Hi all, Our chunky little ollie is 6 months old now and up until now, we have been lucky enough to have avoided any major chewing disasters. We have been keeping him busy with other things and diverting his attention to things he can bite on such as cardboard boxes which is his fave. When we leave him alone, we confine him in the kitchen where his cage is and leave him with a kong or some kind of tasty treat..to the point where he now actually sits by the kitchen waiting for you to go out so he can get in there. No probs with it at all. However, yesterday, we left him alone for a couple of hours and arrived home to a kitchen that looked like a tiger had been at it! The lino was pulled up and completely ripped to shreads and the cooker had moved..it generally just looked like a bomb site. Now, my sensible side says hes just being a puppy and I should expect it but mum and I cant help but worry we are doing something wrong or maybe he is upset or bored?! Any advice or words of wisdom would be greatly received! Im worried what ill be going home to today :-\
Re: Teenage dirtbag? oh heavens!! We got off lightly with a bit of a chew at the skirting boards which we put tabasco sauce on and that was that. I think I'd be going back a step and confining him to a crate so that he just settles down and sleeps while you're out.
Re: Teenage dirtbag? [quote author=bbrown link=topic=4338.msg52407#msg52407 date=1391604289] oh heavens!! We got off lightly with a bit of a chew at the skirting boards which we put tabasco sauce on and that was that. I think I'd be going back a step and confining him to a crate so that he just settles down and sleeps while you're out. [/quote] I have to say, we have got off very lightly up until now but it was just really out of character for him which is why we were worried :-\ Normally, he eats his treat when we are out and will sleep in his crate the whole time with no noise at all and no destruction. Im hoping its just a one off moment of madness! *touches wood*
Re: Teenage dirtbag? Our last lab - Cocoa - did the same the first time we left her alone. She tore a huge chunk out of the lino and ripped it to pieces. We'd only laid the lino a few weeks before we got her! Don't you just love Labs
Re: Teenage dirtbag? Its pretty hard not to love them..I have to say, ripped lino and all! He was pretty sheepish lastnight and perfectly behaved as though he knew what he had done and the very thin ice he was walking on LOL : Come to think of it..maybe it was just his belly full of lino that was playing him up ???
Re: Teenage dirtbag? The only thing that you are doing wrong is not confining him to the crate when you go out! At 6 Months old he has not finished teething so anything is game. I am sure we restricted our dogs to the crate up to about 12 -15 months? We had a new kitchen and were taking no chances. Its suprising what damage they can do in a short span of time. And if you restrict his access to things that you cherish, he will not get into trouble and be happier for it (no telling off). If they chew something you do not want them to, its your fault for allowing access to it LOL.
Re: Teenage dirtbag? [quote author=Indy link=topic=4338.msg52424#msg52424 date=1391606786] If they chew something you do not want them to, its your fault for allowing access to it LOL. [/quote] So if we do something wrong its our fault. If they do something wrong, its also our fault! Being a Lab is not a bad life!
Re: Teenage dirtbag? We are nowhere near that stage yet with Mella but we already leave her alone for the odd hour or so, and she just curls up in her bed and sleeps. She's only nine weeks but is just sooooo good! I guess as she best older she won't sleep so much but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
