Hi guys I have a 6 month old male lab called pies and we are struggling so badly we don’t know what to do.. he’s the most amazing puppy he’s well trained in all areas bar he WILL NOT stop eating absolutely everything and anything on Wednesday he had to have emergency surgery because he managed to open the kitchen door get upstairs and eat some sharp plastic... We found out what we thought was our insurance was not and ended up costing us £3000 which we had to get on loan so we have no other funds for anything like this happening again. We are now fully covered bus his cover does not include the same kind of surgery again! We don’t know what to do we love him so so much he’s everything to us but we are so frightened.. even now after surgery he is still trying to eat anything he can get! He’s eaten one of the clips off his cone already we are in bits. Please I don’t need any judgment I am broken already but just some advice or help in what we do now? We now have a bolt on the kitchen so he can’t get out and we have made sure everything is double puppy proof downstairs where he lives. We are heart broken and We don’t want to lose our boy. How can we stop him eating and trying to swallow anything he finds inside or outside
I'm sorry you are going through this. Others will probably chime in and give you better advice, but I'll try. You seem like you are taking the right steps with proofing the house, but what else have you done so far to try to train him not to chew on things you don't want?? It takes repetition, repetition, repetition. Redirecting, Redirecting, Redirecting. It's not fun, but it needs to be done. If you're in the room with him, you're going to have to get up and redirect him every time he's chewing something you don't want him to chew. Redirect him to something you want him chewing on. As long as you continue to do this and watch him like a hawk when you are with him, the chewing will improve, and eventually stop. The more he chews something that he's not supposed to, the more he's going to think it's ok to do it, so this is something that needs to be monitored very closely and ensured it doesn't happen. My main suggestion if you can't be in the room with him is to crate train. That, or you can keep him in a pen of some sort. I don't know his situation with this type of training, but if he isn't crate trained, I would highly recommend to start trying it. This will be useful if you are not able to be in the room with him or if you have to leave the house for something. He should be put in his crate with a stuffed frozen kong that will keep him occupied. The more you do this, the more occupied he will be in chewing things that you actually want him to chew and he will start to realize what he can and cannot chew. But for now, with your current situation, the main priority should be to keep things away that he could get into. Also, work on some training inside the house and give him treats when he does things that you want him to do, whether it be tricks or just laying down by your feet being a good dog. Hope this helps.
Hi, I am so sorry for you and Pies, what a shock and worrying time for you. Our Isla is one for chewing and eating everything, it does improve with age and training, but for us at least, hasn't stopped completely yet. I agree with the advice given by budlight dilly dilly. It sounds like you are doing everything right, persevere and things will improve as Pies gets older. What about a muzzle for the times you can't watch Pies? Or could you crate him in areas that could be problematic. Please try not to get to stressed, Pies will improve as he matures. Good luck
Keeping a house lead on my pup Odin has helped. If he gets something I can just step on the leash to get it from him instead of him engaging me in a game of “catch me if you can”. For the times I have to take my attention away from him (make a phone call, put in laundry, go to the bathroom), I loop the end of the leash on a doorknob to restrict his movements.
Hello, what a financial and emotional worry. These dogs certainly do test us. I think 6/7 months is a real chewy phase. I don’t know if it’s a certain developmental teeth thingy but Meg was a real chewer until maybe about 1 , then just stopped. Now nearly 6 she has never damaged anything since. What saved us was supervision. She was never unsupervised in the house and being crate trained was the safest place for her. Hope you can ride the storm and things settle down quickly.
Cooper chewed up a few things, mostly wood, when she was a pup, but she is 99.9% reliable now. She does destroy plush toys, but does not eat them. She seems to understand that her toys are her's, and she doesn't chew up or destroy other things.
Hi...our old lab Jake, had emergency surgery when he was 2 from something similar so I know what you went through and it’s made me paranoid with our new puppy Arnie....honestly puppy proofing and crating or using a puppy pen is your best bet....also just being super vigilant with what is left out.....one final thing my old vet in the US actually taught me how to make them throw up when Jake once ate 15 packets of Halloween candy including the packet...that’s only helpful though when you know exactly what and when they’ve eaten and couldn’t be done with sharp plastic....
You are an intelligent person so I'm troubled about your remark that what you thought was insurance was, in fact, not insurance. If a company or representative misled you, can you complain to the regulator and perhaps get $$ refunded? If you have the downstairs safe and the problem area is the kitchen, could you visit a baby or kid or hardware store and see what they offer? I dimly recall using a childproof door knob cover that you had to squeeze in order to turn the knob. A baby store may have other items. Or you could install a bolt or a hook and eye? It's been my experience that chewing is worst at 6 mo but the need to chew may not be the same thing as eating inappropriate things. If you walk him in the street does he try to eat everything on the ground? A friend had a bull terrier who obsessively ate objects and after the 2nd (or 3rd?) surgery, she introduced a muzzle with the help of her trainer. The dog can play and even eat treats while wearing the muzzle. I think she mentioned this was a problem in the breed so perhaps there are online resources you could find and adapt for your sweet boy. For outdoors I might work very hard to train "leave it" The cone is important for his recovery so he doesn't lick his incision. Ring the vet and ask about a mild sedative as needed until he's done with the cone. Or ask for a different type of cone. You must be a wreck but try to be gentle on yourself: you did the correct things and going forward odds are great that you'll be able to manage Pies behavior.
That's sounds like my pup. Just act like you have a toddler and remove all dangers. Make sure she gets exercise. Also dog lick pads and snuffle mats keep them occupied.
I have a 9mo female and her chewing is finally slowing down. I still have a problem with wood, and acorns. Agreed that you have think of them as toddlers, I have to do a sweep of our back yard almost daily. Just when I think all is good, she comes around the corner with a twig in her mouth.
thank you everyone for all of your lovely replies! I have only just seen them and I’m so grateful! Pies is now fully recovered from his surgery and is doing much better! We’ve really worked on leave it and let go and He is thriving my clever boy! We are now fully insured up to 12 grand yearly with added extras it’s expensive monthly but I couldn’t live without this boy! When we are out he hardly picks up anything he shouldn’t! At home he’s been fantastic! We now have a bolt on the kitchen door that we use when we are not home and he still has all the kitchen to roam around and play in and we’ve had no More trouble! I was so emotional when I posted this post I felt like the worst dog muma in the world! But as a family we’ve come through it! With better understanding and for sure we are on it with the training! I just want to thank you all for your lovely words and your advice it means a lot! It’s hard work having a lab puppy but I’d do it all again in a heartbeat for my boy
So pleased Pies is recovered now. Well done for persevering with his training to leave or drop things. He looks so gorgeous and handsome in that phot
