Help us - Tiny is now...

......eating furniture. I saw our nice Microfiber couch is eaten on the bottom corner.

......It is all wet and chewed up. I swear I cannot take him anymore. He bites Danielle and now he is eating the furniture.....

What do we do?

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

this sounds behaviroal. You got to put him in doggie boot camp

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

how much does doggie boot camp cost?

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

U have fm.

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

Honestly, I think it's all a part of being a puppy. Spray bitter apple on the furniture that he is chewing on.

Molly will bite my hands and hair all the time and it annoys the he!! out of me but I just deal with it. What has been working for us lately - is that we completly distract her once she starts. Either we start throwing her toy so she can run after it - or we'll bring her outside. Anything just to stop her from what she's doing and it really does work.

We did training at Petsmart - and to be totally honest - while it was fun - it was really a big waste of money - and more importantly time.

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

Tyson used to bite me all the time, play bite, not a hard bite, but I would hold his snout and tell him no bite sternly. When he would lick me I'd say kisses, now if he goes to bite someone if you say kisses he usually stops in his tracks and will start licking you. He very rarely though if ever tries to bite me anymore. My husband though he bites because he lets him.

As for the furniture, the only thing I can recommend is bitter apple which doesn't always work or training with a real trainer, not petsmart. Tyson never really chewed at the furniture, I'm sure that will start once we move into the new house with all new furniture.

Good Luck!

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

have you spoken to your vet about these problems? perhaps they can offer solutions.

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

do u crate him?

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

I havent spoken to my vet - do you think that can help?

He is crated at night and when we are not home. I cannot think of when he could of done this.

It had to be yesterday sometime....I am going to have to keep watch on him now
Scott

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

DOn't crate him. You are ignoring the problem by crating him, not correcting it. If anything,
block off a section of the house with a gate UNTIL he is trained.

YOu need a trainer to help you.

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

try bitter apple spray.. it worked for us on our new furniture

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

I bought the bitter spray last night - not apple flavor though....

Hopefully that will work

What are some places that your dogs bite, so I can spray those spots in my house

So far Tiny Bites:
The couch
The Rugs
The computer paper boxes
The Stair - banister trim
The carpet on the stairs

I sprayed everything down this morning
Scott

Message edited 6/20/2006 8:07:58 AM.

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

We don't crate Molly - and I really know very little about crating - but could it just be that he is acting this way since he is cooped up all day?

Like Regi said - maybe gate him off in a room or a hallway and let him roam there. That may work better.

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

You got fm again

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

she does discipline him too.

I will not be sticking my fingers down his throat....cannot do that.

I will see what the bitter spray does.

We feel bad because he is in the cage from 10pm till5am and then out till 5:15am. He goes back in the cage and Danielle takes him out before she leaves at 6:45am to go to the bathroom and then he is in the cage till 1:30.

At 1:30 as long as I have no where to go he is out in the house hanging with me, in the yard playing or walking with me. So he gets a lot of out of the cage time but he is also in the cage a lot too.

Scott

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

This is the stuff I bought

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

I would try a trainer or doggy boot camp

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

Maybe you should pick up a good book about the breed...
from what i have read Chi's are difficult to house break....

Some breeds are know for certain things...And a smart pet owner should pick up a book or two to see what are the +'s and -'s of a breed they have....

As to know what to expect
I found this:

If I were considering a Chihuahua...


My major concerns would be:


Fragility. Too many people acquire a toy breed puppy without understanding how incredibly fragile a toy breed is. You can seriously injure or kill a Chihuahua by stepping on him or by sitting on him when he's curled under a blanket or pillow, where he frequently likes to sleep. And Chihuahuas can seriously injure or kill THEMSELVES by leaping from your arms or off the back of your sofa. A larger dog can grab a Chihuahua and break his neck with one quick shake. Owning a toy breed means constant supervision and surveillance of what's going on around your tiny dog. Chihuahuas must always be kept on-leash -- they are just too easy to injure when not under your complete control.

Chihuahuas are NOT suited to children, no matter how well-meaning the child. Children cannot help being clumsy, and that a child meant well is little solace to a Chihuahua who has been accidentally stepped on, sat on, rolled on, squeezed, or dropped onto the patio. Most Chihuahuas feel overwhelmed by the loud voices and quick movements that children can't help making -- and stress and fearfulness (even defensive biting) may be the result.


Housebreaking problems. As a behavioral consultant, I would put the Chihuahua on my Top 10 List of "Hard to Housebreak." Consistent crate training is mandatory. Sometimes a doggy door is necessary. And some owners never do get their Chihuahua fully housebroken.

Mind of their own. Chihuahuas are not Golden Retrievers. They can be stubborn and manipulative. Some are dominant (they want to be the boss) and will make you prove that you can make them do things. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say.

To teach your Chihuahua to listen to you, "Respect Training" is mandatory. My Chihuahua Training Page discusses the program you need.


Suspiciousness and barking. Many Chihuahuas will put on a display of excited ferociousness (i.e. they "pitch a fit") when other people or animals approach what is THEIRS. It's not funny, because if you don't curtail it, your Chihuahua may end up suspicious of everyone in the world, which is a short step to biting.

Unstable temperaments. Chihuahuas are a dime a dozen, and most of them are bred and offered for sale by people who don't have the slightest idea of how to breed good-tempered dogs. Obedience instructors and behavioral consultants see LOTS of Chihuahuas with neurotic behaviors, including biting, extreme shyness, mindless yapping, moodiness, and general nastiness.

Avoiding the hype. Have you heard these phrases? Teacup Chihuahuas. Miniature Chihuahuas. Pocket Chihuahuas. Standard Chihuahuas. Some breeders use these cutesy phrases as "marketing terms" for the different weights that Chihuahuas come in. All of these phrases are made-up. There is only ONE Chihuahua breed. They do come in two COAT varieties (smooth and longhaired), but not in different weight varieties. For show purposes, they should be 2 to 6 pounds, but many Chihuahuas go up to 10 or 12 pounds. Whatever their weight, they are simply called Chihuahua.

I do NOT recommend a Chihuahua under 3 or 4 pounds. These individuals are great risks in the health department. Their bones are extremely fragile. There is not enough room in their mouth for healthy teeth. Their internal organs are often weak and can fail suddenly. They tend to have great difficulty regulating their blood sugar and can go into hypoglycemic shocks and comas.

To make matters worse, some breeders deliberately breed these high-risk Chihuahuas and charge outrageous prices. There are breeders on the Internet right now charging $1000 or $1500 for "teacup Chihuahuas." Don't be taken by these irresponsible people. Stick with Chihuahuas who will mature at 4 pounds and up (these will weigh at least 2-3 pounds at 10-12 weeks old.) And don't pay such ridiculous prices for any Chihuahua.

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

We did 'dominance' exercises with Piper as a pup. You hold them for about 15 - 30 seconds in each position to assert dominance. None of the positions are at harmful but they have to accept that you are in control and you correct them with a strong 'eh-eh' if they struggle. We learned this and a lot more from a puppy head start program in our area.

We also take Piper to doggie daycare 2x a week and crate her with a walker to take her out the other 3 days. Its expensive but she's a lot happier than if she is cooped up all day with no break from the crate and we haven't had any chewing or other 'acting out' issues. I highly recommend daycare. Its the best money we spend-she's so happy there! I would love to take her more but it does add up rather quickly.

Good luck!

Message edited 6/20/2006 11:30:01 AM.

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

these suggestions are all good...please don't give up...just look up a TON of my posts about Casey - same things, nipping, eating furniture...and now she is 2 and (mostly!) well behaved!

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

Honestly, you are crating him WAY too much. How long is he alone during the day?

He is a puppy, puppies chew things. He needs alot of toys, and lots of attention. He also needs to be played with when he is not crated, to tire him out.

And if he is crated so much, he must be chewing the furniture when you are home. When you catch him doing it, a stern NO is in order.

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...

Re: Help us - Tiny is now...