puppy help

DevoVamp · Post by **DevoVamp** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 9:50 pm

Hey all!

I need your advice on a bit of a problem we've been having with Suki, our cairn terrier pup that we got in the spring.

She's housebroken, and she barks like crazy at other dogs, but that's not the problem.

She's gotten into the habit of chewing on the rugs that we have around the house. She not only gnaws the corners but she's taken to folding them over and over to do it, and since my mother's fallen more times than I care to count this year, this is getting dangerous.

Keeping her out of the rooms with the carpets isn't an option, since the other dog, Chilli, loves to go in there at night and rest under the beds. We don't see her do it, but tonight when I found the result I yelled at her and put her in her pen. I've tried putting hot pepper flakes on the chewed corners, but that doesn't seem to have helped. She also has lots of bones to chew on, so it's not that either.

I was planning to put tin foil on the corners, but now she's started chewing on the edge in the middle.

I'm at a loss. Oh, and that bitter apple stuff that you're supposed to use doesn't work. She's skipped chewing on the tables and gone for the rugs!!! All my others picked the chairs!! LOL!

Any suggestions??

wELCOME cONSUMER · Post by **wELCOME cONSUMER** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 9:58 pm

Is there any way to keep the dog(s) outside? I never keep my dogs indoors for this very reason. You can buy insulated houses and stuff to help them cope with the winter. Clothes can help smaller dogs stay warm as well.

If that's not an option... well, I'm not sure what else to suggest. If the chew toy isn't more appealing than the carpet, then you're kind of stuck. Young dogs need to chew and will do it no matter what. You just have to force them to chew the right things.

There's no way to set up an area with no rugs just for her? At least until she's over this chewing phase.

minigt · Post by **minigt** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:03 pm

You can get a pheromone spray (not the apple stuff) that they can't stand. I used it years ago (i live in Australia) and it worked a treat. You can't smell it and it doesn't stain. Speak to you local vet for advise. I do remember it wasn't cheap. Hope this helps.

wELCOME cONSUMER · Post by **wELCOME cONSUMER** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:05 pm

Does that effect small areas? Or is it localized? As in, would the entire room irritate the dog, or just the area on the carpet?

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:05 pm

Not that I know of.

minigt · Post by **minigt** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:13 pm

It is localised and will only effect the specific area sprayed.

wELCOME cONSUMER · Post by **wELCOME cONSUMER** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:16 pm

Oh wow! That's very interesting! I could use that. Having 8 dogs can be annoying when you try to get them to obey.

They sometimes realize they outnumber you...

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:16 pm

I thought so too.

Baakay · Post by **Baakay** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 11:06 pm

Yep, that's the stuff to get. We got some for the cats (obviously it was the cat formula, not the dog formula) and it did a wonderful job.

Definitely worth a small investement, especially when weighed against either the cost of a rug, or medical bills for your mom!

oh... Could she be teething? as in, getting permanent teeth in??

shellie · Post by **shellie** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 8:13 am

DV, I am the loving owner of a Cairn terrier, and I can say without reservation that of all the kinds of dogs we've owned over the years, Cairns are BY FAR the most hard-headed and willful beasties I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with!!

My husband and I still can't decide whether she is stubborn or just plain DAFT sometimes... you give her a command and she just gives you this blank stare! hahaha! When it stops being maddening, it is pretty funny.

And we really are certain that she is a very smart dog, but she only does what SHE wants to do and WHEN she wants to do it! We've never had a dog that flauts authority like that. She's very lucky that she is so cute!

That being said, after 2 years of thinking she'd never be house-broken, at age 4 she is the ultimate in trustworthy, low-maintenance dogs. She has a bladder of IRON (she would rather sleep in the comfy couch than go outside in the cold, so she stays in bed until my Sheltie's THIRD trip outside around 11:00 some days!) and she doesn't chew anything up anymore (though that never seemed to be a huge issue for her like it does with your Cairn).

So I guess my advice would be to get whatever that stuff is that the others are talking about that will keep your doggie's mouth off the rugs, then just give her time to grow out of it. It takes those stubborn scottish dogs a long time to get something through their thick heads, but they do eventually catch on! And they're well worth the effort!

Good luck!!

Not Sir Phobos · Post by **Not Sir Phobos** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:32 am

Electrify the rug

wELCOME cONSUMER · Post by **wELCOME cONSUMER** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:35 am

Not Sir Phobos wrote:Electrify the rug

Sugarflower · Post by **Sugarflower** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:54 pm

I didn't know they had a spray like that!!

I think we need it for my moms cats since they love climbing the curtains and shredding the shower curtain, lol.

Does your doggie only do this when no one is home or is it all the time? I would suggest oodles of toys be given (you already stated that this little pup has lots of bones to gnaw on) and give alot of walks each day to use up any built up energy.

Hopefully the spray will work for you if you choose to try it.

wELCOME cONSUMER · Post by **wELCOME cONSUMER** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:16 pm

^ There's nothing worse than separation anxiety. Pets become so destructive and nervous, it strains the relationship.

DevoVamp · Post by **DevoVamp** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 3:35 pm

Hey guys!
I may have to try that spray! Although, I think the tin foil and tape may be working, since the other day she chewed the corner of her pillow rather than the rug! So, now I have duct tape on the corners of the pillow! LOL!!!

Shellie, you are SOOOOOO RIGHT when you say they're hard-headed!!!!! I have to call them in 20 times before they'll come, even when I have a treat in hand!! If I don't have a treat, I might as well be calling a flock of birds in, because there's not a chance in heck they'll move!

Right now Suki's sitting on my lap, kissing my nose and forcing me to type with one hand!!! Honey, you're heavy@! Ah, that's better! My mother wants me to replace the rug in her room, but I want to try and make sure she's out of this habit first! Why trash any more rugs, right??

But, they're much too cute to kill! Chilli's the greatest guard dog alive, he's on watch 24-7, the little love, and Suki's the caretaker. If anyone comes in the house either sick or with something wrong, she's all over them kissing them trying to make it better!

Ah, well, you gotta love the litte furry things. I guess they can eat some of the left over turkey tonight! Hope everyone had a merry christmas!!!!!!