this isn't really a question post since i already know how i'm going to deal with the issue. more of a "well this is probably funny from an outside perspective" kind of post.

my GSD is 17 months old. just this past week he started chewing wood furniture and outward-facing wall corners. he's been out of his crate at night (still crated while i'm at work during the day) for months, but this just started happening. i came down one morning to see the dining room table ripped to shreds and a bunch of huge drywall chips on the floor in the kitchen. i'll try to remember to post pictures later. they're actually pretty hilarious even to me-- and it's my house.

i know he's a teenager so he's just being a little ###hole, and will probably get over it as long as i continue to be consistent and firm with him.
but in the meanwhile 1) i'm taking him on a 2+ mile run every day (5 miles on weekends), 2) i am going to start leaving him at doggy daycare 2 days per week, and 3) i got bitter apple, i'm going to either do the cotton ball thing or spray directly into his mouth for a couple days, and then it's going on all the furniture, the stair banisters, and the wall corners.
oh, and 4) back in the crate overnight until 2 years old.


it's a wonder what those jaws are capable of. SHEESH!

5) Increase obedience training

(can never have enough of that...mental exercise is the best)

i don't think i have time for any more! it's already an hour a day or more... going for CD next month (fingers crossed)

Zeus doing some obedience in the back yard. Youtube video.

Practice makes perfect, whether it's good behavior, or undesirable behavior. If he has a chance to practice, then he'll only get better at it. Containment - it's your only hope.

I sympathize. We have decided we are going to hike jethro to 3 years old. That ought to keep him out of trouble. Ob, ob, ob everywhere, every time. I tried putting the treat pouch away for the first walk of the day. Nope. Treats and clicks, at every level of distraction. Then he does surprisingly well. Any slacking off shows up in increased ass artery.

Crate. Exercise. 2+ miles isn't much... Just something to consider! A dog that is chewing a house up is a bored dog. Do you have/can you get a treadmill? Easy way to work him more, AFTER his run!


What is the bitter apple cotton ball thing? Why would you spray him in the mouth with bitter apple? I just don't get what that would solve, other then him learning you handling his mouth results in very unpleasant things.

here are the pictures. he just started doing this overnight all of a sudden.







the bitter apple thing is from leerburg. just something you do for 2-3 days to condition the dog to REALLY hate the taste of the stuff, so that when you finally spray it on your furniture or a wall, the dog will actually stay away from it. so i'm going to throw a bitter apple-soaked cotton ball in his mouth, clamp his jaw shut for about 60 seconds, then let him go. 3-4 times of that and he'll probably never get near the stuff again.

otherwise the dog may not mind the stuff or may even come to like it. a determined chewer is probably going to chew unless he reeeeeeeeeally hates the taste. kinda like when i used to put this funky-tasting clear stuff on my nails to try to stop chewing them, but pretty soon i just didn't even notice it was there and kept right on chewing anyway.


(we rollerbladed 3 miles today at a good pace. by the end i was more or less pulling him along the last couple blocks to the house. he laid down for a couple hours after we got home but now he's asking for the ball again...)

bitter apple really works, but IME, you don't have to do the cotton ball protocol--just spray it on vulnerable areas. an alternative that i have used for years (but may stain, though i haven't had a problem with that) is a thick slurry of cayenne + water, painted on the surface. even on drywall it fades away with time. i probably wouldn't use it on fine wood furniture though...

I personally think bitter apple is the mouth is cruel, an idea you got from Leerburg or not. 3-4 times of that, and my dog would never let me put my hands near his mouth again! I can't see it turning out well May stop him from chewing, but good luck earning that trust back. If you're planning on doing formal OB with the dog, eventually you'll have to do a retrieve. Most handlers hold the dogs mouth at some point in teaching hold/bring. Just a caution...

Crate the dog at night, and he can't chew, right? Most dogs sleep perfectly comfortably in a crate. They can still bark to ward off intruders, but can't destroy the house.

That behavior would not be funny to me and I don't care if the dog is a pup or teenager or old and decrepid... Destroying property isn't funny to me. Your dog is communicating very clearly that he is bored and needs more exercise. An hour a day may seem like a lot, but some dogs need much more, and it appears as if your dog is one of them.

I also hate the bitter apple in the mouth idea and would suggest keeping him crated with an appropriate chew, more mind games and more exercise. Just crating at night without the extra mental and physical stimulation will only create a very neurotic animal! Jmho.