BiggieFries Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 The fiance and I own a Golden Retriever. He's awesome (most of the time)! There's no way I would ever return him or get rid of him, but I need some advice or I'm going to start yanking what's left of my hair out! How do you stop a dog from eating through the drywall?! I'm getting married this weekend and we're having guests come over. Luckily, my dad is an expert w/ drywall and can fix it with no problems, so I'm not too worried about the looks. But I gotta get this dog from litterally eating us out of house and home! He's about 9 months old. I know goldens can be a little fiesty until they're about 2 years old. Any and all advice will be helpful! Will answer yours! And I already know to start the dog most likely to get me the most points! thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sores Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 The fiance and I own a Golden Retriever. He's awesome (most of the time)! There's no way I would ever return him or get rid of him, but I need some advice or I'm going to start yanking what's left of my hair out! How do you stop a dog from eating through the drywall?! I'm getting married this weekend and we're having guests come over. Luckily, my dad is an expert w/ drywall and can fix it with no problems, so I'm not too worried about the looks. But I gotta get this dog from litterally eating us out of house and home! He's about 9 months old. I know goldens can be a little fiesty until they're about 2 years old. Any and all advice will be helpful! Will answer yours! And I already know to start the dog most likely to get me the most points! thanks guys! 1310864[/snapback] I hated our Black Lab until he was about 2. He was retarded. Did the stupidest things. He outgrew the puppy behavior and is a great dog now. I think it is just going to take time.... or a shock collar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 He needs something else to chew on... bones.. Raw hide etc.... My lab loved those pigs ears..... They will usually get over the chewing thing after they loose there baby teeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebellab Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I have a yellow lab. The first year was hell. He chewed out the walls of his dog house. Every bed I gave him he ripped apart. He had rawhide bones etc nothing helped. The only thing I found was to run, walk and play with him. Then instead of being bored he was tired. He finally quit at about 10 months. I can sympathize with you, I lost shoes, a phone and many other things due to his chewing. I can only say that he will grow out of it. The other thing is surround him with toys to chew on. Mine chomped little plastic balls and stuffed animals. I had to constantly pick stuff up, but it wasn't expensive stuff from my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggieFries Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 He needs something else to chew on... bones.. Raw hide etc.... My lab loved those pigs ears..... They will usually get over the chewing thing after they loose there baby teeth 1310879[/snapback] The little guy has toys galore. He's eaten most of his toys so we have to keep buying new ones. But even when he does have them, he still goes to the wall for desert. He even has his own blanket that he likes to bite and hump. I actually cought him in the act last night and I scared the hell out of him. Hopefully he'll be too terrified to go back to the wall. It's strange cuz he started this out of the blue. Thanks, for your help guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Our last 2 Labs NEVER chewed anything that wasn't theirs, and I don't know what we did right! Now, our first dog, terrier/dalmation mix, was a voracious chewer. She ate 5-6 steps of carpet, the pool table felt w/ the rails, our mattress, table/chair legs, and even tried to chew thru a plywood barrier! The hole was as big as her head by the time I got home. After a 'treatment/training' by a pro handler, she started getting better and by 1.5 yo she was a great dog. The treatment involved Bitter Apple. Squirting this stuff on something she chewed and holding it in her mouth for a minute or so. And then chaining her in an area where she could do no damage while we were gone the next day. Sounds cruel, but did you ever see how a momma dog treats her bad puppy? They will actually pick the pup up by the face and hold them till they go limp and concede defeat. But drywall? Mouse traps placed around also helped big time. First day she set 2-3 off. Second day NONE! By the next week all we had to do was place them around unset, she wouldn't go near them. Big knuckle bones are great, but messy on carpet. After a day or two, get another. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Are you leaving the dog home by itself now? Quite a few dogs develop separation anxiety which will cause them to act this way. Bitter apple works for sofas and other fabrics but I'm not sure it will work on drywall. One of the best ways to get your dog to calm down is to exercise the daylights out of him/her. Our dog went through a chewing phase but we started exercising her 2-3 times a day which wore her out and eventually she stopped chewing on things because she was wiped out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveby Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I have a black lab. He ate through the garage wall (sheetrock, insulation, hardeplank siding). Sorry no answers, good luck though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 The little guy has toys galore. He's eaten most of his toys so we have to keep buying new ones. But even when he does have them, he still goes to the wall for desert. He even has his own blanket that he likes to bite and hump. I actually cought him in the act last night and I scared the hell out of him. Hopefully he'll be too terrified to go back to the wall. It's strange cuz he started this out of the blue. Thanks, for your help guys! 1310888[/snapback] FWIW......our Choc. Lab was very aggressive towards women. Not mean or biting, but he would jump, push, and try to dominate. After we had him clipped, it was all over and he was probably the best/most docile 120# dog anyone could have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Wit htwiley, Bitter Apple works wonders, but not sure if it is usable on drywall or not. Never had a problem with our lab chewing walls etc., just every stuffed toy he ever had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Bitter apple works for sofas and other fabrics but I'm not sure it will work on drywall. 1310930[/snapback] Very true! But maybe the mouse traps as a fence, so to speak to keep him away from the walls? I dunno, just thinking out loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelBunz Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 (edited) Well....the bitter apple can backfire......lol. I've had two dogs that LOVED the taste of it. But Rebellab is right here.....he has excess energy. This is a big Dog Whisperer technique....just letting him out in the backyard is not the same as a 45 minute controlled, brisk walk. He just had a dog that ate everything and almost died from eating carpet recently. I think it was the "Katrina Dogs" episode and it looks to be re-airing on Friday at 4pm on the National Geographic Channel. That and chewies, as Yuke suggested. He should be about done teething at 9 months, but something harder than toys will speed that along a bit. One more thing to consider.....is he eating the corners of walls? Could there have been a previous animal that marked or peed on those walls? Dogs absolutely hate bleach...it "numbs" their noses. You might wipe a few of those corners down with a light concentration of bleach water. Cesar Milan is THE best. Catch that episode if you can....I hope it's the right one! Edited February 7, 2006 by SteelBunz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggieFries Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 Are you leaving the dog home by itself now? Quite a few dogs develop separation anxiety which will cause them to act this way. Bitter apple works for sofas and other fabrics but I'm not sure it will work on drywall. One of the best ways to get your dog to calm down is to exercise the daylights out of him/her. Our dog went through a chewing phase but we started exercising her 2-3 times a day which wore her out and eventually she stopped chewing on things because she was wiped out. 1310930[/snapback] Yes we leave him alone for a good amount of time during the day. I like the idea of excercising him like a nut though. I did that last night and he didn't bother us at all last night. Thanks for all the advice, guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Well....the bitter apple can backfire......lol. I've had two dogs that LOVED the taste of it. 1310962[/snapback] That IS wierd! My first dog would start to drool, toungue popping out in disgust and would walk away if I just showed her the bottle after the first couple of treatments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seattle LawDawg Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Yes we leave him alone for a good amount of time during the day. I like the idea of excercising him like a nut though. I did that last night and he didn't bother us at all last night. Thanks for all the advice, guys! 1310974[/snapback] If he always goes back to the same spot....tabasco on the wall for a day or two. As for chewing new spots, I'm also waiting to see the answer for my 18 m/o Lab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggieFries Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 Well....the bitter apple can backfire......lol. I've had two dogs that LOVED the taste of it. But Rebellab is right here.....he has excess energy. This is a big Dog Whisperer technique....just letting him out in the backyard is not the same as a 45 minute controlled, brisk walk. He just had a dog that ate everything and almost died from eating carpet recently. I think it was the "Katrina Dogs" episode and it looks to be re-airing on Friday at 4pm on the National Geographic Channel. That and chewies, as Yuke suggested. He should be about done teething at 9 months, but something harder than toys will speed that along a bit. One more thing to consider.....is he eating the corners of walls? Could there have been a previous animal that marked or peed on those walls? Dogs absolutely hate bleach...it "numbs" their noses. You might wipe a few of those corners down with a light concentration of bleach water. Cesar Milan is THE best. Catch that episode if you can....I hope it's the right one! 1310962[/snapback] I actually ordered his DVD. I'm waiting for it in the mail! Unfortunately, we only have basic cable so we don't get that channel. But I have heard of him and nationalgeographic.com (org?) has a bunch of his clips. He really is awesome. After watching those clips I also thought about the excercise thing, but I didn't want to jump the gun on that before I got the dvd. If I did, and it didn't work I'd just be too dern tired to fix any walls! Thanks, again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelBunz Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 If he always goes back to the same spot....tabasco on the wall for a day or two. As for chewing new spots, I'm also waiting to see the answer for my 18 m/o Lab. 1310980[/snapback] OMG....I had a HUGH Dobie once who knocked over a bottle of tobasco. It broke....and he was lapping it up faster than I could get a paper towel. That dog was in agony for days......and had the hershey squirts for DAYS... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 tabacso worked for my brother..... its the pent up energy.... u need to walk him everyday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelBunz Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 That IS wierd! My first dog would start to drool, toungue popping out in disgust and would walk away if I just showed her the bottle after the first couple of treatments. 1310979[/snapback] LOL.....my two new mutts are into cardboard boxes and have chewed the corners of a couple furniture boxes I have leaning on a wall waiting for installation. I gave the bitter apple one more try (my previous boxer loved the taste).....they left the boxes alone for one day. That's it...one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Yeah, watch the Dog Whisperer guy on National Geographic channel. He's amazing and gives great advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 tabacso worked for my brother..... its the pent up energy.... u need to walk him everyday 1310999[/snapback] What was your brother chewing on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggieFries Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 What was your brother chewing on? 1311015[/snapback] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wirehairman Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 (edited) I'm with those recommending excercise. Taking the dog for a long walk every night has the added benefit of being good for you as well. If you don't feel like walking the dog, sit on your back porch, grab a cold one (or six), and throw a tennis ball until your arm feels like it is going to fall off. Edited February 7, 2006 by wirehairman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swashbucklers Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 If he always goes back to the same spot....tabasco on the wall for a day or two. As for chewing new spots, I'm also waiting to see the answer for my 18 m/o Lab. 1310980[/snapback] My golden used to chew the legs of our chairs and our couch until we rubbed some tabasco on it. It stopped her from doing that, and the bitter apple works well too. I do not know if those are applicable to drywall, however. Now if I could just get her to stop jumping up and eating raw meat off the counter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebellab Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 My golden used to chew the legs of our chairs and our couch until we rubbed some tabasco on it. It stopped her from doing that, and the bitter apple works well too. I do not know if those are applicable to drywall, however. Now if I could just get her to stop jumping up and eating raw meat off the counter! 1311064[/snapback] My dog was notorious for eating stuff off the counter. He didn't even get table scraps it was just the smell. He pulled a vaccuum packed chicken out of the sink and ate the whole thing wrapper and all. I called the vet and he said just keep an eye on him. If he doesn't shiate, let me know and we will have a look. So I watched him crap. The next day the wrapper came out. I took him a bit to get it out, but it was fully encased with poo. It was funny at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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