That Pet Blog That Pet Place Pet Blog

For those of you following this blog, you may have read some of my previous posts about Gatsby, my incredibly destructive, adopted German Shepherd mix. I’d like to share some of the techniques I used to help curb Gatsby’s destructive tendencies.

If you have a destructive pet, the first thing you have to do is find the root of the behavior. Does he have separation anxiety? Is he under-stimulated? Or maybe there was a recent change in routine or environment? All of these can be common triggers of destructive dog behavior. Your ‘treatment’ of the bad behavior will depend on the cause, and you may require some professional help if you are dealing with dangerous or extreme destruction in your home.
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When we left off last time I had a certified trainer come to my house and suggest some new behavior training to curb his destructive tendencies. Some of her suggestions seemed to help and others didn’t. This time I’d like to share a few products with you that I’ve found to be helpful.

Bitter Apple Spray – I used Bitter Apple Spray to deter the dogs from chewing on my furniture and the corners of my walls. It worked the way it was supposed to; they didn’t chew where I sprayed the furniture. Unfortunately they decided to chew elsewhere, where I didn’t spray Bitter Apple. If you are having a specific problem, say with chewing on table legs, I would recommend this product. If your problem is more severe, like mine was, you may want to buy it by the case!

Chamomile infused treats– There are several varieties of these calming treats on the market now. I noticed a difference in the boys about an hour after I gave them their treats. They’d calm down quickly after guests arrived, they would be calmer (and less destructive) during the day. Unfortunately the treats seemed to have less of an effect after daily use for a few weeks. I would save these for special occasions, such as when you are having guests over or know a stressful event is on the horizon.

Kongs – I started out using empty marrow bones as makeshift Kongs. I finally bought a couple of the real things and believe it or not, they seemed to make a world of difference. The food is harder to get out which keeps them occupied longer and they seem to really enjoy chewing on the rubber texture. To this day each dog gets his Kong with a special treat inside when I leave for work. They even seem to look forward to me leaving so that they can have it!

Homeopathic Anxiety Drops – I read some good reviews about these homeopathic drops helping other pet parent’s curb destructive behaviors and separation anxiety. So far the effects have all been positive.

Relaxation CDs for Dogs – Classical music specifically designed for dogs that calms them and reduces anxiety. It seems to work because it plays a limited number of musical notes in a minute which slows the dog’s heart rate and helps them relax. It also seems to work on humans! One of our local animal shelters uses this music to calm the dogs in the shelter at night. I highly recommend this music. It has been very effective in calming Gatsby’s anxiety while we are away.

It’s been a long road through puppyhood and what I suspect to be a mild case of separation anxiety. It’s a lot of work, but what wouldn’t we do for our fur-kids? I’m still hopeful that they will calm down even more as they enter adulthood, and that I won’t have to rely on so many commercial products in the future, but in the meantime they’ve been a lifesaver!

Last time I introduced you to my “problem child”, Gatsby. When I first noticed his destructive behaviors I chalked it up to puppyhood, since he was only 10 weeks old. I moved everything out of reach (or so I thought) and gated both dogs in the kitchen/dining area while we were away, to minimize their reign of terror. As the months progressed and he became more and more destructive, chewing the table legs and shredding areas of the carpet – I decided to step up my game. I bought him teething toys, assuming that teething was partly to blame. I also bought them each a filled marrow bone and slathered the inside with fresh peanut butter after they had eaten all the original filling. They got the marrow bones every time I left the house. Those seemed to keep them occupied and I (again) breathed a sigh of relief. Read More »

Let me give you a little history. For as long as I can remember, I have loved animals of all shapes and sizes. At the age of 6, I got my first pet (a Bichon Frise named Francis). When I was in middle school, my mom bought me another dog, a Bichon named Mandee. A few years later, we brought home her sister, a bichon/poodle mix named Mollie. Mandee and Mollie were my responsibility to train and care for when I lived at home, which gave me my first glimpse into responsible pet ownership.

When I was in college, my now-husband and I took in some feral kittens. Kitten ownership was a challenge, never having owned kittens before I did not know how to prepare myself or my home for such chaos! We got through it with minor bumps along the way. Fast forward four years. A few months after we bought our first home, we wanted a dog (we finally had a yard!) Read More »