My roommate's 6 month old Jack Russell Terrier, Trey, chews shoes. I left her home alone for 4 hours today, and she pulled half of the shoes off the shoe rack, carried them to the living room, and chewed them. She was also chewing her chew toy and a plastic broom that she's not allowed to have. This is far from the first time she's done this, and she knows she'll get in trouble.

I don't want to have to confine Trey while we're not home. She's a hyperactive little dog, and I want her to be able to run around the house. We've elevated the cat litter and closed the bedroom doors, so the shoes are the only thing she can get in trouble with.

Please help. Should I confine the dog, defend the shoes, or try to correct the behaviour? Also, what's the correct way to punish a misbehaving dog?

A yellow Lab I used to live with behaved just fine when unsupervised. Are JR Terriers incapable of this?

Hi. I think you need to keep your shoes in a place where she can't access. Our dog used to do that too. I wonder why they actually love chewing shoes. Punishing the dog will just make it worse. Talk to your roommate about his/her dog's behavior.

Keep your shoes away until the dog gets older and gets over the chewing phase. Some people have success with using bitter apple spray on things they don't want the dog to chew on.

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by BobSmalls

My roommate's 6 month old Jack Russell Terrier, Trey, chews shoes. I left her home alone for 4 hours today, and she pulled half of the shoes off the shoe rack, carried them to the living room, and chewed them. She was also chewing her chew toy and a plastic broom that she's not allowed to have. This is far from the first time she's done this, and she knows she'll get in trouble.

I don't want to have to confine Trey while we're not home. She's a hyperactive little dog, and I want her to be able to run around the house. We've elevated the cat litter and closed the bedroom doors, so the shoes are the only thing she can get in trouble with.

Please help. Should I confine the dog, defend the shoes, or try to correct the behaviour? Also, what's the correct way to punish a misbehaving dog?

A yellow Lab I used to live with behaved just fine when unsupervised. Are JR Terriers incapable of this?

unfortunately you overlooked this type of breed... this is a member of the Terrier family and are in fact NOT hyper but are extremely high energy thus not enough exercise, they become destructive. It needs a lot of time off leash to wear itself out so a securely fenced yard is almost always a must. Daily walks are not sufficient as this breed has a high prey drive therefore needs to be free to explore and mock hunt. In this case, the shoes are its prey. Parson John Russell Terrier aka JRT, Miniature Pinschers, American Rat erriers, Schnauzers, Dachshunds all are part of the Terrier family of dogs and are the only type of dogs created for the sole purpose of hunting to kill. It is common for this breed to do this which is why generally a lot of research is needed when taking on a terrier. Granted Dachshunds can be a little less tenacious indoors but they also have the drive and if any of these see a rat, mouse, bird, squirrel etc and are free to go for it they generally will. Again, high energy..a lot of pent up energy thus needs a lot of space to wear it off. Once they have done so you will find they are more prone to kick back and sleep like a rock. Crate training is a must for the terriers to ensure no destructive free for alls when not at home. Good Luck.
I have raised and bred Miniature Pinschers for many years and currently own 12 and can tell you that a JRT has nothing on these terriers...hell on 4 feet.
Thankfully I live on a farm with a large fenced area and occasional rats which give them a days worth of work out.

Put the shoes away. Six months old is rather young to be left alone and expected to behave.

My dog used to to this years ago. Yours is a bit young right now, so you might have to barricade the shoe area where he can't get to them or keep your shoes in a cupboard at this point.

I would suggest that you keep all your shoes away. I think every dog goes through a stage where they like to chew shoes a lot. Goodluck!

I had to laugh at this one. Simply because I woke up the other morning and while getting ready to go out realized one of my shoes was missing. Mind you, up untill then my dog had shown no interest in my shoes whatsoever. After searching the house for half an hour I finally found it behind the entertainment center, and the only way he could have gotten it back there was by a very luck toss!! Now my shoes are kept where he cant get to them if they arnt on my feet. I knew he hadnt eaten it because there was no "shoe debrie" anywhere in the house. Dogs, gotta love em!

Yogi is right about JRT's, they are very energetic breed and need to release their energy in some activity. Try keeping him occupied with something else like chews and toys, keep the shoes away for a while and give him a good exercise.

Your puppy sounds still very young and in the stage where they chew just like young kids, toddlers teethe and put everything in their mouths. My friend's German Shepard did that as well and there was no stopping at just shoes but her remote control and various other interesting items fell victim to her puppy. Try and puppy prove as you have already done a bit and find another temporary place for the shoes and other items that could be of interest. A few good chew toys may do wonders. Ask the vet which ones are best if unclear.
My Jack Russell does not chew anymore but he does once in a while like to gnaw on a certain toy. They are high energy and love to run, long walks and chasing after a ball will help later when your pup is older but even now he needs attention and cannot be left alone for hours on end. On a different note: I was told many times the Jack Russell is not a lap dog. True, however, my little guy loves nothing better than curl up on my lap at the end of the day, sigh deeply and fall asleep. Rascals that will melt your heart.