Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Howdy, folks.

We have two Beagles pups, brother and sister, about 8 months old. These two seem to have a fascination with digging in the house -- they dug a hole through the carpet in the living room, and they've chewed up the patch twice now. So, in the nearly 9 month we've had them they've done this three times now -- all in the same spot. Aside from this, they're actually well behaved: they're not chewing on the furniture nearly as often as when they were younger (they seem to know the difference -- usually! -- between toys and furniture now), accidents in the house are rare (they're good about letting us know when they want to go out), they don't bark or carry on (beyond what we'd consider normal playing around or letting us know when someone's walking up to the house), etc.

They know they're in trouble before they even get scolded when they dig/chew on this spot of the carpet -- the moment they see one of us approach they stick their tail between their legs and start looking all pathetic -- so I'm assuming they know it's wrong... but they're still doing it.

Does anyone have any suggestions for breaking this habit?

Here's a photo of Daisy:

And here's a photo of Bauer:

These two definitely love the snow.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions, folks!

Cheers,

~ Greg ~

They are very cute!

That said, beagles dig Have you done obedience or anything? It may help. I'd crate train untill maybe they are a little older. I think some of them just grow out of it. You could also try hiding around a corner with a pop can full of coins and shake it, Or a water bottle, every time they dig.

It doesn't really fix the problem but have you tried covering the spot they always dig at? With a tv or something Good luck!
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What cuties!!! I agree with joce. I would crate train them until they are older. You don't want them eating any of that carpet, or you could end up with a very costly vet visit to remove stuff from their intestines.

Good luck! Come back often and share stories and photos.
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Melody/PHFasDog
Email me at PHFasDog

My furkids:
Shadow, Jadzia and Lyta.
Kira waiting at the bridge.

Dogs come into our lives, and too quickly go leaving pawprints on our hearts, and we will never be quite the same again.

Hi, folks.

We keep Daisy and Bauer in their kennels when we're out of the house, though we let them have the run of the upstairs during the night. All of the carpet shredding has been done during the day, or at least while we're up. They're really good about sleeping during the night -- thankfully! So I'm not really sure that crating/kenneling is the answer in this case.

We've tried the can full o' pennies and other irritating noise makers in the house, but it's only been three times now that they've chewed the carpet. We broke them (mostly) of chewing on furniture and such pretty quickly by using the can o' pennies -- they seemed to learn that association pretty quickly -- but it's harder to find a deterent for this carpet issue when it's not something that happens often. Now, I'm not saying I want it to start happening often enough that the can o' pennies will become useful... I'm just saying.

The hole/area they've been messing with is right smack dab in the middle of the living room. Perhaps an area rug would at least serve as protection for the carpeting until they've grown out of this little problem. Is there any sort of anti-chewing powder or anything that can be put on a carpet to keep pups from chewing on it? Something that's practical anyhow?

Thanks, all!

Cheers,

~ Greg ~

I know there are tobasco like licquids to put on things but I don't know how well that would go over on carpet! Maybe you can find something with the same premise but in powder form.
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which is also an ingredient in some kinds of stop bleeding powders (like for shaving, etc.). DON'T get it in your mouth, as it is incredibly bad tasting. You might have to ask around at a few places, but we bought it WAY back in 1976, when we had a Great Dane pup who was eating the wood in our kitchen! You can use it in its powder state, or you can mix it up with water and paint it on stuff.
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sue, cheyenne-the American bulldog bully, nehi-her long suffering border collie mix, and charlie-our "basic black, white, and brown dog" who is watching from the bridge.

catching them in the act with a squirt gun worked for me as an econimical last resort. it might for you.

>>Howdy, folks.
>>
>>We have two Beagles pups, brother and sister, about 8 months old. These two seem to have a fascination with digging in the house -- they dug a hole through the carpet in the living room, and they've chewed up the patch twice now. So, in the nearly 9 month we've had them they've done this three times now -- all in the same spot. Aside from this, they're actually well behaved: they're not chewing on the furniture nearly as often as when they were younger (they seem to know the difference -- usually! -- between toys and furniture now), accidents in the house are rare (they're good about letting us know when they want to go out), they don't bark or carry on (beyond what we'd consider normal playing around or letting us know when someone's walking up to the house), etc.
>>
>>They know they're in trouble before they even get scolded when they dig/chew on this spot of the carpet -- the moment they see one of us approach they stick their tail between their legs and start looking all pathetic -- so I'm assuming they know it's wrong... but they're still doing it.
>>
>>Does anyone have any suggestions for breaking this habit?
>>
>>Here's a photo of Daisy:
>>
>>
>>
>>And here's a photo of Bauer:
>>
>>
>>
>>These two definitely love the snow.
>>
>>Thanks in advance for any suggestions, folks!
>>
>>Cheers,
>>
>> ~ Greg ~
>>
>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>

If the original poster is still around--any chance there are termites or mice in that spot?
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

Nope, no termites or mice... thankfully. Methinks these two pups are just naturally destructive. If it's chewable, they'll chew on it.

We managed to fix it... sorta. We bought a cheap area rug to cover the spot -- goes well with the curtains, too -- and that's mostly kept them from chewing in that one spot. Of course, now they chew on the area rug, but that's easier/cheaper to fix than more holes in the carpet.

They definitely don't like the spray bottle, but it doesn't deter them from chewing on things, either. They're not quite as bad about it today; I think they're starting to grow out of it and/or are figuring out that mommy and daddy don't like it when they chew up household items.

Thanks for the input!

~ Greg ~

I forgot to mention that I'm not using a cheap super market squirt gun or 409 type bottle squirter, but a super soaker liquidator. i've only had to use it about 4 times on her before she completely lost her taste for shredding carpet.

~Steve