/dug its way out of a crate, or a dog that has become extremely distressed by being locked into a very small space!
Assuming the op's dog hasn't been crated before, she's going to have to put in a fair bit of work to habituate the dog to a crate... Not necessary with a playpen.
Finally, the chances of a dog springing out of a playpen that is being used as a wall-to-wall fence to divide a room so that both dogs are together without being in physical contact are even smaller. Similarly, if the playpen is used to barricade off a section of room that's not dog-proofed, to keep the dog out (rather than to keep her in).
All of the above is why I prefer playpens. They're safer, they don't present a problem with claustrophobia, they don't require pre-training, and are less open to misuse (albeit inadvertent) from the owner... I would not be happy leaving a dog locked into a crate for 4 hours if I wasn't home, and they work really well

niavd

DBB wrote: »

They don't confine the dog to the point of distressing it, and they can be used to cordon off areas of a room, rather than containing the dog within it, if you see what I mean.
I'll be honest OP, I would be very slow indeed to leave two dogs alone together when they don't know each other too well at this early stage, and even if there was no problem with the new lady chewing stuff, because of your male's possible possessiveness, I'd be suggesting that you keep them physically, but not visually isolated for the next few weeks, until there is a better bond cemented between them. Leaving them alone with no barriers is risky. So a playpen would serve multiple functions.. at worst, I'd be dog-proofing a room for her to stay in, and dividing her from the neighbouring area where your own fella is with a baby gate.
It also means that you can utilise food-based interactive toys with both dogs whilst you're out, in the knowledge that there'll be no damage done. Trying to deal with separation issues without using food-based interactive toys is going to make your job a lot more difficult.

I don't think a playpen would be much use to her, she jumps and leaps around like a kangaroo half the time so I doubt that would keep her in AND her tummy is infected from the shabby operation that the kennels did when spaying her, last think I want is giving her any possibility of causing herself injury trying to get over it etc.

Also my other dog isn't food aggressive or possessive as such, its only with high valued chews like rawhide or bones - which is why we avoid giving him these type of treats. There is no need for them with us, he is quite content with other treats we give him.

I will hope to leave them outside for a couple of hours when the weather gets a bit better but at the moment I don't have a kennel, I got rid of ours because we never used it, so I would never leave them out unless the weather was good.

I have her booked into an obedience class for next week so that will be a bit of separation time and bonding for me and her.

Yesterday evening was the first time I let her off the lead while in an open space and she came back to me every time I called her, regardless of where my other dog was so she is learning constantly. I tried to post a picture but boards wouldn't let me because I havnt put up enough posts previously. Annoying.

DBB

niavd wrote: »

I don't think a playpen would be much use to her, she jumps and leaps around like a kangaroo half the time so I doubt that would keep her in AND her tummy is infected from the shabby operation that the kennels did when spaying her, last think I want is giving her any possibility of causing herself injury trying to get over it etc.

I was more suggesting you use it to keep her out than to keep her in. In any case, I've fostered many a jumpy large-breed dog, I've had one escapee from the playpen. I've also haddock escape from crates (uninjured).
Obviously it's up to you... As per my post above, just be careful about using a crate too. There are pros and cons to both. For me, having seen the damage dogs can do if they become distressed in a crate, I'd rather take the cons of the playpen.

Also my other dog isn't food aggressive or possessive as such, its only with high valued chews like rawhide or bones - which is why we avoid giving him these type of treats. There is no need for them with us, he is quite content with other treats we give him.

But my point was that you're wary of leaving food-based interactive toys (Kongs, chew toys, bones, other stuff that lures the dog to chew it because it's edible) for the female because your male might spark over them with her while you're out. Using a barrier between the dogs means that you can enjoy the benefits of leaving both dogs safely, but particularly the new dog, with chewy, edible stuff that reduces the chances of her chewing on your stuff.

borderlinemeath

Depending on the interaction with the dogs, it might not need to be a high value treat that could cause a row. A young exuberant pup with no social boundaries with food could really annoy your existing dog with food to the point that he might start becoming more guardy around it. It's something I would be really wary of with 2 new dogs, even if the existing dog had never shown any history of possessiveness.

borderlinemeath

DBB wrote: »

The one I've used for dozens of foster dogs is the tallest one... 91.5cm, which is about waist height.

I'm actually looking for a decent room divider for the human , who is becoming more mobile by the day. She rolled all the way over to the dog beds this morning looking for the dog toys! Coco has started giving her the ball in the hope she'll throw it.

https://youtu.be/A_cg77__gkQ

DBB

^ that's hilair
But... But... You're actually allowing your baby to touch a ball covered in dog drool? Would you not just... I dunno... Rehome the dog?!
I was in a house last year that had a fab baby playpen, a modular thing that they could add to to make it as big or small as they wanted, and sturdy as hell. They ended up taking the baby out of it and putting their new pups in!

niavd

^^^ hahaha that is sooo cute! Such a sweet dog.

tk123

I keep my two separated when I leave them because Lucy robs Bailey's treat and is delighted with herself while having nothing adds to his complaining... Anyways I left them for an hour this morning with my pop up barrier in place and Bailey confined to the sitting room (as he'll jump at the front door and set off the alarm if he's in the hall) - no way for him to push it down from the inside the way I positioned it - thought I was very clever. I come down the road to silence (OMG YES!!!)... but when I open the gate Bailey gives a bark from the hall?! Play back the video and after going through barking, crying, howling spells he had jumped up on the couch - again OMG this has never happened before - .. next Lucy is crying in the hall to come in to him/more likely his kong... then BANG - she pushed it down from the other side letting him out! ... And went straight for his kong haha! :pac:

borderlinemeath

DBB wrote: »

^ that's hilair
But... But... You're actually allowing your baby to touch a ball covered in dog drool? Would you not just... I dunno... Rehome the dog?!
I was in a house last year that had a fab baby playpen, a modular thing that they could add to to make it as big or small as they wanted, and sturdy as hell. They ended up taking the baby out of it and putting their new pups in!

That's why the soother is in, otherwise the ball goes straight in her mouth:o
I'm sure there's more germs on the remote control, which is her second favourite toy after the dog toys. She's got a great immune system though, her Daddy had glandular fever that lasted almost a month, with 2 lots of antibiotics and neither of us caught it from him.

I saw a few good ones on amazon, I absolutely will be repurposing once she's done with it!