I have a 7 month old GSD who is driving me crazy. He chews on everything, furniture, electric wires, has destroyed 2 leather leashes. when I correct him for one thing he finds another. I cannot trust him out of my sight. How long will this go on?
Appreciate any help,
nancy

Nancy, at 7 months he is still very much a puppy. How much exercise does he get? What kind of mental stimulation? Does he have options aside from finding new things to chew on around the house(kong, biscuit ball, bully sticks etc)

Is he loose around the house? If he is, tether him and/or crate him.

Sounds like he needs some stimulation and options for his chewing fetish. Simply telling a dog no for chewing on something isn't good enough, redirect with something he CAN chew on or he will just find something else.

P.S. It can go on for a long time depending on the maturity rate of your pup. I have an 11 month old GSD/Dobe that still wants nothing more than to destroy things with his mouth but he is very content to take this out on proper items such as sinew, bully sticks, kongs, etc. At 11 months he is still tethered.

Edited by Jennifer Marshal (03/01/2008 05:03 PM)
Edit reason: p.s.

Jennifer.
About exercise he is walked 4 times a day for 15-20 min. each day. He plays balls everyday and has training time of 10-15 a day.
He has toys and bones all over the house.
He is loose part of the time, tethered on long line in kitchen, computer room and back porch when i cannot watch him, as I am afraid he will kill himself on elec. wires or ruin more furniture. He is crated when I go out and at night.
If I could keep a leash on him I could correct him when he chews the wrong thing, but as I said he chews the leash to shreds. My breeder said to shake the scruff of his neck but he is 75 lbs. and this is not easy to do for an old lady and not nearly as effective as a leash correction with a prong collar.
If your 11 month old is still doing this stuff I don't feel very hopeful. I'm really concerned about taking him in the motor home this summer where I cannot tether him or crate him, and we ocassionally have to leave him in the motor home while we shop, etc. Did not realize how good I had it when we had his half brother who never chewed anything, but passed away last summer.
Is there such a thing as a muzzle that prevents the dog from chewing?
Nancy...

I would not scruff, he is just a pup. Chewing comes with the package

Regarding the bones all over the house - things that are readily available all the time become less appealing, I rotate specific toys to keep the dog interested in what it currently has.

If you are worried about him chewing buy a chain leash.

I don't quite understand why he is tied and not crated when he can't be supervised? In the motor home I can kind of understand but I lived in a small travel trailor and I had a small camper and I still kept large dogs crated, just fold down the crate when not in use and put it on the floor when he is in it and you are gone.

There are muzzles to prevent chewing that still allow for breathing and drinking but he is 7 months, he just needs an outlet. IMO muzzling him and preventing him from chewing on anything, even his toys and chews, would create more frustration in such a young dog. You would be surprised how easily a very determined dog can get out of even a secure muzzle even when supervised.

What type of chews and bones and toys does he have? What kind of mental stimulation does he receive? You say he gets training 10-15 minutes a day, what do you do/what does he learn? Or is it just working on things he already knows?

The 11 month old I have, he is still just a puppy. I have never had a pup that didn't chew - for me the average age that the chewing went down in intensity is about a year and a half-2 years old when the dog matures more.

By tethered I mean the dog is tied to you, not an object. The dog stays with you. He cannot or should not be able to chew through a leash if you are right there watching him. If you are home I would suggest tethering him to you and crating when you leave if the amount of time is reasonable.

I will second Jennifer's suggestion to use a crate. Holy cow, if I had left my 7 month old loose there would be nothing left Crates are wonderful things when you can't be present to supervise.

Jenn's idea of rotating toys is also a good one. I never left toys out (mostly because they would be eaten) so when I produce a toy from the cabinet it's a treat...instant Christmas. He never gets bored with them because he doesn't live with them day in and day out.

Hey Nancy,

Puppies can be maddening, right? My friend put it nicely, "That's why God made puppies so cute so you don't murder them for all the chaos they can create."

Ditto on all the advice given above, but also, I don't think you are providing him enough exercise. It sounds like he has a lot of energy no? You need to take him for a LOOOOONG walk for an hour everyday and make that walk fun, but also a training session in itself of learning to walk nicely with you...he's young and he needs to burn some energy and 15-20 min walks, although the frequency is good is not enough exercise for a high energy pup.

I have a Jack Russell Terrier who is now three, but when she was a puppy every morning I took her out for an hour and half before I went to work, and then she got two 30 min walks and then an hour nightwalk....she wasn't chewy or destructive b/c when we weren't out she was in her crate and SLEEEEEEEEPING...a tired dog is a good dog.

He's just a pup...dog's don't stop the maddening behaviors until around 1.5 to 2 yrs of age.

Get a metal leash that he can't chew through like this one:
http://ilovedino.blogspot.com/2007/08/i-have-new-metal-leash.html

Excellent advice from everyone, and two things that might be especially emphasized:

NO to the muzzle for normal puppyness, IMO.

And is this dog getting a mental workout every day? Are you doing little short and upbeat motivational obedience sessions throughout the day? I would be. In that way, I would be strengthening the bond between you while tiring that puppy brain (as well as increasing the number of walks per day and aiming for surfaces with give, such as grass and dirt, or the beach if that's an option).

My dogs are adults and seniors, but even at their level of maturity, I still sprinkle every day with little training sessions for each one, take frequent walks with them (because the walk is a boredom-alleviator as well as a release for frustrated physical energy), and play games with them. The little old guy benefits just as much from short-distance "fetch" in the living room as the bigger younger ones do from long-distance tosses in the yard.

All this relief from boredom and destructive behavior would be multiplied with a puppy.

If I had a puppy, he would be either tethered to me, outside with me, or in his crate. And at all ages, if the training is in process or in doubt, the dog would wear a light drag line.

 Quote: Jennifer Marshal

I would not scruff, he is just a pup. Chewing comes with the package .... Regarding the bones all over the house - things that are readily available all the time become less appealing, I rotate specific toys to keep the dog interested in what it currently has. .... He cannot or should not be able to chew through a leash if you are right there watching him. If you are home I would suggest tethering him to you and crating when you leave if the amount of time is reasonable.

I sure do agree with this. Unsupervised puppies just seems like asking for trouble.

 Quote: Nancy Black

I'm really concerned about taking him in the motor home this summer where I cannot tether him or crate him, and we ocassionally have to leave him in the motor home while we shop, etc.

You won't have a crate with you? Why not, if I may ask?

I don't even travel crate-less with well-trained adults who have earned the run of my house.