I have a really frustrating behaviour pattern that I don't seem to be able to resolve. Luna gnaws the underside of our kitchen table, or the handle of our kitchen cabinets, I presume, when she wants my attention and it's getting more and more frequent. A few things to note: She only does this when I'm around (either when I've just come home from work or when I'm sat working at the table not paying her any attention). This never happens with my other half or my step daughter. This isn't a new behaviour - it's just got to the point where I'm sick of it and want to sort it out. She'll do this even when we've redirected her to wooden things to chew on, so I don't think she has a need to chew. She's only really dragging her teeth along the table rather than actually chewing. I've never rewarded it and have always either walked out of the room, walked away from the table or I've said "go to your basket" and asked for a settle which I've then rewarded. I'm wondering though whether the latter has created a bit of a behaviour chain of "chew the table, get mums attention, get sent to my basket, get a treat" or "chew the table, get mums attention, mum gets up" I can't restrict her from the table because the table is in the kitchen diner, and the kitchen is the room she's always been restricted to, with the hallway & lounge being only for relaxing in the evening. Any ideas on how I've managed to perpetuate this behaviour, and any tips on how to extinguish it would be gratefully received. This feels very beyond my skill level Shout if I need to give you any more information.
Funnily (perhaps because they are similar in age?) Yalom has recently developed a version of this, which is pawing at the kitchen cupboards or fridge. I've also been walking away or re-directing and asking for a different behaviour. I'm interested to see what peoples' responses are.
I would learn her chewing preferences from that, and ensure that she has safe dog chews made from wood. Search for PetStages dog wood toys on Amazon and buy a few of those. Ensure they are lying around the areas she has decided to chew. Meanwhile, physically barricade off these areas if you can, using chairs or furniture.
Might be old school but is there anything wrong with using “Bitter Apple Spray?” Especially if it is specific pieces of furniture and not all wood.
We tried this when she was little and going through her chewing phase - she loved the taste and went back for more Thanks for the suggestion though.
We did this when she was going through her chewing phase last year, and wood is definitely her preference so we bought them in bulk But on this occasion she's not really chewing in the same way - it's more of a frustration chew. She has the option of ancoroot, coffee wood chews etc on the floor under the table which would be far more enjoyable to chew but she ignores them. In terms of barricading, she'll direct this onto the chairs if we use those to barricade - as long as she's making the gnawing noise with her mouth. Sectioning the table off really isn't an option in the space that we've got, so I'm just popping her in her crate when she does it now. Just curious if there's another way to verbally direct her elsewhere without it being read as "attention" by her highness.
Unfortunately, once dogs have found a 'thing' or piece of furniture they love to chew, it is really really hard to stop them without using prevention, barricading stuff off or removing dog from the area - for a prolonged and extended period of time, in the hope that they forget about it when they are finally allowed back into contact with it again. It is a habit... It's one reason why it's important to watch puppies and young dogs like a hawk, and *immediately* distract when they ever first put their jaws around something they're not supposed to - so they never learn to do this. I think your crate or removing from area idea is the best for you now.
