[goslow]

We adopted an adorable 8mo old 7lb dog but she is driving us and our other dog nuts with chewing. Baby teeth long gone. We have tried substituting chews each time we see her doing this and she will take the chew for awhile the go back to the bad habit. I have had lots of puppies of different breeds but none like this one chewing us, things, other dogs, etc. Any suggestions?
She is also not doing well on housebreaking. But I hate the crate thing!

[cigwyllt]

How long have you had her? Do you know anything about her background before you had her? Chewing isn't always related to teething -it can be habit, it can be because she has never learnt what is and is appropriate and it can also be a symptom of anxiety. Dogs chew to relieve stress just as a person might bite his or her nails.

Assuming she isn't anxious this is a great article about teaching bite inhibition:

Puppy Biting | Dog Star Daily

Believe it or not you are at an advantage because you have another dog in the house. Your other dog is far more able to teach her what is an appropriate level of mouthing than you are. So far as possible, without putting her at risk, you should let your older dog "tell her off" as she will be better able to understand from him/her than from you.

Just wondering if because she has obviously had a less than ideal start in life, whether she is just altogether immature. Many young pups get over stimulated by touch - stroking and handling just excites them so much they don't know what to do with themselves as it were. My Jack Russell was very much like that. It was very hard but I had to hold off and try to keep physical attention to a minimum for a while. I still made a huge fuss of him - lots of chat, eye contact, play - but I held off from the cuddles and stroking except for when I was sitting on the floor with him and he was calm.

As for the toilet training, again I would treat her as an 8 week pup - toilet breaks at least every hour, after every meal, every nap, every playtime and loads and loads of fuss when she gets it right.

[angiesample]

Bell training as a potty training technique works GREAT! And no crate required!!

[GSDS4Life]

I don't doubt that this is the reason she was given up. Just boggles my mind how people get pups and think they come perfect and housebroken. Grrrr.

When you see her chewing on something, give her the "leave it" command and redirect her to her toy. Make sure you praise like crazy. This may take a few tries. She needs to learn what the command means. Also, with any command always use her name before it.

Originally Posted by cigwyllt

As for the toilet training, again I would treat her as an 8 week pup - toilet breaks at least every hour, after every meal, every nap, every playtime and loads and loads of fuss when she gets it right.

I agree with this.

I never crated and I managed to housebreak my boys with ease.

You can also try the bell technique. Some dogs grasp the concept, but some don't.

[Todd]

How much exercise is the pup getting? This could be the reason for the chewing (boredom and pent up energy) and the issues with housebreaking (not getting out enough).

As GSDS Suggested, this could be separation anxiety. How long is the dog left alone? Does the worst of the chewing occur when you are gone and the dog is alone?

More info on the housetraining would be helpful.

[reeskujo]

It sounds like it could be a case of board em...I see you have 2 dogs...Is she getting one on one time with you without the other dog around? puppies will do things to get attention even if it's negative attention!

As for housebreaking if she was in a shelter for awhile that could explain it...Shelter dogs can be a little harder to house break since the whole thime they were in the shelter they had to potty in their cages therefore they think it's ok to do it anywhere...

Make sure she's going outside to potty every 2hrs,after eating and after playtime,nap time and before bed...Also make sure you cut her water off 2hr.s before bed time...

You may also want to try the Bitter Apple spray...It's harmless and won't stain furniture or carpet...It simply leaves a very bad taste in their mouth when they chew on something that's been sprayed with it.

You can also try squirting her with a spray bottle whenever you catch her chewing on something she shouldn't and be sure to use a very firm no or leave it command when you do...

Hope this helps!!

[Todd]

Originally Posted by reeskujo

It sounds like it could be a case of board em...I see you have 2 dogs...Is she getting one on one time with you without the other dog around? puppies will do things to get attention even if it's negative attention!

As for housebreaking if she was in a shelter for awhile that could explain it...Shelter dogs can be a little harder to house break since the whole thime they were in the shelter they had to potty in their cages therefore they think it's ok to do it anywhere...

Make sure she's going outside to potty every 2hrs,after eating and after playtime,nap time and before bed...Also make sure you cut her water off 2hr.s before bed time...

You may also want to try the Bitter Apple spray...It's harmless and won't stain furniture or carpet...It simply leaves a very bad taste in their mouth when they chew on something that's been sprayed with it.

You can also try squirting her with a spray bottle whenever you catch her chewing on something she shouldn't and be sure to use a very firm no or leave it command when you do...

Hope this helps!!

For more info on the spray bottle technique check out this thread...

Squirt Bottle Thoughts