Holly is 4.5 months and is coming along really nicely with training, is great in the crate, no anxiety on being left for short time... all in all she's great, but oh, the biting!! the biting and the incessant destructive chewing / tearing apart... I'm hoping the two are connected to teething and that the biting / chewing / destruction will cease once the teeth are all through .. but then I read somewhere that teething and biting are not connected. When she bites we separate her from us, when she tries to use us as a chew we gave frozen kings, frozen carrots, deer antler.. but it seems nothing is quite as attractive as the kitchen chairs (nearly chewed through the legs!! And likes the deterrent spray!!!)... any tips?
You are not alone! Biting is very common in Labrador puppies. When Holly bites you need to stop playing and ignore her so she doesn't get any reward for it. There's lots of advice on the main website. http://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppies-biting/ http://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppies-when-biting-gets-out-of-hand/ Chewing is different. Our Holly was a biter but never really got into chewing. Our last Lab, Cocoa, loved chewing when she was a puppy and junior but grew out of it (lino, shoes, furniture ... you name it she would try to chew it). This time we took active steps: 1. we got everything chewable out of her reach. 2. we left two old wooden stools out for Holly to chew. By the time she had chewed them apart she had outgrown chewing.
I was wondering whether to just give her an old chair to chew. We've moved everything that isn't a "fixture" but I can't get rid of all the furniture! She has a mountain of things which are hers, but the chair legs are a winner. I guess we'll donate a chair and hood she outgrows the chewing ..
I wouldn't - anything they love doing as pups they love doing as adults, and she won't know any difference between old chairs and new chairs. Far better to puppy proof your house.
