# Dog chews through carpet.



## sjnesper (Feb 19, 2011)

Our 7-month-old Corgi chews holes through the rugs and carpet (and only these things) in our rental. She does not chew on them while we're here. Bitter solutions and unpleasant spices have not worked in deterring her from these actions, nor has positive reinforcement of her chewing on her toys, which she has a variety of.

Any suggestions as to how we might train her out of this? If this is a symptom of separation anxiety, has anyone had success in alleviating it?


----------



## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Make sure your dog is getting enough exercise (twice daily brisk walks 30 min each), mental stimulation (15 min or so training daily), and play (fetch, etc).


Contain your dog in a crate (look up "Crate games" to get your dog comfortable in being crated...you can't just throw them in there and expect them to be happy about it), or put him in a small room, that isn't carpeted like a bathroom/laundry rm, to contain him when you are gone. Many dogs will do better with a toddler gate rather than a closed door to the room. Leave a radio on while you are gone (making sure that the cord is not reachable, and the rm is dog proofed (No electrical cords to chew, no chemicals left where dog can get to them and chew them open.)

It can be a symptom of SA, but usually not found in a puppy. Usually the chewing/destruction is a result of too little exercise/mental stimulation, teething, boredom.


----------



## sjnesper (Feb 19, 2011)

Thank you for your input.

We do walk our dog regularly and for sufficient time, as well as play with her intentionally and train her daily. We had read to do that while researching how to stop her behavior after the first round of destruction.

We had kept her in a small room, but she figured out how to climb the gate, and we can't find one taller that fits that space, which is the only one without carpet available. Crating for 8-9 hours-with a brief visit for lunch-while we are gone seems wrong considering we're home for 4 or 5 hours in the evening and then she's crated for sleep.

We'll try the radio and see if that alleviates this behavior. And no worries. This house is completely dog-proofed, except for the floor, which just can't help itself.


----------



## sizzledog (Nov 23, 2008)

Corgis can be monster chewers. My two corgis went through that "shredder" stage - which is why we crate our dogs when we're not able to supervise them.


----------



## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

I've used 2 gates (one on top of the other) for dogs that can climb/jump out. Make sure the bar to adjust it is on the outside, so they can't use that to balance to climb out.

You might also look into getting a DAP diffuser. Also, have you tried a KONG stuffed with peanut butter and then frozen, to give him to chew? Or if he only chews carpet in one particular spot, you can buy some Raplast (available in Horse sections of Jeffers vet supply, or Dover Saddlery online), and spray a carpet remnant thoroughly, and place it over the piece of carpet that he chews. I promise, he won't go near it. You just can't spray it on your "good" carpet as it stains (reddish). It is a spray that is used to spray on horse's leg wraps to keep them from chewing them. It lasts more than 8 or 9 hrs. Just spray it on the remnant outdoors (not in an enclosed area), because if you inhale it, it's like pepper spray.


----------



## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

I know it seems mean to crate your puppy that much, but right now she is chewing carpet--and she could get into something much worse. 

When we got Gracie, she was 12 weeks old. She was crated for about 8 hours a day and at night. She got a break halfway through the day. Eventually we could stop crating her, but it wasn't until she was a year old.

This does not sound like SA to me--if this is the only thing that she does. Are you finding any evidence of urination/defecation? Does she bark excessively? Drool?

I second the idea of leaving her with a frozen goodie or some kind. Or a bully stick.

She is also entering the puppy teenage years, so she is probably going to be a terror for a while, but, if you are ready for it, you can handle it! 

(FWIW, Gizmo used to chew carpet as well. We were fortunate that bitter apple deterred him, so he stopped. I know how frustrating it is!)


----------



## sjnesper (Feb 19, 2011)

We've tried all the possible suggestions provided thus far, save crating. We were unable to try a double gate, as our wall isn't high enough. 

She has since torn two extra holes in our carpet. Again, she _never_ chews when we are present.

Any other suggestions would be helpful.


----------



## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

Oddly enough, we had to go back to crating Gracie during the day for this same reason--she chewed out dining room carpet one day while we were at work, so back to the crate she went. We don't like it, but we also know it is the best thing for her safety.

Really the only option you have at this point is to crate her while you are gone. Whatever your feelings about it, I don't think you have a choice.


----------



## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

sjnesper said:


> We've tried all the possible suggestions provided thus far, save crating. We were unable to try a double gate, as our wall isn't high enough.
> 
> She has since torn two extra holes in our carpet. Again, she _never_ chews when we are present.
> 
> Any other suggestions would be helpful.


The crate is your best friend, it will save you money and possibly your dogs life.


----------



## sjnesper (Feb 19, 2011)

Today we came home and she finally decided to move on from the carpet, she chewed up the corner of our entertainment center.

My husband and I are both gone for 10 hours straight during the day, and we simply feel that putting a dog in a crate for 10 hours straight with no bathroom breaks and not even being able to walk around is cruel. Especially when we crate her during the night, so she would only get 4-5 hours a day outside of a crate until we can trust her. Are we wrong in this?


----------



## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

It DOES sound like a lot of hours in a crate, but the MOST important thing is her SAFETY. Aside from all of the damage she is causing, she could really hurt herself one day. Crating her while you are gone does not have to be permanent. I always crate my dogs when we are gone. Usually they get out at lunch, but if that is not possible they are JUST FINE. She will be ok. I know you worry about her, but really the crate is going to be the safest place for her right now.


----------



## Nil (Oct 25, 2007)

Why not hire someone to come and walk her or let her out to potty around midday? Crate her in the morning with a frozen Kong, have the walker come over and let her out to walk or potty, then have the walker give her a second (prepared by you in advance) frozen Kong in the crate. At least until she is a little bit older and can be left alone? Thats only ~4 hours WITH a Kong that takes about an hour or so. 

But I agree. Crate is your friend and I think you should use it. I have a friend whose dogs were uncrated and one of them got its head caught in some sort of bag trying to grab food inside it. The dog ended up suffocating and dying. Sad way to find your dog when you come home.


----------



## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Better to have a dog in a crate 10 hours than to come home to a dead pup. If crating is not an option, then the pup needs to be in a day care. As has been suggested you could hire a walker to come to the house and take the pup out during the doy, but the pup NEEDS to be in SAFE place where it can't ingest something dangerous, chew through an electrical cord or destroy more property and possibly end up with a bowel obstruction.


----------



## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

Obviously what you are doing is not working. It is time to try something else. You have gotten numerous suggestions, and you really do need to start thinking of the safety of the dog. Yes, crating for that amount of time is not ideal, but you also need to think about long term. As stated, what happens if she eats something while you are gone? 

You have a few options:

1. Crate her
2. Dog proof a room and leave her there
3. Hire a dog walker to come over and let her out partway through the day
4. Take her to doggy day care

These are just repeats of the suggestions you have alreay been given, but you really need to start looking into them. 

If you are really worried about her being crated that long, why not leave her out at night since you said she never does these things while you are home? Then she would be able to be out at night and crated during the day.

Gracie is crated between 7-8 hours a day. She s crated for her safety. She has SA and will chew/destroy things when stressed. I don't love the fact that she is crated all day and can't walk around, etc., but I also know it is what is best for her right now.

IMO, 7 months is very young to have free run of a house while you are gone, anyway. Especially since she is going through puppy adolescence.

Please think about taking some of the advice you have been given--for your sanity and for your dog's safety.


----------



## sjnesper (Feb 19, 2011)

OK, you have us convinced. We will go ahead and crate her and do our best to have someone come over in the afternoon to let her out (but that won't always happen). Just yesterday she started chewing on our entertainment center. Now that she has piece of wood inside her, your concerns about safety are being taken to heart. Now we just need to figure out a way to give her some water without her tipping it over and spilling it. Unless it is OK to leave her for up to 10 hours without water?


----------



## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

I am glad to see you are going to crate her. It is what is best for her.

In regards to water, we don't leave any for Gracie, but that is in part due to her urinating due to her SA, so we cut out the option for water. Not ideal, but we have to do this for a while.

For you, you can try something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Midwest-40-20...TZVQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1301532268&sr=8-3 or this: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754644&lmdn=SHOP+FOR

Good luck!


----------



## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

We don't crate Sydney since she isn't destructive, but we did when she was a pup trying to get into everything. We used a water dish similar to the first one theyogachick linked, except it was a taller bowl with a metal "hook" type thing on the top. She would sometimes spill it but we thought that was better than going without water. We didn't know the hamster-type ones existed at the time...they might have been a better option.


----------



## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

sjnesper said:


> OK, you have us convinced. We will go ahead and crate her and do our best to have someone come over in the afternoon to let her out (but that won't always happen). Just yesterday she started chewing on our entertainment center. Now that she has piece of wood inside her, your concerns about safety are being taken to heart. Now we just need to figure out a way to give her some water without her tipping it over and spilling it. Unless it is OK to leave her for up to 10 hours without water?



I don't leave water in my crates. The dogs get a drink before crating, when my daughter lets them out at lunch, and then all evening long as much as they want.


----------



## sjnesper (Feb 19, 2011)

The crating has been going pretty well. She whines off and on all day, but I'm sure that will stop. It's the same whining she did back when we first got her and were able to confine her to the kitchen (before she learned how to climb a baby gate). The problem now is, we switched to letting her roam around at night since she seemed to leave things alone when we were there. But we woke up this morning with some more chewed up pieces of our entertainment center, and more chewed up pieces on our rug. 

So now its a good 10 hours of crating during the day (with a 5-20 minute break), and another 8 or so at night, plus an hour to an hour and a half when we work out. Just seems so cruel, but I guess it's for her safety. We are doing our best to play with her or walk her for at least an hour at other times during the day. And it hopefully won't be forever...


----------



## Nil (Oct 25, 2007)

Thanks for the update!

I'm glad it is working out. I know it seems like a lot but it is necessary for her safety. I'm glad you are at least trying it out for now though. 
I forget if someone mentioned this, but can you get a cover for the xpen you have? I know they make them. Might be something to look into if you want that little bit of extra room. A xpen can work just as well as a crate and provide more room...you just need a way to make sure she can't escape it.


----------



## Adventure (Apr 4, 2011)

Yikes, I'd hate to have a dog crated for that long. Perhaps an outdoor kennel? You can cover the bottom and top to prevent escapes. Or tether her outside. I can't imagine sticking a dog in a crate for 10 plus hours a day sometimes without relief. That seems cruel and unhealthy if she's constantly going to the bathroom in there as well. I'd rehome her and get an older dog that isn't destructive or a cat.


----------



## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Adventure said:


> I'd rehome her and get an older dog that isn't destructive or a cat.


Nice. Instead of trying to solve the problem this dog currently has the OP should give it to someone else to deal with and get a dog that doesn't have problems instead? Sounds more cruel to me.


----------



## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

Adventure said:


> Yikes, I'd hate to have a dog crated for that long. Perhaps an outdoor kennel? You can cover the bottom and top to prevent escapes. Or tether her outside. I can't imagine sticking a dog in a crate for 10 plus hours a day sometimes without relief. That seems cruel and unhealthy if she's constantly going to the bathroom in there as well. I'd rehome her and get an older dog that isn't destructive or a cat.


If you have read this whole thread, you should know that the OP tried everything before crating, but, for the safety of the dog, crating is the only option. Rehoming because a dog chews is NOT a viable option. Chewing is a habit and can be overcome. When Gizmo was a puppy he chewed carpet and Gracie has done it, too. Loki (RIP) chewed anything wood he could get his teeth on (dressers, futons, etc.) We worked through it by limiting their access to those things when we couldn't watch them. Also, tethering outside isn't a better option mainly because I would think worse things can happen outside--escape, stolen dog, etc.

OP: I didn't go back and read the whole thread before I started posting, but can you give me a rundown of how much exercise your dog is getting each day? Maybe increasing that (both mental and physical exercise) will help with the destructive behavior. Even something like giving her a puzzle toy to work on to get treats out of will stimulate her mind and help wear her out. You can also try clicker training, playing hide and seek with toys (or you) in the house, etc.

Also, can you shut the dog in the bedroom with you at night--maybe make sure everything is up off the floor, etc.? That way she can still have some freedom at night without chewing the entertainment center. When we first started giving Gracie some freedom at night, we started with her in the bedroom with us for a month and then transitioned her to whole house.

I agree that an x-pen may also help if you can find a way to cover it, etc. It may help and give her a little more room to roam at night.

Stick to your guns. Remember--puppy has entered the puppy teenage years and will most likely find more mischief than usual. If you are vigilant, you will get through this.


----------



## MegaMuttMom (Sep 15, 2007)

If you can find a way to do exercise with your dog, or take turns working out, you could eliminate 1.5 hours of crate time. I see no choice but crating during the day and confinement to a crate or your bedroom at night but, your exercise time should be flexible during this important time of your puppy's life. JMO.


----------



## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Adventure said:


> I'd rehome her and get an older dog that isn't destructive or a cat.


Around here we ONLY advise rehome in VERY extreame circumstances and those would mean that ANY dog is not feasible to own. Dogs are not disposible and rehoming a dog for a minor behavioral problem that will most likly be out grown or is easily trained out is silly to say the least. Also, long term tethering is against hte law now in many places (as it should be) and is dangerous as the dog can get tangled and choke, get stolen or injured in other ways.


----------



## Adventure (Apr 4, 2011)

I'm sorry, I think I worded it wrong, but from reading the responses the way I pictured wording it probably wouldn't be appreciated anyway.

If the only option was crating the dog for 18 of 24 hours a day or finding the dog a new home with someone who has more time to work on the behavior issue, I would re-home. There are other options for the owner, like a doggy babysitter, doggy daycare, sending the dog to a qualified trainer, having a qualified trainer come work with me to help fix the problem, splitting time between an outdoor kennel and a crate (a friend had a large wire crate inside attached through a doggy door to an outdoor kennel so the dog could go both inside and outside while he was gone). I would exhaust all of those options first, not just bitter spray, spices, or positive reenforcement. 

That's my opinion, the owner doesn't have to follow it or even acknowledge it. I'm sorry, I didn't realize that offering the opinion/option of re-homing was so negative. Now I do know and I won't do so in the future.

I wish the owners the best of luck doing what's right for both themselves and the dog.

_I won't get into tethering because we have differing opinions and that isn't what this thread is about._


----------



## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Adventure said:


> If the only option was crating the dog for 18 of 24 hours a day or finding the dog a new home with someone who has more time to work on the behavior issue, I would re-home. There are other options for the owner, like a doggy babysitter, doggy daycare, sending the dog to a qualified trainer, having a qualified trainer come work with me to help fix the problem, splitting time between an outdoor kennel and a crate (a friend had a large wire crate inside attached through a doggy door to an outdoor kennel so the dog could go both inside and outside while he was gone). I would exhaust all of those options first, not just bitter spray, spices, or positive reenforcement.


Did someone say the dog would be crated 24 hours a day, because I certainly didn't see anyone saying that? Someone please correct me if I missed it. Also, how adoptable do you think a dog who destroys things would be? I personally don't think it is responsible or fair to the animal or the adopter to get rid of a dog because of a fixable, temporary behavior issue. This is an adolescent dog--it's likely they will grow out of it, so the OP is working on MANAGMENT until then, because they love their dog and are trying to do what is best and SAFEST for it.

I'm pretty sure doggy daycare has been discussed earlier and was not possible for the OP. And what exactly would the trainer be training? This puppy is just behaving like a puppy. What you're suggesting sounds a lot like saying "My 3 year old kid colors on the walls too much, let's take them to a psychiatrist or child behaviorist to make them stop." 

Also, an outdoor kennel is essentially the same as an x-pen (which the OP said they were going to look into using if they could find a cover) except outside. If you had read the entire thread you would know that the OP HAS thought through many different options and is continuing to work on a plan that is best for her dog. Kenneling HAS BEEN a last resort for her, and yet you're acting like that was her first choice and the dog will be living that way foreverz. It's just not the case.


----------



## Adventure (Apr 4, 2011)

Where did I say the dog was being kenneled for 24 hours a day? I said 18 _of_ 24 hours a day.



> So now its a good 10 hours of crating during the day (with a 5-20 minute break), and another 8 or so at night, plus an hour to an hour and a half when we work out.


 by the owner.

I'm sorry for even suggesting re-homing. I obviously learned my lesson on that and won't suggest that again no matter my opinion.


----------



## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

Adventure--no one is asking you to withhold opinions, but, as Carla said, rehoming is under only extreme circumstances (at least most of us here think so). It is also clear that the OP isn't too keen on the idea of crating, but is doing it to protect the dog.

When Gracie was younger, she was crated 8 hours while we were at work and another 8 hours at night. We knew it wasn't ideal, but we also knew that we had to because she was a baby and we needed to watch her. The OP has tried to give the dog freedom and the dog has been chewing and may ingest something that can hurt her. As Kafka said, this won't be forever, but it needs to be for now.

I see what you are saying, and you are right--not ideal, but necessary. And rehoming a dog with issues is very difficult--very few people want to adopt a work in prgress. They just want a dog to hang out with. 

Please continue to express opinions, but know that we may disagree from time to time. It happens.


----------



## sjnesper (Feb 19, 2011)

Thank you for all of your responses and helpful thoughts.

On leaving her open in the bedroom: That is an option that we have thought about, but we wouldn't want her to then chew on our dresser or nightstands. Or possibly put another hole in the carpet leaving us with two rooms to replace, and leaving her with terrible indigestion at best.

On re-homing: To be honest, we have briefly brought up the idea with each other, but decided quickly that it wasn't an option. If we felt this was going to be the way things were for the rest of her life, then we agree that this is a cruel way to have her live forever and we would seek a good new owner that we felt would be able to take care of her in a better way than we are able with both of us working. But we do feel that this is temporary for a few months until she grows out of it, and then she can have free range of the house and outside (via the doggy door) again. And for now, she seems to be doing pretty well. At the start I would watch her on my webcam while I was at work and I could hear her whining just like she did when we first got her and had her in the kitchen. Eventually she stopped whining while in the kitchen, and I expect that if I check in on the webcam again this upcoming week I will find the whining has decreased as well.

On time in the crate: Now that we have been really rolling with this I would say she probably does spend 18-19 hours in the crate per day (a little more on Fridays, a LOT less on Saturdays and Sundays). She seems to be doing very well, is calm when she is let out, and we are both being very adamant about spending a lot of time with her in the mornings before we leave and in the evenings when we get home. She is given a break about 5 hours into it during the day at around lunch time, and we have yet to see her eliminate in the crate (or the house for that matter, that hasn't happened in about 5 months).

On doggy day care: We did consider this option, but when she is in there for no more than 5 hours, we don't feel it is necessary for this stretch of adolescence. Especially considering that, when she is apart from us, it doesn't at all seem that she is upset because she is in the kennel, but rather because she is not with US. We can lock ourselves in a room without her, and she will start whining until she is with us. When we got her from the breeder, she told us that we were getting the "cuddliest" of the litter. In other words, it doesn't seem to be the crate that bothers her, but instead us not being there.

Again, thank so much for all of your advice and opinions. Due to that, things seem to be shaping up. As long as she is well-behaved in a few months and we can let her roam free again, we will have a wonderful and happy dog and we'll be confident that we are good puppy parents.

And since this thread seems to have caused so much involvement, here is a picture of Penny the day after we brought her home. You'll have to go to the link, since it won't allow me to post it here: https://picasaweb.google.com/sjnesper/52Penny#5557161919824807314


----------



## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

She is so CUTE!!!!!


----------

