# She ate a hole in the carpet



## Davinator (Jan 23, 2008)

Yes, my wonderful little 13 month girl just ate a huge hole that's a little larger than a tennis ball, and all the way to the concrete, in my carpet. Whenever I leave her alone out of the crate, she ends up eating or chewing up something. This was by far the worst she's accomplished so far, and scariest because I know this type of eating can easily kill her.

I'm wondering how on earth I can nip this behavior away immediately, and fix whatever issue she's having. I take her on a 1-2 mile hike almost daily, so I don't think lack of exercise is it. I have a feeling a few of you will suggest crate training, which she's been doing for a few months to help with the potty training (which has gone well). Although I am okay with continuing this training, I'm not entirely sure if this will actually fix the underlying problem, or simply stop her from doing it until she grows out of it.

Thanks for all your help in advance!


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

*Re: She ate a hold in the carpet*

For her safety, you will have to crate her when you can't supervise. Dogs will chew things all their lives and the trick is to show them what they can and cannot chew on. When you're supervising and find her chewing something bad, interrupt her and replace it with something good. Praise her for chewing on the right things.


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## Davinator (Jan 23, 2008)

*Re: She ate a hold in the carpet*

Looks like I can't spell... she ate a "hold" in the carpet??? I believe I meant to say "hole" 

Tooney, do you expect this to simply be a phase that she'll eventually grow out of?


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: She ate a hold in the carpet*

I think you said it yourself. "Whenever I leave her alone out of the crate, she ends up eating or chewing up something."

So stop leaving her alone out of the crate  You wouldn't leave a baby alone in their room out of their crib, right? The difference is dogs never get over that stage. If you have rooms without carpet you can create a dog room to put her in when you leave but the crate works just as well.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

*Re: She ate a hold in the carpet*



Davinator said:


> Looks like I can't spell... she ate a "hold" in the carpet??? I believe I meant to say "hole"


What are you talking about?


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

*Re: She ate a hold in the carpet*



Davinator said:


> Tooney, do you expect this to simply be a phase that she'll eventually grow out of?


Chewing is natural for dogs. They chew to relieve stress, out of boredom, to try and remove plaque from teeth, for sheer enjoyment...for ??? They usually learn as they get older the difference between the good chews and the bad...with a little help from us. I'm still trying to teach my 8 year old Sheltie that sticks aren't the safest things to gnaw on.


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

*Re: She ate a hold in the carpet*



jesirose said:


> I think you said it yourself. "Whenever I leave her alone out of the crate, she ends up eating or chewing up something."
> 
> So stop leaving her alone out of the crate  You wouldn't leave a baby alone in their room out of their crib, right? The difference is dogs never get over that stage. If you have rooms without carpet you can create a dog room to put her in when you leave but the crate works just as well.


Jesi's correct pups/dogs have to earn the right to be unsupervised. Training/Maturity and sometimes prayer may be necessary to get your pup to that lofty goal. Use the crate.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

Three suggestions:

1) If you think you can catch your dog in the act of chewing the carpet (at the very instant, not after), you might be able to teach her to not chew the carpet. Get some bitter apple spray from the pet store and spray it on the spot she's been chewing. Most dogs hate the taste and will get the idea with enough repetition.

2) Set out Kongs stuffed with her food and treats (you can find recipes on the web) -- gives her something to chew on vs. your carpet.

3) Remember that carpet holes can generally be fixed pretty easily & relax! Hopefullly you have a sample piece leftover from the initial installation you can use for the repair. If not, cut a piece from a closet floor. There are services that will come to your house and repair the holes using scraps.

These are hopeful suggestions. The reality is that everyone else here is right -- crating is sometimes the only solution for determined chewers. Good luck!


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## DogsforMe (Mar 11, 2007)

April, my 1st Border Collie chewed a large hole [about a 10" circle] in the lino near the back door. I covered it with a mat & she never did it again. 
When I 1st got Tilba recently she started to chew the mat I had in the room I keep her in. Had to take it away. I then caught her chewing at my loungeroom carpet & soon put a stop to that. She isn't much of a chewer, so far, but she's teething atm so will have to keep an eye on her.
She sleeps in her crate & travels in it in the car. The last few nights she's barked, whined, scratched at it to get out. Last night I put Sooty on April's old bed near the crate & we had a peaceful night. I like to have her sleep in the crate to help with toilet training.
I guess my point is that not all dogs will like being in a crate, even if they were fine with it to start with.


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## Davinator (Jan 23, 2008)

Thanks for the replies everyone. First off I'm going to have a nice crash course in carpet patching =) I'll be using the crate again for now since she is safe in there. Rather than introducing her to time outside the crate all at once, I'll be slowly introducing her to unsupervised time alone in the apartment. I'll also try and get a few different toys out there so she has more options. We'll see what happens in the coming months here!


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## Trixie (Feb 27, 2008)

Pepper ate the linoleum in the kitchen.

She does it out of boredom, so we have to make sure she gets sufficient exercise, esp. before we are going out.

That reminds me I need to fix that section of linoleum before the property manager sees it!


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