We have a 3 month old golden retriver puppy and he chews on EVERYTHING except his own toys. We try to redirect him with his own toys, and use his toys to play with him. He will drop his toy immediatly and get something he is not supposed to have. I think he is just confused about what he is and is not supposed to chew on. How do i get him to understand that he can only chew on his toys. When he has something he is not supposed to we yell no he drops it and we give him his toy and praise him, but five seconds later he has something else. I am afraid he is going to get something that will hurt him or he will choke on, not to mention he can destroy anything in a few seconds. He also goes to my kids play bins and just takes out stuff. Any advice??
Trixi2009-02-24T06:51:01Z
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You need to get him toys that he really likes. Then he'll want to chew them! The grocery store has boiled bones. They're in the meat section and pretty cheap. My vet recommended them, and my dog LOVES them.
Exercise him, by playing with him a lot. Take him out for walks, and get him tired. A tired dog is a happy dog :). That should stop some of the chewing he is doing. You have the right idea of replacing the things he shouldn't have for toys. Instead of yelling, try teaching him "drop it" or "out." So that he learns when you say that, no matter what he has in his mouth - he drops it on the floor or gives it to you. Try getting a Kong, and putting peanut butter in it. That will keep him entertained. Until he gets over his chewing stage, I would confine him to the room you are in. When my dog was a puppy, I would just have him come with me from room to room, so that I wouldn't have to worry about him chewing something he wasn't supposed to chew. Eventually, he will get over this chewing stage. So no worries, there is a end to this :). Hope this helps.
Okay - for starters Labs and Retrievers CHEW. It's born into them. And the more bored they become, the worse they will chew.
I think you have to consider clearing your place, or at any rate, the rooms where he is, until he's through this phase. Anything that isn't actually bolted down gets moved out. And of course, when you are not there to supervise, crate him!! My Bassets were very cunning as puppies - they'd take their toy over to what they were really after, drop it and start on whatever it was, and the moment I shouted, grab their toy again. Are Bassets stupid? I don't think so!!!
I'm afraid this is just part of puppyhood, and the nature of the beast, breed-wise. Keep at the training, these days will all too fast be gone.
You have to make sure that you're not yelling at him. Puppies, especially this young will mistake yelling with barking and playing. When you yell, he thinks that you're just barking along with him and then he'll want to play more. This best thing you can do is say one strong "No" letting him know that you are the alfa. Do not hit the dog (a tap on the nose) it's meaningless abuse.
A good trick with puppies is putting peanut butter on his chew toys or to soak them in a broth or steak juice. There are even puppy bones with peanut butter in side them for him to stay busy with.
You also have to remember that this is just a phase that he is going through while he is teething and sooner or later he'll calm down.
Also getting him around other dogs will be good for him. Taking him to a dog park is fun for everyone and he will learn from the other dogs.
This is not an overnight fix, it may take time. Good luck!!
Its called teething. I wouldnt allow him access to anywhere or anything in the home (without massive supervision doing the things you mentioned) until the stage passes unless you have nothing better to spend money on than replacement items, lol. You might also try a crate----everytime he does wrong, in the crate but that would get expensive too considering how quick and how big a golden will grow. If you dont have one room that can be completely removed of everything that is just for him, then close every door to the rooms you dont want him chewing on the things within is another option.