by Cooper
(Gold Coast,Australia)
Hi can you please help me solve this problem my 9 month old rottie is chewing through pillows, dooners, towels etc.
My parents are getting really annoyed at this and said we might have to get rid of him, do you know anyways you can stop this.
Hi Cooper
Puppies chew, it’s a normal part of canine behavior and it’s usually especially bad during the teething stage. Of course Rotties are big dogs so they can chew through a lot of stuff, and do a lot of damage!
However, your pup should be past the teething stage now and his chewing will begin to taper off, but it will be a part of his behavior until he’s adult.
Just because it’s natural though, doesn’t mean that you or your parents should allow him to chew on stuff that’s not his. You need to discourage him firmly with a verbal ‘no’ and redirect his attention to some toy or activity that he is allowed.
You need to do this EVERY time he chews on something he shouldn’t. This is where crate training is also very useful, because if you’re not there to supervise and correct him you should leave him in his crate (when you go to work etc.) with some tough dog toys to keep him occupied. That way your ‘stuff’ is protected.
Dogs and puppies chew to relieve stress, anxiety and built-up energy, so it’s possible that your pup needs more physical exercise and mental stimulation. There’s an old saying that goes ‘a tired pup is a good pup’… and it’s very true. I’d suggest giving him an extra walk and play session each day, and also enrolling him in a local dog obedience class (if you haven’t already done so). If he’s more active he’ll have less pent-up energy to expend on chewing.
It’s important to be very consistent and patient in this training, always correct him in a loving, but firm way and give him plenty of his own toys to keep busy with.
Hope this helps, best of luck with your pup.