Ugh. Repairing drywall is my new job!

Discussion in 'Labrador Behavior' started by Cooper'sMom, Feb 1, 2016.

  1. Cooper'sMom

    Cooper'sMom Registered Users

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    Cooper decided that today he should start chewing drywall! I was only out of sight for 10 minutes while I vacuumed the basement. When I came up, Cooper was lying quietly on his bed. Good boy...until I seen the hole in the wall. Can anybody give me any ideas on how to prevent this from happening again? He has plenty of chew toys to play with.
     
  2. kateincornwall

    kateincornwall Registered Users

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    Little tinker :) I think, for the more " adventurous " pups , they are best put into a crate or playpen when you aren't watching them , too many temptations around :)
     
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  3. snowbunny

    snowbunny Registered Users

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    Willow did this a few times when she was left for what she considered to be too long. So I went back to short separations and gradually built it up again. I agree that a crate or pen is a good idea in the beginning, though. Frozen kongs are good for keeping them occupied for a while, too. Mine aren't power chewers and a large frozen kong will take them about 30 minutes to finish.
     
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  4. MaccieD

    MaccieD Guest

    Have to agree the only way to prevent chewing when you're not there is using a crate
     
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  5. Cooper'sMom

    Cooper'sMom Registered Users

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    Thank you everyone! Crating it is! Whenever I leave the kitchen for longer than a minute, into the crate he goes! I popped into the next room to grab something quickly and he started back into that spot on the wall. He loves his kongs, and the frozen ones last about 20 minutes. Maybe I will invest in a few more.
     
  6. Tatti

    Tatti Registered Users

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    Hi There,
    Our hungry labrador pup also loves to eat walls. I really don't know why. I agree with the crating advice for when you leave the room but I can also tell you from practice that if you turn your back for even 10 seconds, those little teeth can cause some substantial damage.
    We ended up using a bitter Apple spray (you can find it on Amazon) - you have to keep applying it (daily) but it's the only thing that stops her chewing. We tried vinegar and lemon juice (separately) and she loved it- just started licking the wall rather than chewing it :) not what we were hoping for. We used the spray for a few weeks and she has pretty much stopped going to the wall for a snack now.
    Luckily for us, it's a wall we are planning to knock down anyway, maybe she just thought she'd do her bit to help out.
    Hope this helps :)
     
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  7. Emily

    Emily Registered Users

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    I don't see the problem, she stopped chewing it didn't she? ;)
     
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  8. Tatti

    Tatti Registered Users

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    Ha, I suppose you are right but her labrolick would have eroded the rest of the wall in no time. It takes her about 10 minutes to finish off a frozen kong. :)
     
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  9. Pilatelover

    Pilatelover Registered Users

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    I bought the bitter Apple spray and Mabel loved it. A Kong in the crate was definitely the answer. :)
     

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