jono300

iTrader: (8)

Okay folks looking for a bit off advice on this new dog off mine ?? just bought a seven month old border collie everything is fine apart from the dreaded chewing !! just wonder if a dog at seven months old should actually still be destructivly chewing ?? only had her since saturday but already she has chewed thru a lead, two new dog toys, destroyed the wifes notebook and a couple off xmas cards !!!

have also had to check her for trying to chew the bedpost and kitchen table legs !! best off all this has all happened when we have all been in the house with her and not when the dog has been left alone.

so okay again should the dog be still doing all the above ?? how do I stop the dog doing all this ?? is it okay to give the dog a telling off even after the damage has been done or is it a case off trying to catch it in the act ??!!
can honestly say that in all other respects the dog is perfect, so friendly its unbelivable !! superb with kids , slightly wary off men but soon comes around and think its just its nature regards men as opposed to having had a bad experience.

in case anyone was thinking bought the dog at seven months - who sells a dog a seven months ??!! well spent a good time with the family selling her and all seemeed genuine enough, the woman had just had a new baby as seems the baby was allergic to the dog - so all seems okay there and again have no reason to belive that there was any other reason for getting shot off there family pet ??!!

so okay advice timer ?? what next ?? have ordered a dog cage for when we are out off the house but again all the above damage was done whilst we were actually in the hosue with the dog, she is getting plenty off attention and walks so there is no problem there.

anyone share any advice / tips ?? would certainly be very gratefully received !!!

Tam the bam

Try getting her a Nylabone Nylabone Chews UK

I got one for my 18 month old Border and she loves it, only thing she has chewed since getting her it is the corner of the kitchen door.

jono300

iTrader: (8)

Okay great will certainly check them out, so I take it from what you are saying its perfectly normal for a dog off this age ie. seven months to still be chewing ??

to be honest I think your idea off the bone is good but not 100% sure it would not get fed up with this and start on something more exiting ??!!

anyway again will check them out.

RUDDY

COVER EVERYTHING in water and mustard! that stops the little sods!

Snazy

Pups chew, plain and simple, its hard to stop. Just have peace of mind that it usually stops, except with some destructive breeds like Malamutes...... I made a good choice lol

dunx

iTrader: (3)

I set up a video camera and caught the bugger in the act ( RIPPING UP BEDDING !) one quality bollocking stopped that sharpish.

Good luck, they're too clever for their own good !

Dunx - the Staff-Lab whisperer ( Not ! )

Tam the bam

Yeah I'd think it's pretty normal. My neighbours Spaniel is a nightmare chewer too (from memory about 10 months old) He's already trashed the oak table and chairs, I suggested painting things he was chewing with that vile tasting stuff they paint on kids nails to stop them biting them.

chris1scouser

the dog is anxious because its been taken away from its family the chewing may be a reaction to this. in dog terms this is a major trauma. don't tell the dog off for chewing. the action in relation to memory only lasts a second or two. so if you scold it after five seconds it is clueless to the reprimand. if you catch it in the act you are better to take its attention away from what its doing then make it sit or something then reward it. if you shout at the dog or worse when it is committing the offence you are still giving it attention for doing something. either negative or positive its all attention to the dog and it will carry on chewing. diversion then reward is better. its always best to ignore any bad behaviour by a dog. if a dog jumps up you turn away and ignore it, same with barking and other typical dog behaviour. get it some good chews too. it may settle down soon, the dog may also grow out of it. hope i have helped. good luck. chris

The Snug Rhino

Its bored - its bred to spend all day chasing sheep (bit like posting on here) So if its not getting a couple of good walks a day its going stir crazy.

DLP

My border collie is just eighteen months now,and used to be a little sh*t when he was left alone for any period of time,but they do grow out of it.
Doesn,t chew anything now apart fom his toys and has previously said loves his nylabone. good luck

jono300

iTrader: (8)

Just to say thanks so much to all who took the time to give me what is some very good advice, it really is very much appreciatted folks, thanks again.

davegtt

Mustard? dont be silly... The only thing tat Ive found that will stop a dog chewing things it shouldnt is Cayanne Pepper, put vasaline on the door frames, chairs, table legs etc (anything wooden that it would chew) sprinkle the pepper on and watch the dog chew for a minute before spewing up, It wont go near it again!!!! Trust me.

blue scoo ste

r border collie is 7yrs old an still mad

wait till it starts chasing shadows !!!!

Tam the bam

Seems there is a few Collie owners here, c'mon show us pics of your pets

This is Nell, bought from a sheep farmer as she was more interested in playing with the sheep rather than hearding them.





And my old boy Comit (sadly no longer with us RIP)

oldsplice

I had a border collie/lab a few years ago. A lovely dog, really well behaved, could take her anywhere. She chewed everything for the first year, then had her first season and it was like someone had flicked a switch!. Fine after that. I'll never forget coming home one day, and she had destroyed her bean bag thingy in the kitchen. It was full of little foam bits, and it was EVERYWHERE!! I was still finding the stuff 6 months later! I didn't shout at her, just completely blanked her......they hate that! Another time I came in to find she had eaten a whole packet of butter, then honked the lot up again, almost in one piece!

Lovely puppy dogs Tam!

DLP

Here,s jake,never gets on the furniture.

oldsplice

That face!

I came home once, and crept up to the window and peered in, to find my old dog asleep on the sofa. By the time I opened the door, she wandered into the sitting room as though she'd been asleep in her bed all along!

Tam the bam

Jake looks like a bundle of fun lovely dog

r32

I just love border collies, we used to have one when I was much younger. Sadly now its cats at home .........

scoobysmiff

iTrader: (2)

I'd be inclined to agree with this one, i have a boxer and she gets very destructive if she isn't kept active, i am fortunate in that i can take her to work most days so she gets plenty of activity, however, if we have to go out and leave her at home i have to lock her away or things go missing........................................... .......
The garden is also her domain, anything and every thing that is in there is fair game as far as she is concerned and it duely gets destroyed The kids have learn't to keep all toys out of her way now or they don't get the opportunity to play with them again as she will take on ownership and have her 2 mins of fun before it's ravaged to death!

Intelligent dogs need mentally stimulating or they will entertain themselves somehow...............

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

Our border collie Poppy has just turned 5 months old and still chews like a demon - when they are young they will do this because of teething, which normally stops around 6 months ish, but they do just love chewing things anyway - I think a lot of it is a comfort thing and they chew because they like doing it.

The only real way to stop them chewing stuff you dont want them to is to make them leave it while they are chewing. If you wait until afterwards and tell them off, they wont know what they are being told off for. This does take time, but Poppy has got a lot better through training and KNOWS she isnt allowed to chew the furniture ( although she still 'accidentally' ends up with the coffee table in her mouth sometimes ).

Best thing to keep them occupied is rawhide bones - we give her one of these and she'll sit quite happily chewing it for a couple of hours until theres only a tiny bit left, then she'll go and find somewhere to bury it.

The problem with BC's is that they are very intelligent, and also very energetic so get bored easily. You need to find lots of things to stimulate them and give them plenty of exercise and they are a lot less inclined to be naughty.

And heres a pic of our little baby when we first got her ( that table now has a bit missing from one corner, and little teeth marks all along the bottom shelf ) :




She's now about 3 times as big and weighs just over 15kg. Has just started going to her first shows as a spectator and will start competing after Xmas.

Nash_Impreza

Discipline - dogs are quick learners, they learn by trial and error - if the dog continually chews, keep telling it off, a tap on the nose and a stern point with an assertive "NO - BAD DOG" normally does the trick....well thats how i tought my King Charles - your dogs well cute by the way.

when i say TAP on the nose i dont mean a full on human grade Belt round the face, that would be cruel, what i mean is a 1 finger tap on the nose, dogs hate it as their nose is so sensetive, it doesnt really hurt the dog it's more of an annoyance to them

The Snug Rhino

pepper on door frames/smack on the nose? Its BORED...take it for a 1hr run and see what it chews when its asleep later!

its not chewing because its natural and you need to reprimand it so it learns that, although it wants to chew, it's not allowed - you want it to not WANT to chew.

my dogs would chew through the walls.....right now they cant because they are asleep having been out running at 6am!

Brendan Hughes

I go with chris (#8) or snug. It's chewing because it's stressed and/or bored. Loads of exercise, if you can't manage that, loads of games/training with rewards. Punishment is not the way to go, all you're doing is prescribing aspirin to someone who has a headache as they keep hitting themselves with a hammer.

shaunywrx

EXERCISE, That's the thing with border's there so intelligent and have so much energy and stamina, the best thing you can do for a Collie is to train it, that's train it to do anything, be it trick's, obedience, scent work, agility, herding, absolutely anything as long as it keeps it occupied, and plenty of exercise, most Collies just love to learn new things and get it right just to please there handler, they've got to be one of the most loyal, hard working, intelligent dogs on the planet, please reward it by giving it the attention and exercise it so needs to keep it happy, if you manage this, i assure you it will turn out to be one of the best, most loving and loyal dogs you could ever wish for.
Shaun, owner of two fantastic Border collie's.

DLP

Couldn,t agree more shaun,get some pics up of your dogs,love the shots tam and mike.

Tam the bam

Mike she is gorgeous Any chance you could send me a higher res pic as my 10yo mad mental dog loving daughter wants it printed to put on her bedroom wall

Cheers

sti-04!!

Feeding your puppy - The Kennel Club

Sorry if you think i am undermining. My latest pup a choco lab/pointer cross is so intelligent it puts the other one to shame. Although at 14 wks (i have only had him 3wks) he still cant be trusted to be left alone as he ****'s everywere.

Its like a baby, they take time.