Author Topic: Chewing......  (Read 1877 times)

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Offline JanBon

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Chewing......
« on: May 21, 2021, 10:17:43 AM »
Hi All
So I'm fairly new here so hope I am doing this correctly. Bonnie is our 6.5 month chocolate cocker and she's a chewer. Now thankfully she doesn't chew furniture but blankets, rugs, doormats, wood, paper. She has olive wood chews in the house and she shreds them. She loves socks, gloves, inner soles normal spaniel stuff but if we try and retrieve she is tempted to swallow it instead. She has digested toys, a glove, a glasses wipe - all came back up.  She is fed raw and recently seems to have gone off her raw only liking kibble or chews, something she can crunch. The vets have checked her mouth and all looks good. I just wondered if anyone can advise me if this is normal spaniel behaviour. She is full energy and won't settle outside her crate and I have read that excess chewing can be to reduce anxiety or because they are bored. Just concerned its a bit OTT. Also makes her drink more water.  Thanks

Offline phoenix

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Re: Chewing......
« Reply #1 on: May 21, 2021, 10:11:08 PM »
She’s teething!
RIP Marti  the EPI springer age 12,  and beloved black cocker Bobby, 8 yrs old, too soon, from PLN.
Now owned by TInker, tiny hairy grey poodle/terrier rescue from Greece and Jack, local rescue,   scruffy ginger terrier mutt.

Offline JanBon

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Re: Chewing......
« Reply #2 on: May 22, 2021, 07:45:45 AM »
All her adult teeth are through. She did not chew as much as this when she was teething. I am concerned as it seems obsessive and she can reduce an olive wood chew to almost nothing over a few days. She will also chew toys, blankets and even though she is supervised she is probably digesting things she shouldn't. She finds bits of wood in the garden which we constantly have to remove from her. We've tried giving her bones but she just wants to bury those rather than chew them.

Offline bizzylizzy

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Re: Chewing......
« Reply #3 on: May 22, 2021, 11:54:35 AM »
Maybe a bit of mental stimulation might help? Anything involving nose work is ideal for cockers helps them focus and uses up a lot of energy - 15 minutes searching will tire her as much as a long walk. There are lots of training ideas online but you can start by hiding toys in fairly simple places, under cushions, behind curtains for exmple and then make it more difficult. If she‘ll sit and stay, you can hold what ever toy/object it is, let her sniff it and tell her to wait while you hide it, you can then release her to go and search (or you cann get  someone to hold her or hide it in another room.  (You can eventually introduce different toys so that she learns the names )  Or you can lay a trail of treats and let her sniff them out.
A simple cardboard box full of screwed up newspaper containing a few treats will keep her happy for a while, or collect some empty toilet rolls, stand them upright in a shoe box and put a few treats inside some of them....
Can’t guarantee that it will solve the chewing problem altogether but if it is caused by boredom or anxiety then any sort of occupation that distracts, encourages concentration and builds self confidence should help - but be careful  to make sure that the exercises/games aren’t too difficult, its important that she‘s succesful otherwise she‘ll just get frustrated and bored, which is ofcourse contra productive.
My dog loves nose work and its great for bad weather days (and lockdowns  :shades:)
It‘d be interesting to learn how she develops, do keep us posted please! 
Best of luck!

Offline JanBon

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Re: Chewing......
« Reply #4 on: May 22, 2021, 09:20:37 PM »
Thank you. We have done a bit of nose work but maybe time to increase this and see if it helps.

Offline Lobo do Mar

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Re: Chewing......
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2021, 05:59:45 PM »
A simple cardboard box full of screwed up newspaper containing a few treats will keep her happy for a while, or collect some empty toilet rolls, stand them upright in a shoe box and put a few treats inside some of them....

Jayne - I want to more things like this with Salty but he just bashes everything to pieces in a frenzy, and then eats everything, all in a few seconds, (and then moves on to the cardboard and paper if not restrained)
Any ideas?

Offline bizzylizzy

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Re: Chewing......
« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2021, 07:50:34 PM »
A simple cardboard box full of screwed up newspaper containing a few treats will keep her happy for a while, or collect some empty toilet rolls, stand them upright in a shoe box and put a few treats inside some of them....

Jayne - I want to more things like this with Salty but he just bashes everything to pieces in a frenzy, and then eats everything, all in a few seconds, (and then moves on to the cardboard and paper if not restrained)
Any ideas?

 :lol2: Salty obviously needs something a bit more advanced!,  :shades:  :005:
- an old tea towel or similar twisted and knotted, you can push the treats into the folds
- a rug, sleeping mat (the sort you put under a sleeping bag) or similar rolled up with treats placed at intervals - he might need a bit of help at first but the idea is, that he learns to roll it out.
- a treat in a plastic bottle or other plastic /safe container that has a smallish opening
- an old bath towel or similar, pleated lengthways and then folded in half and tied with string ( so you end up with a sort of circle) push treats into the folds.
- strips of an old blanket or felt or similar, plaited and treats pushed into the folds
- plastic beakers upside down with treats underneath, (easier on a carpet, difficult on a tiled floor)
- outside, you can hide treats - tucked under tree roots, or into the cracks in the tree bark so that he has to stretch up, gaps in walls, they don‘t have to all be on floor level...(its a good idea to try and incorporate a command to allow him to look for and eat the treats if you’re concerned about him eating everything he finds)
There are lots of toys etc that you can buy but they  seem to figure them all out so quickly they soon become obselete. Most of the ideas above I had from a nursery school teacher who was used to turning everyday things into toys. Hope there‘re a few ideas there that will suit! Have fun! x

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Offline Lobo do Mar

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Re: Chewing......
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2021, 12:22:56 PM »
Thanks Jayne!
Will  put my daughter onto that (2 birds one stone)
Once I tried the hidden treat under one of three cups then swirl them around and he should indicate the one its in then get it if he was right
once I actually managed to stop him attacking the cups as I was swirling them :lol: he just looked at me and then bashed all cups over hence finding treat - QED dumbo!  :005:

Offline bizzylizzy

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Re: Chewing......
« Reply #8 on: June 24, 2021, 01:15:28 PM »
Thanks Jayne!
Will  put my daughter onto that (2 birds one stone)
Once I tried the hidden treat under one of three cups then swirl them around and he should indicate the one its in then get it if he was right
once I actually managed to stop him attacking the cups as I was swirling them :lol: he just looked at me and then bashed all cups over hence finding treat - QED dumbo!  :005:

 :lol2: :lol2: Been there, done that!!  :lol2: You‘d certainly never describe cockers as genteel!!  :005: