# Uncontrollable Chewing



## aleshas40 (Jul 5, 2011)

Hi All, I have an almost 2 year old unspayed female German Shepherd. Her chewing is out of control. She chews anything and everything. She never does it when we are home or awake, only when we are away from the house or asleep. She has toys and chew toys which she plays with but does not "chew" like she does our items. I am to a point where I no longer know what to do and cannot tolerate the chewing any longer. Her damage is now somewhere in the thousands of $. She is definitely not neglected and is rather spoiled in my opinion. She is an indoor and outdoor dog. We give her as much attention as possible which does not seem to be a factor in her chewing. We can take her for a long run and drain her energy, then go to sleep only to wake up and find she has managed to destroy something. We do our best to keep everything out of her reach but she finds it and destroys. She brings things out of the garage in to the yard to chew. She chews sprinklers, she has chewed apart my 3 year old's bicycle. Today she chewed a pool cover and popped the top of our above ground pool, she also chewed holes in the garden hose, the hoses for the pool pump, and destroyed a pool skimmer. This is all in a days work for her... While we are asleep or away. She doesn't chew anything in the house, only outside. Though she does not hesitate to take something from the house to chew outside. I am not sure if she does this out of spite because she thinks she is a full time indoor dog, if its jealousy, if its boredom. I have no idea. Any help or suggestions for this will be GREATLY appreciated. I am at a loss. :help:


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

is she crate trained? it sounds like she's not getting enough mental or physical stimulation either. Is she supervised or just left to her own devices? Often times a bored dog will find their own entertainment its always going to be something you're not gonna like. What activities do you do with her? Is she your first GSD? What kind of training for she have? How much exercise does she get? This is a breed that needs more than your average dog. Without that DAILY physical and mental exercise, they may get into trouble. Its an energetic breed that will literally burst with energy until they have an outlet for it. Sounds to me like her needs are not being met. if she is crate trained, then when you are not able to supervise her, you need to crate her. if she is not crate trained, i would advise you crate train her. ONLY put in the crate with her an appropriate chew. If you have to treat her like a puppy, then treat her like a puppy. In the house, she should have a leash attached to her collar at all times so you can provide a quick correction when she starts to go for something she shouldnt. Even tethering her to you will prevent her from getting into trouble because you're right there watching her. Is this a new thing or has she always done this?


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## Kris10 (Aug 26, 2010)

"She doesn't chew anything in the house, only outside"

Don't leave her outside unattended.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

I think crate training sounds like a good idea. Have you tried a wide variety of different chewing toys (shapes, sizes, materials, meaty ones, bones, etc.). I also like the puzzle toys. It sounds like your dog is just doing it out of habit or boredom. These are wicked smart dogs, so they will find a way to occupy themselves if you don't. You can rest assured that she is not doing it out of spite or jealousy. Dogs don't think like that.

Just out of curiosity, after chewing all those things, how are her teeth doing?


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## Veronica1 (Jun 22, 2010)

Agree with the others about crate training.

We had an Alaskan Husky who was destructive - inside or outside. He chewed up countless leather shoes, belts, books, a couch cushion, dog beds, many articles of clothing, etc. It's unbelieveable his digestive system could even handle it. He was not crate trained.

Panzer is the first dog we have crate trained. It is a wonderful thing! At 15 months, he hasn't destroyed anything (well he did chew on a shoe heel, but that's it). 

Set your girl up for success. If she fails when she's unsupervised, make the environment restrictive so she can't get into things she shouldn't.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

It sounds to me like she is bored. 

How much exercise does she get? A simple walk around the block or a little ball throwing in the backyard is not enough for this breed. They need to run and do alot of it. Can you take her to a lake so she can swim? Does she have any dog friends she can run with?

What do you do for mental stimulation? You need to tire her out physically and mentaly. Buy a Tug-A-Jug and put her kibble meals in it. Buy an Everlasting Treat Ball or dog puzzles. Play hide and seek or "find it" with her.

You will be surprised how well behaved she will be if you exercise her body and her mind.


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