May 05, 2017
How do I redirect my 8 week GSD puppy when she tries to chew and tug with the blanket under her ex-pen?
Full Question:
We've had our new puppy for a week and she is being crate trained; spends all her time either in her airline crate (at night), in the wire crate in our living room when we're watching TV, or in an ex-pen (that's been closed up a bit since I don't have enough room in my office to fully open it). My office is carpeted and not very comfortable (cheap carpet) so I have a fleece blanket set up in the bottom of the ex-pen with the blanket past the edges of the ex-pen to help keep it in place.Sometimes, she'll bite the blanket and get enough in her mouth to be able to tug at it. Currently I've just been hitting the side of the ex-pen (not near her) to make a loud noise to get her to stop. Eventually she'll do it again though. I know I shouldn't be correcting the puppy at this early stage.
My question is, how can I get her to stop doing that without correcting her?
I've watched quite a few of your videos and have scoured the Q&A section but haven't found an answer yet.
Thank you!
Cindy's Answer:
I think that instead of trying to get her to stop I might change the set up slightly so she's not able to grab the blanket. I'd actually probably change the set up so the blanket wasn't even an option.
I would probably get something to put under her expen that she couldn't grab. A couple of ideas would be a remnant of vinyl flooring from a home improvement store or a stall mat that you can get from a TSC or farm store and use that under the expen . I have raised countless puppies and I guarantee that she will likely continue to do this as she gets older and I like to pick my battles with puppies.
I would rather manage the environment than have to hover and make sure the puppy isn't getting into anything or learning destructive habits that may be problematic later on. I give puppies a bed they can't or don't want to chew on when they are little (like a Kuranda bed) and as they mature I will offer a more comfortable bed, always keeping an eye on them for destructive behaviors. If they seem to want to play with or chew on blankets or beds, I remove those. It's worked well for the last 5 or 6 pups I've raised.
I hope this gives you some ideas. Congrats on the new puppy and thank you for your business, we truly appreciate it!
I would probably get something to put under her expen that she couldn't grab. A couple of ideas would be a remnant of vinyl flooring from a home improvement store or a stall mat that you can get from a TSC or farm store and use that under the expen . I have raised countless puppies and I guarantee that she will likely continue to do this as she gets older and I like to pick my battles with puppies.
I would rather manage the environment than have to hover and make sure the puppy isn't getting into anything or learning destructive habits that may be problematic later on. I give puppies a bed they can't or don't want to chew on when they are little (like a Kuranda bed) and as they mature I will offer a more comfortable bed, always keeping an eye on them for destructive behaviors. If they seem to want to play with or chew on blankets or beds, I remove those. It's worked well for the last 5 or 6 pups I've raised.
I hope this gives you some ideas. Congrats on the new puppy and thank you for your business, we truly appreciate it!
User Response:
Thank you so much for the reply!
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