Puppy + Carpet = disaster!

libbyandblue

libbyandblue

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Our puppy has seriously damaged out carpet on the stairs - she has chewed through it a huge amount, within about 10mins!! Can anyone recomend a way to stop her from doing this? Also, do you think its right to punish her for doing so? i.e giving her a slap (not as hard as it sounds) on her tummy? We just did it once to show her it was bad....
 
Yes she needs to know that she was doing wrong but you have to make sure you discipline her at the time and not after or she will just be confused. My rottie ate the house when she was a pup including chewing through the wiring to the burglar alarm setting it off!! I think the only way to stop her is to keep her away from it when she is unattended. Make sure she has lots of toys she can chew and hope she grows out of it while you still have some house left!!
 
Thanks! she had literally just done it, as she came up the stairs and we went down, she knew she had done something wrong as she crawled up to us... we did give her a couple of gentle smacks, but it wasnt sore! she was put in her bed in the porch for 10mins, and shes fine! lets hope she doesnt do it again!
 
TBH I would never smack a puppy, especially on her belly
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The best thing is a firm 'no' put her in her bed and ignore her.

I know others who give a gentle shake to the pup using the scruff as that's what a bitch does to them? (Now I mean a very, very gentle shake not a violent one)
 
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she knew she had done something wrong as she crawled up to us...

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I'm sorry, but to my knowledge, it's not often dogs act like that because they KNOW what/if they've done something wrong, they're much, much more likely to do it to try and show that they DON'T KNOW what they've done, and that whatever has happened, they want to make sure that you wont be angry at them.


If you catch her in the act, you can tell her NO! if you want to, but most importantly is that you show her the options you want her to use = her own dog bones, dog toys that she is allowed to chew at. And that you maybe praise her a little if you happen to see her free willingly choose to chew on the allowed things. She could just as easily have thought you were angry that she wasn't greeting you humbly enough.


Please note, I'm not saying I think you're bad dog owners for slapping her, I don't know you and can't judge that. But I don't think she knew what she had done, she maybe suspected that she'd done something wrong, but I really doubt she knew what it was exactly. She could just as easily have thought you were angry because she wasn't greeting you humbly enough.


from Sweden.
 
Our JRT (as a pup) managed to find my new diary, and chewed it. As we found her actually still chewing it, she was told NO and was given one smack with said diary (little floppy pocket one). She has never (I repeat never) chewed anything ever again and is now nearly 2.
I understand that people have different views on this (same as with kids I expect), but it worked for us. I don't think one smack (in the right circumstances) is wrong.
My sis in law has labs and does not believe in smacking. She has had quite a few pieces of furniture damaged by chewing.
Good luck with your puppy (have we seen pics)??

Fiona
 
Sorry, a sentence disappeared for me when I pre-viewed, and I just saw where it ended up. Don't ask me how it happened, but the "She could just as easily have thought you were angry that she wasn't greeting you humbly enough." should only have been the ending sentence.

I neither disapprove or approve of smacking, it depends on the situation for me.

But all ethologist I've heard or read saying something about the subject, have said their conclusion is that dogs rarely behaves as if they're ashamed of something, due to actually knowing they've done something wrong.
It's a natural behaviour in a insecure situation, that we humanize into a sign of shame.


from Sweden.
 
My previous staffie used to chew the carpet, I never really smack puppies I think a "telling off", the tone of your voice is usually enough.

All puppies go through some kind of chewing stage and you really do need to catch them in the act & tell them off immediately.

My 15 month GSD was the last one to go through a chewing stage & I never felt the need to smack her as she got so upset just by telling off. Even now if she does something wrong she gets told off (wees herself & has a face on her like I've battered her) and it's forgotten about straight away, don't play on it. Now I just say to her "Arghh" when she's done something wrong & she knows.
 
I never smack or tell a puppy off, but do praise a huge amount when I see them doing something they should be, ie chewing the right thing or weeing on the pad etc.

We just got a new lab puppy at the weekend and if she goes near one of my other dogs when they have a bone they growl at her and she slinks off. Not because she has done something wrong but because she senses from them they are not best pleased. This is the same reaction you get when a puppy sees you come in the room annoyed at something they have done. They are therefore not linking what they have done as being bad, but your body language and voice tone as being angry. If my puppies have ever chewed anything it is my fault for not supervising them properly or leaving my shoes laying around. That said, she swiped my slipper off my foot yesterday and scarpered with it...she is no shrinking violet
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well thats the only time we have ever smacked her, she gets tonnes of praise when she does the toilet outside etc. she get a tap on the nose with one finger when she tries to bite, but other than that, we do praise her a lot! I am getting a bit worried about it though!
 
im worried that we shouldn't have hit her, i dont want it to sound bad because it really wasnt!! it was the first time we have done it though, apart from that its been taps on the nose for biting etc.
 
What's done is done LC, I've had dogs for 18 years now, and currently own dog number 5, 6 and 7.
Through the years I've done puppy class, follow up class, follow up on the follow up class etc., and I have recently changed to my third dog club, because I think the chance is better that a new instructor can teach me new things.

You know what? I still make mistakes! I just try and not do the same ones.
I've interpret my dogs body language all wrong, I've taught them stupid things... And I've learned that dogs are usually very forgiving, as long as you don't do it to much wrong, and sometimes they're forgiving even then. And when I use the word forgiving, I mean it as in, that it usually takes a lot to ruin them for life.



Though I don't think you should have smacked her, I still don't really think it sounds like you should worry about having done it.

Personally I wouldn't tap my dogs on their noses for biting either, I either Yelp!, stops playing with them, says Ap Ap!, replace my fingers/hand with a dog bone or No! etc. according to what I feel is appropriate for the situation.
But I'm not saying this to make you worry about that to, it's genuinely meant as an advice, if you think it sounds sensible, I hope you try it, if it doesn't make sense or sounds like crap, ignore it.


from Sweden.
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PS I said Ap Ap! to my dogs before seeing Victoria Stillwell on TV, went all "Oh wow, I almost say the same."
 
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