Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone. My ten-month olf Beagle, Brian, and I are having a little communication problem. He's no angel, but pretty well behaved overall, except for one problem: everything is a dog toy to him, and "no" means "snatch it when the humans aren't watching."

Socks, books, tv remotes, pillows.... the destruction continues.

He's smart enough, is well behaved around people, and nearly always obeys a sit, down, or come. But on this one thing he just doesn't get it. I would appreciate ideas on how to train him to that some this are not for doggies - even when the humans are out of the room.

Thanks,
Pat

>>Hello everyone. My ten-month olf Beagle, Brian, and I are having a little communication problem. He's no angel, but pretty well behaved overall, except for one problem: everything is a dog toy to him, and "no" means "snatch it when the humans aren't watching."
>>
>>Socks, books, tv remotes, pillows.... the destruction continues.
>>
>>He's smart enough, is well behaved around people, and nearly always obeys a sit, down, or come. But on this one thing he just doesn't get it. I would appreciate ideas on how to train him to that some this are not for doggies - even when the humans are out of the room.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Pat

>>>>>>>>>>

This takes time, and he has to have a chance to mature, too. You can't go out of the room and leave him with chewables at this point. He must be supervised, stuff picked up, and when he grabs the wrong thing, you must patiently give him the right thing, maybe a few hundred times!

I have an article on Destructive Chewing at the link below my name that explains the whole process. If it happens when you are not home, it's possible separation anxiety is involved, and there's an article on Separation Anxiety, too. They're at the link below my signature.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Get bitter apple and spray it on stuff you don't want chewed. It tastes so absolutely horrible (yeah, I tasted it), he won't want anything to do with it anymore. When we had our puppy a little while ago he wanted to chew up the kids. I sprayed their legs with the stuff and he left them alone... till they changed clothes, anyway.
Keep things you don't want chewed out of reach till he can be trusted. Obviously you can't put away the furniture or the carpet or anything like that, but bitter apple is safe to put on most surfaces and should help. They have it at PetCo and Pet Smart and it's not expensive.
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Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), and the lovely new addition, Fancy the Wonder Beagle!

>>Get bitter apple and spray it on stuff you don't want chewed. It tastes so absolutely horrible (yeah, I tasted it), he won't want anything to do with it anymore. When we had our puppy a little while ago he wanted to chew up the kids. I sprayed their legs with the stuff and he left them alone... till they changed clothes, anyway.
>>Keep things you don't want chewed out of reach till he can be trusted. Obviously you can't put away the furniture or the carpet or anything like that, but bitter apple is safe to put on most surfaces and should help. They have it at PetCo and Pet Smart and it's not expensive.
>>-----
>>Kadee Sedtal
>> home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), and the lovely new addition, Fancy the Wonder Beagle!
>>
>>

>>>>>>>>>

I use Bitter Apple in training and find it effective. It's important to note, though, that it evaporates in a few hours. It will not act like a protective shield over all the stuff you don't want chewed, unless you go around and spray that stuff 3 or 4 times a day! It works for training, though, as described in the Destructive Chewing article at the link below my signature.
-----
Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47