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eating the walls!!

3K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  Jac 
#1 ·
aaaaghhh! the other day I came home after only being gone 3 hours (usually I"m gone around 5 hours while my kids are at school), and Maggie had chewed a hole in our laundry room wall!! We had a workman come over while I was out to fix our deck, so I'm sure she got scared because she could hear him right outside the kitchen window, but she chewed a HOLE in the wall!! I saw drywall dust and debris all over the floor and was shocked to see what she had been doing!

She has outgrown her crate, so we have her "kenneled up" in the laundry room with a gate across the door. She has never done anything like that before.

I sprayed the hole with bitter apple, and today when I was gone, she chewed a little more. Eating drywall doesn't seem to make her sick, but it sure makes me sick to see the hole in the wall.

My question is, how do I stop her from doing this?! I don't have another room in the room that I can gate her into when I have to be gone, and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I am gone for at least a few hours. I don't know how we'll fix this hole without her chewing it again before it dries.

Any insight is appreciated! I am ready to get out her crate that is a bit too small for her and make her go in it when I'm gone but that seems mean. (she did have to be shaved recently, so maybe she'll fit in the crate now that she is "smaller"!)

thanks!
christine
:x
 
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#2 ·
Been there.....done that! Coal chewed a hole in our kitchen wall. I would put him in an x-pen up against a wall in our kitchen when I was too busy to watch him when he was younger. I am sure that he did it out of boredom and shortly after the incident I did away with the x-pen all together and he hasn't done anything like that since. That being said, I crate him when I leave the house. I think if I were you, I would get a bigger crate for Maggie so that she (and your walls) are safe while you are away.
 
#4 ·
well thank goodness drywall is super easy to fix, furniture is way worse!

an extra large crate from your local farm supply runs about $80
probably an expense well worth it.

besides, a dogs crate is soooo much more than just a cage. it is a safe haven and if you think your dog may have acted out in anxiety then providing a cozy safe haven for your baby is truly the best thing. :)
 
#5 ·
she's freaking out about her crate

well, i set up Maggie's crate this morning and she has been going past it all day and growling and whining at it, as if she is saying "what the heck is in my bedroom?". i am afraid we are going to have a challenge on our hands!

I am looking for an XL crate on craigslist because even with her fur mostly gone (due to being shaved a few weeks ago!), our large crate just doesn't seem quite big enough. i think it will do for a few days until I can get a new one, but in the meantime i think i'll keep the door to the crate open and gate her in to the room. the crate does block the wall so she can't get to it while I'm gone.

i have thrown her favorite treats into the crate and she has gone into it a few times to get them but she comes right back out. today I don't have to go anywhere but tomorrow I will be gone for about 5 hours.

i thought her reaction to seeing the crate was amusing, yet a little discouraging. She did like her crate when she was in it before, but we liked giving her a bit more room (gated into the laundry room) when we had to be gone for 5-6 hours.

christine
 
#7 ·
Christine, YIKES! Sorry to hear you had this happen... but as usual the others, from Stacy to Mickey to Di have all given good insight. Is Maggie's crate the wire style? Or the plastic ones? I prefer the wire ones...if they are claustrophobic (and they are) why not give them the most possible view from inside? Anyway that's just a personal preference. We have a hole in the carpet in our closet from vigorous *nesting* from our last litter, so I can empathize!

I agreed, also, with the comment about boredom. Does Maggie have any KONG toys she can work on?

Best wishes finding a crate...if you see a Jeep axle on Craigslist let me know, ok? :wink:

 
#8 ·
Yep...you have a Labradoodle alright!
We have had chewers too...they made holes in the drywall and chewed their way through just about every other thing they could find.
What I suggest is that you get a good, raw bone...a huge one...with lots of marrow...and give it to your dog ONLY while in the crate. No taking it around the house!
That way, the best chewing can be done only while in the crate!
I promise that the phase will pass...but it takes almost a year to 18 months...so hang in there!
Since you have a heavy chewer, get lots of long lasting chewies...and you could try bitter apple or hot sauce ... my dogs learned to like both! Be careful with hotsauce that you don't get any in the dog's eyes!
I have seriously considered putting a panel of metal along the base of every wall...really, I have!
 
#9 ·
Can someone tell me about giving your dog a raw bone, as suggested by Jac. Do I get raw bones from the meat counter at a grocery store? Is it a certain kind/cut? Or do I need to buy raw bones in a package at the pet store? Can I give it to a young puppy? I'm really into helping my new puppy (pick up this weekend) learn to like her crate. I have Kong toys and bully sticks. This raw bone idea sounds like a good one. --- You can see I'm a puppy novice.
 
#10 ·
Becci, my dogs have all enjoyed raw bones...and I have discovered that if you go to the butcher shop or your local meat dept of the store, ask the butcher for a raw bone for your dog...most butchers have them in the freezer and can get it for you.
You can give them to puppies. You might want to read about "raw meaty bones" diet...there are a lot of information sites online.
Cooked bones do splinter and can be dangerous for your dog. So, select a good, thick raw bone and when the marrow is gone and the bone looks like it could chip off, take it away and replace it.
You can also check into the BARF diet, which is completely raw, but you don't need to follow the raw diet...just look at the part about the raw bones to get lots of good info.
 
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