max is now 17 months old and is still biting things, the latest thing being my new expensive car mat when i was driving to my mums, he was only in the car 10 minutes and i didnt know he had done it till the moring after. at night he has to sleep in a huge cage or i would get up in the morning with no furniture. soon iam moving home and i wont have room for the cage. any help on how i can stop him biting would be greatful.

As Max is a Lab, its in thier nature so I understand. I don't thing you can get them out of it ?

Hi,

The only thing I could suggest would be a chew deterrent, although if he's chewing anything and everything it probably wouldn't work. The chew deterrents work with an extremely bitter taste. A bit like the bitrex used in stop nail biting products. It's harmless to the dog, it just means he expects things to taste horrible when he tastes it and associates the chewing with a nasty taste.
Have you already tried this?

Or get him a Kong, my cocker loved em

Hi,

The only thing I could suggest would be a chew deterrent, although if he's chewing anything and everything it probably wouldn't work. The chew deterrents work with an extremely bitter taste. A bit like the bitrex used in stop nail biting products. It's harmless to the dog, it just means he expects things to taste horrible when he tastes it and associates the chewing with a nasty taste.
Have you already tried this?

no i havnt, i did ask for something like that at a local petshop but they dont stock anything like it. can you please tell me where i could get it from?

Pets At Home stock it. It should be with the travel and training section. If you can't see it, get someone to show you.
There are a couple to choose from. Have a read of both and see what you think. They can also be sprayed on wounds to stop animals licking them, so they are harmless.
I'm really mean. I always advise people to give the animal a really good taste of the horrible stuff...heh

Good luck with it :)

We used to have a x lab who would steal food. We were advised to put mustard on some food and leave it for him to steal. He ended up licking the mustard off and leaving the food lol

We used to have a x lab who would steal food. We were advised to put mustard on some food and leave it for him to steal. He ended up licking the mustard off and leaving the food lol

he steels food, eats leather handbags, trainers, carpets, rugs, paper, plant pots, cables, etc etc the list is never ending. dont think mustard will be good on everything. think i need a miracle.

Or get him a Kong, my cocker loved em

what is kong?

HI,

I have 2 labradors. One is a chewer and one isnt. Molly has always chewed everything, skirting boards, carpets, floor boards, doors etc...even when she has been left with toys, kongs, bones etc.

She is 2 tomorrow and she would still chew if given the chance. I had a cage but even the biggest one wasnt big enough really for her to move around in so in the end we started keeping her outside in the day in a dog run/shed which we bought from Hilsborough fencing.

I put both my dogs in it but only when we are at work or when we go out and never for a really long time and never at night (they sleep in our room at night :rolleyes: )

I have to be honest, nothing stopped molly chewing until we put her in an environment (outside dog run) where there was nothing worth damaging :)

what is kong?

A Kong is a rubber shaped toy which they can chew and which you can fill with food or special paste stuff. Some people fill them with fish, cheese, meat etc....but to be honest our dogs only bother with them long wnough to get the food out and then thats it so we dont bother with them anymore.

http://www.kongcompany.com/

HI,

I have 2 labradors. One is a chewer and one isnt. Molly has always chewed everything, skirting boards, carpets, floor boards, doors etc...even when she has been left with toys, kongs, bones etc.

She is 2 tomorrow and she would still chew if given the chance. I had a cage but even the biggest one wasnt big enough really for her to move around in so in the end we started keeping her outside in the day in a dog run/shed which we bought from Hilsborough fencing.

I put both my dogs in it but only when we are at work or when we go out and never for a really long time and never at night (they sleep in our room at night :rolleyes: )

I have to be honest, nothing stopped molly chewing until we put her in an environment (outside dog run) where there was nothing worth damaging :)

he loves it outside, he collects anything he can pick up and puts them in the middle of the garden all together after he has had a good chew on it. he sticks his head through the fence and picks up the neighbours bits and pieces too. ive lost count of the many times ive thrown them all in the bin. but the next time hes out he gathers even more. i know who will get fed up first and it definatly wont be him.

he loves it outside, he collects anything he can pick up and puts them in the middle of the garden all together after he has had a good chew on it. he sticks his head through the fence and picks up the neighbours bits and pieces too. ive lost count of the many times ive thrown them all in the bin. but the next time hes out he gathers even more. i know who will get fed up first and it definatly wont be him.

Alot of people dont like the idea of putting dogs outside. And we had lots of negative responses when we asked people about it but for us I couldnt cope with coming home from work and finding everthing trashed. I used to dread walking through the door and then I used to be angry the Molly and our reunion every teatime was never as happy as it is now.

Getting the dog shed changed everything for us. Its her and her sisters little home and they love it. They only go in it when needed (when I am at work) and they have bedding and toys and muddy footballs and all the other toys that they arent allowed to have in the house in the shed with them. Its their little house.

Maybe this could work for you?

I have to say, the spray works well for some dogs, and not for others. T licked the spray off and then continued to chew, but I have since been told you should spray it on a cloth, put the cloth in their mouth and close their jaws around it so they get a negative association with the taste. Personally think it's a bit harsh and scary for the dog, but it depends how desperate you are!

Try putting white vinegar on stuff first, much cheaper and if it works you won't need to buy expensive sprays that are sometimes ineffective.

Have you tried training discs or a corrector spray?
They are both distraction techniques, and in my opinion are a lot more effective, when you catch the dog chewing what it's not supposed to, drop the discs (they're like symbols) near him, or spray the spray (which emits a harmless gas and makes a hissing noise) nearby to distract him, then present him with a kong toy or similar chew toy.

The kong toys are a good idea as Bailey's mum suggested, they provide the dog with mental stimulation whilst also providing a chew toy.

Labs love to chew and it's not an easy thing to train any dog out of, but it is possible to some degree but you need to keep the dog busy. Kong toys are 'stuffable' and chewable at the same time so the dog works to get the food out whilst managing to chew.

no i havnt, i did ask for something like that at a local petshop but they dont stock anything like it. can you please tell me where i could get it from?

Forget what the brand name is but its the Bitter Apple stuff you spray where you dont want your dog to chew...

I'd go for the KONG stuffed with food- labs love to eat (but if you do- make sure you cut his regular meal quantities by the amount you are stuffing in the KONG, otherwise you could end up with a lardy lab. Good luck xK

i want to thank everyone for the advice, im definatly going to get a kong and maybe a spray bottle filled with water that was suggested. then my next step will be the spray. i will keep you all informed as to what happens.

Regaurding the training discs, ive not heard of them before now. I have a trouble with Ozzie pulling when walking on the lead, I saved his old lead and give it him to hold as we walk, this works for a while but I am runnung short of old leads. but the problem I have not found a cure for is his screaming when we pass a house with dogs in the yard. His tail is going like mad and the other dogs wag thier tails and bark as we scream our way down the road. I think the discs would do the trick, where would I get them from please?

Beagles are renowned chewers, and I'll still find Brude giving the furniture an experimental lick occasionally :suspect:

We always made sure he was never unsupervised, though if he was he was caged. This meant he was within 'training' distance whenever he got the chance to chew, and 'no' coupled with a loud clap, single finger rap to the nose, water spray (depending on what was working at the time) seems to have paid off

for the car, I'd ensure your dog travels caged - especially if you carry other items around in the back of the car. Not so much for the safety of the other items, but for the safety of your dog!

You can afford for a travel cage to be slightly smaller than one you may choose for indoors, as a smaller cage stops them sliding about and injuring themselves so easily

A cheaper alternative would be a muzzle, but having not noticed him chewing whilst you were driving, I'd not attempt this method, as they can get their toes caught whilst trying to quietly lever the contraption off their face :(