Can anybody help.

I have got a 12 month old Staffordshire cross, he is a great dog, loving,
gentle and obedient.

BUT he loves to chew, if your with him during the day he's normally ok but
once I go out and leave him in the kitchen with the back door open (or shut)
he's off, he will jump up at the washing line and pull things off, he
started to chew a wooden bench last week outside, he will pull cloths out of
the washer and chew them, he has destroyed my wallet with my cards inside
and the list could go on.

I have tried smacking him and showing him the damage he has caused but
nothing,he just thinks I am playing as he starts jumping around and waging
his tail.

My wife is going mad with it all and wants him gone, but I couldn't get rid
of him (she must be mad), anyway can anybody help with some advice before he
eats at my modem cable LOL.

Thanks

Mark

"H" wrote in message
...
Can anybody help.

I have got a 12 month old Staffordshire cross, he is a great dog, loving,
gentle and obedient.

BUT he loves to chew, if your with him during the day he's normally ok but
once I go out and leave him in the kitchen with the back door open (or
shut) he's off, he will jump up at the washing line and pull things off,
he started to chew a wooden bench last week outside, he will pull cloths
out of the washer and chew them, he has destroyed my wallet with my cards
inside and the list could go on.

I have tried smacking him and showing him the damage he has caused but
nothing,he just thinks I am playing as he starts jumping around and waging
his tail.

My wife is going mad with it all and wants him gone, but I couldn't get
rid of him (she must be mad), anyway can anybody help with some advice
before he eats at my modem cable LOL.

Thanks

Mark

Hi Mark

I sympathise, as a few years ago, two of my dogs literally ate my kitchen! I
mean skirting, kitchen units, plaster on walls - everything! Luckily, this
was just a "puppy" thing, and they grew out of it! At 12 months, your
Staffie is still little more than a pup, and may still grow out of the mad
chewing. However, if he is okay while you are with him, I imagine it is
mostly to do with boredom and separation.

Perhaps the main thing is to make his environment as "dog-proof" as possible
in the first instance ie no washing, wallets etc. Leave him with a Kong or
Buster Cube to play with while he is alone. Perhaps you could try getting
him used to using a crate for short periods? (My own two were in this as
pups and now sleep in it at night.) A radio left on can help to make him
feel less lonely.

Long-term, you should probably try getting him more used to you leaving him.
You having given much information, so maybe I am making false assumptions,
but if he has your full attention when you are at home, then suddenly leave
him for long periods (with nothing else to do), he is probably suffering
from separation anxiety. You would have to get him used to being on his own
for short periods, eg in the kitchen for 2 mins, then you come back in. You
then have to build up gradually, so that he doesn't see being left as a big
deal.

Hope some of this makes sense. Good luck.

Lisa

PS Smacking him is pointless. He will have done the damage long before you
smack him, so will have no idea what is going on. If you catch him in the
act, you should be working on a "No" or "Leave" command.

--
"No matter how little money, and how few possessions you own, having a dog
makes you rich." (Louis Sabin)
Pictures of my pets: http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mypetpix/my_photos

A little bitter apple spray goes along ways.

You see what he is chewing on, spray the bitter apple on it and replace with
a nice bone or chew toy.

If you are gone for extended periods of time, pour chicken soup (or whatever
you like) in a Kong and freeze it. Let me suck, chew, lick on that ... it
should be better than any kitchen appliance.

It was funny, when I had my last dog, he chewed things outside - gutter
downspouts, cloths pole, air conditioner unit, etc. I had to put his own
poop on everything and he stopped all that madness. At one time he was
chewing the cover on the bbq grill, so I literally had Sh*t on the grill (on
the outside cover of course) : )


"H" wrote in message
...
Can anybody help.

I have got a 12 month old Staffordshire cross, he is a great dog, loving,
gentle and obedient.

BUT he loves to chew, if your with him during the day he's normally ok but
once I go out and leave him in the kitchen with the back door open (or
shut)
he's off, he will jump up at the washing line and pull things off, he
started to chew a wooden bench last week outside, he will pull cloths out
of
the washer and chew them, he has destroyed my wallet with my cards inside
and the list could go on.

I have tried smacking him and showing him the damage he has caused but
nothing,he just thinks I am playing as he starts jumping around and waging
his tail.

My wife is going mad with it all and wants him gone, but I couldn't get
rid
of him (she must be mad), anyway can anybody help with some advice before
he
eats at my modem cable LOL.

Thanks

Mark