[Libby416]

Hey everyone! Need a bit of help from those of you that have dogs with "destructive" symptoms of separation anxiety. My puppy has started chewing the carpet when I'm not home .

Now before I get back into crating him, are there any no chew sprays out there that actually work?? I'm not necessarily against crating, but I'd rather use it as a last resort.

TIA!

[Lazy Palomino Hunter]

Hey everyone! Need a bit of help from those of you that have dogs with "destructive" symptoms of separation anxiety. My puppy has started chewing the carpet when I'm not home .

Now before I get back into crating him, are there any no chew sprays out there that actually work?? I'm not necessarily against crating, but I'd rather use it as a last resort.

TIA!

If you spray something on what he is chewing, he will chew something else. You need to figure out WHY he's chewing.

(I mean, you may need to spray things if he's gotten into a habit of chewing on them, but that's secondary to figuring out the "why")

Are you sure it's separation anxiety, or could it just be boredom?

How old is he? How much exercise does he get? What sorts of toys does he have around when you're not home?

Honestly, I would probably go back to crating for the time being (or at least baby gate him in a smaller area with less he can get into). I would also increase his daily exercise, and I would make sure to always leave him with a "brain toy" when I left home. A frozen Kong classic, a Kong Genius or Kong Wobbler stuffed with treats, a marrow bone... SOMETHING. If he's going to be alone for a long time, multiple somethings are preferrable.

[Beckham03]

Agreed...not convinced it is separation anxety vs boredom at this point. Lazy Palomino gave some good advice.

[Libby416]

The only reason why I say separation anxiety is because its near the front door, and he never shows interest in it when I'm home.

He has lots of toys and bones around the apartment that he has access to while I'm gone, and he gets walked multiple times a day, with a long play session at the local dog park almost every day. He is a puppy, about 10 months old, and he also expends energy playing with the other dog in the apartment. We are keeping the dogs separated now after the main incident.

Do you have any suggestions for stuffings for kongs? I was giving him frozen peanut butter but it was too rich for him. I also tried yogurt, but he didn't like it.

[GraceLikeRain]

I would crate him. In his crate I would put a kong stuffed with frozen (a) rehydrated food (honest kitchen, sojo, etc.) (b) rice and meat (c) pumpkin and kibble (d) whatever else I can shove in there.



The dog used to have a playmate and now is separated. It could be boredom or separation anxiety. Regardless, a crate provides a safe environment and prevents the dog from eating something that could result in an $$$$ obstruction surgery.

[threedogpack]

Hey everyone! Need a bit of help from those of you that have dogs with "destructive" symptoms of separation anxiety. My puppy has started chewing the carpet when I'm not home .

Now before I get back into crating him, are there any no chew sprays out there that actually work?? I'm not necessarily against crating, but I'd rather use it as a last resort.

TIA!

he's a puppy. Chewing is how he explores his environment. If you don't want him to explore, you will have to crate.

[jetsmom]

Doesn't sound like SA. Sounds like an unsupervised puppy. Crate or get an Ex pen, and place it in the middle of a tile or linoleum floor.

[candyappy]

When we went somewhere ( not very often) we would put our pup and our other dog in the garage. That pup would get into everything she could and destroy it. It got to be that I would dread coming home because of what she might have gotten into ( it always belonged to my husband). This went on until it was getting too cold for them to be in the garage. We left her and other dog in the house instead and she did nothing and has been a dream ever since. We figure she wasn't used to being locked in there and was acting out her displeasure! I would crate your pup, especially if he is used to being in there. Give him time to grow up a bit more and the chewing phase to wear off.

[jetsmom]

If you decide to crate, don't just throw him in a crate and expect it to work. Google "Crate Games" to teach him that the crate is a good/happy/safe place.