[jp1]

I have a new addition at home ,a 6 month old male pup adopted from the street. It was in a very bad condition and now looks alright, got it vaccinated. But I am facing is a serious problem, it chews anything and everything. Already 4 pairs of footwear gone. All kines wires, wood or anything it comes across, it chews . Anyone knows any remedy for this problem? Doc recommended some vitamin tablets saying it is due to vitamin deficiency. Tried it, but not helping. We had many dogs in the past, but never faced this kind of a problem.

[nitin_80]

Originally Posted by jp1

I have a new addition at home ,a 6 month old male pup adopted from the street. It was in a very bad condition and now looks alright, got it vaccinated. But I am facing is a serious problem, it chews anything and everything. Already 4 pairs of footwear gone. All kines wires, wood or anything it comes across, it chews . Anyone knows any remedy for this problem? Doc recommended some vitamin tablets saying it is due to vitamin deficiency. Tried it, but not helping. We had many dogs in the past, but never faced this kind of a problem.

@jp1, very noble of you to adopt a stray. Hope he recovers soon.

About chewing on anything he finds, it could very likely be due to teething - the phase where they lose their milk teeth and grow permanent ones, and this is the age it usually happens. They want to bite everything and anything they see around. I am sure you would have seen this in your previous dogs that you have had in the past.

There are various products available in the market for keeping them away from biting on stuff. (Synthetic bones, flavoured bones which can be chewed at and finally consumed, hard rubber sticks etc). You could try giving him one of these and see if it stops.

Another remedy I've heard of is applying something repulsive to the dog on the most commonly chewed stuff. Like mustard oil, on chappals, wires etc...But not sure you would want to try that - you will end up with the whole house smelling awful.

Sometimes dogs also tend to bite on everything out of boredom. Maybe you could try keeping him busy or give him regular exercise and tire him out so he has no excess energy to spend on biting things.

Our lab had the habit of clawing and chewing the corners of walls, the vet said it could be because of calcium deficiency. We did begin giving her calcium/ vitamin tablets but also used to reprimand her for chewing the walls, along with giving her synthetic bones to chew at. The scratching and chewing slowly stopped.

[jp1]

Originally Posted by nitin_80

@jp1, very noble of you to adopt a stray. Hope he recovers soon.

....

There are various products available in the market for keeping them away from biting on stuff. (Synthetic bones, flavoured bones which can be chewed at and finally consumed, hard rubber sticks etc). You could try giving him one of these and see if it stops.

....

I tried all these, synthetic one, real ones, it chewed the synthetic one in just 1 hr, when my other dog could not chew it and it was struggling with it. The Doc said it is vitamin C deficiency and I had given some tablets, it did not help. My other dogs had chewing issue, but none like this one. My only hope it is that it will stop after a few months.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by jp1

. My only hope it is that it will stop after a few months.

What if it is depressed or in fear? Like over eating in humans when in depression. Do dogs have something like that? Its a wild guess but it could be since it is away from its family. Does it play around with your other dogs? Or stays alone and quiet?

[ruchirtnt]

Originally Posted by ariesonu

PHOTOS PLEASE .

Some snaps of my modular aquarium along with a click of my 2 flowerhorns, cannot say whether they are a pair or not
Please suggest the type of fishes i can add, i have ordered for a small size gar fish and I have asked shopkeeper to change the pebbles and stones with white sand.

[_raVan_]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Is it recommended for a newbie like me ?

The last thing i need is a over-friendly dog. The house behind ours has been abandoned for over 7 years now, and attracts petty thieves who jump over the compound and try to steal from my house. Need a proper guard dog.

Rottweilers are a no-no for newbies. I think GSD will be best for your needs. They are very intelligent and faithful dogs. I have heard that they are good with kids too. You will need to train it though.

[ariesonu]

Originally Posted by ruchirtnt

Please suggest the type of fishes i can add, i have ordered for a small size gar fish and I have asked shopkeeper to change the pebbles and stones with white sand.

Oh boy that's beautiful. the base unit blends so well with surroundings. Yeah white sand will definitely look awesome. Add some drift wood, some plants & some stones but don't overcrowd with decorations.
I suggest you add fishes slowly but not directly to this tank. If you have previous simple tanks than convert it into hospital tank & keep your new fishes there for couple of days before adding to main tank.
Also why the tank is so close to air conditioner, this will result in variable temperature of tank. which can stress fishes & can be fatal.
Second why there is an air pump on top. You should have got all that within your hood cover. Also avoid putting that extension on top. It can dangerous.

Raab rakha.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by jp1

I have a new addition at home ,a 6 month old male pup adopted from the street. It was in a very bad condition and now looks alright, got it vaccinated. But I am facing is a serious problem, it chews anything and everything. Already 4 pairs of footwear gone. All kines wires, wood or anything it comes across, it chews . Anyone knows any remedy for this problem? Doc recommended some vitamin tablets saying it is due to vitamin deficiency. Tried it, but not helping. We had many dogs in the past, but never faced this kind of a problem.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

What if it is depressed or in fear? Like over eating in humans when in depression. Do dogs have something like that? Its a wild guess but it could be since it is away from its family. Does it play around with your other dogs? Or stays alone and quiet?

at 6 months of age, the teething should more of less over and done with. More than depression, I think this might be due to separation anxiety or loneliness. @jp1 - is the dog left alone for extended periods of time? That could be the answer to your question. Try to provide some extra-strong toys, encourage him to bite those and scold him when you catch him biting other stuff he is not supposed to bite. I am sure he cannot crack some of the harder rubber toys available at pet shops. Those are built to last this kind of damage, and there is no way a street dog can crack something that a rottweiler or doberman cannot.

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Rottweilers are a no-no for newbies. I think GSD will be best for your needs. They are very intelligent and faithful dogs. I have heard that they are good with kids too. You will need to train it though.

GSD will be a nightmare for allergy sufferers. They shed badly, throughout 365 days of the year. I think he wants a non-allergenic dog for his father's pet-fur allergy problem.

[ruchirtnt]

yup that is true. it was only a temporary arrangement for a day or two, I have planned to replan the setup again once the interiors are done. sand and drift wood are certainly in my mind.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

GSD will be a nightmare for allergy sufferers. They shed badly, throughout 365 days of the year. I think he wants a non-allergenic dog for his father's pet-fur allergy problem.

I second what Karthik has said above. GSDs shed an awful lot of hair. We had a GSD at our house. It was never on a leash when at home and so he used to roam all around the house. We could find hair in each and every corner of the house because of this. My father started to develop allergies to dog hair after a few years (8 years actually) and so we had to give him away :(

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Thanks for the link and response! I had a rottweiler in mind, however had a few apprehensions on bringing it up as i've read its one hard nut to crack. Is it recommended for a newbie like me ?

The last thing i need is a over-friendly dog. The house behind ours has been abandoned for over 7 years now, and attracts petty thieves who jump over the compound and try to steal from my house. Need a proper guard dog.




Wow! I'd never thought of that even though its happened in the past. He's spent close to a day in a relatives house who have a pomeranian, and has had no issues with it. Will have to do it more often and see the affects.

You could get a rottie, but you would need to spend tremendous amounts of time with him.

Although there is some level of weeding of the killer gene, still, they are a domination based species, and sometimes that will surface.
That's when you have to spend time with him to face that and show that you as the owner are more dominant.
Very rarely now though.
I remember my nana used to have one, and it would basically rip apart anything that moved in the house compound that/whom he didn't recognize.
cut to now, and 2 rotties that my cousin has....could be mistaken for beagles, such is their demeanor.


So as a newbie, not only will you have to go through the learning curve of adapting to having a dog, but you'll also have to pick up training literature to read the rottie's specific inanities.

That's like first period: numerals, second period:Integrals!
So if you CAN do it, get one.
If you cant, then be fair to yourself and the dog.

Id suggest a GSD.
Or a bhutia from the hills ( These guys are AMAZING pets!!!)

Look for a mastiff cross.
They are tall, lanky, very intimidating to look at, and gentle like anything.
tend to identify family very quickly, and are protective to the extreme of owner AND manor.

And since youll be a first time owner, just one last thing.
Stick with it, theyre worse than children sometimes, but its very rewarding to spend the dog's whole life with him.
If at all it turns out you arent able to take care of the dog, dont abandon him.

Just saying, cos last evening, one of the guys from my dog's clinic was called out to get a pug who had been left in the sun, tied to a fence miles from any shops or house.

Originally Posted by jp1

I have a new addition at home ,a 6 month old male pup adopted from the street. It was in a very bad condition and now looks alright, got it vaccinated. But I am facing is a serious problem, it chews anything and everything. Already 4 pairs of footwear gone. All kines wires, wood or anything it comes across, it chews . Anyone knows any remedy for this problem? Doc recommended some vitamin tablets saying it is due to vitamin deficiency. Tried it, but not helping. We had many dogs in the past, but never faced this kind of a problem.

Did you give him some old shoes to play with?

Surround him with chew toys.
Over a weekend go Pavlovian on his authorised service station.
Put a shoe in front of him, and keep a spray bottle of water.
Spritz him (very little amount, dont give him a bath) anytime he looks like he's going for the shoe.
Entice him with the chew toy, and DONT spritz him when he goes for that....

Wipe him too, dont leave him wet.

[jp1]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

What if it is depressed or in fear? ..... Does it play around with your other dogs? Or stays alone and quiet?

Originally Posted by KarthikK

at 6 months of age, the teething should more of less over and done with. More than depression, I think this might be due to separation anxiety or loneliness. @jp1 - is the dog left alone for extended periods of time? That could be the answer to your question. Try to provide some extra-strong toys, encourage him to bite those and scold him when you catch him biting other stuff he is not supposed to bite. I am sure he cannot crack some of the harder rubber toys available at pet shops. Those are built to last this kind of damage, and there is no way a street dog can crack something that a rottweiler or doberman cannot.

.

Hi KarthikK, Parthasarathig
Thanks for your suggestion. He is very playful and full of joy and active when we are around. But definitely it is scared of outside world as it was battered and without food for few days at least. Even if I keep the gate open, it wont run out whereas my other dog which is around 11+ years is waiting for a chance to go out. The older one also is a stray. Due to this problem, I made secluded place at one side of the compound and leave him there when we are not around. It bit the water pump wires, garden hose etc and caused quite a bit of damage . No one at home for around 5 hrs during day time. I don't chain them, so they are free to run around in the compound. As you suggested may be i have to hunt for some harder toys which it cannot chew that easily. Some one suggested mutton bone (leg) which can be dried for few days in the sun for it to get harder. I tried without letting it in the sun, but boiled, that it chewed in no time.

[Aroy]

Apart from teething, chewing in young dogs can be due to boredom. Is there any one at all times at home, or is the dog left alone for long durations. The dog is trying to latch on to familiar scents and chappals have that in abundance. I have seen bored dogs left alone in the house shred chappals, brooms and mats with gay abandon.

I suggest that you get the dog some big bones like mutton thigh bones or your religion permits beef/port bones of approximately 25mm in diameter and 10-15cm long.

If the dog is feeling neglected, give him a lot of time and exercise, that would take care of a lot of things. Long walks twice a day and a game of catch will ensure that thee dog is happily tired and out of mischief.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Rottweilers are a no-no for newbies. I think GSD will be best for your needs. They are very intelligent and faithful dogs. I have heard that they are good with kids too. You will need to train it though.

I know rottweiler will be a newbie's nightmare, but GSD will shed a lot and will create problems for my dad who is allergic to dog hair.

Originally Posted by mayankk

You could get a rottie, but you would need to spend tremendous amounts of time with him.

So as a newbie, not only will you have to go through the learning curve of adapting to having a dog, but you'll also have to pick up training literature to read the rottie's specific inanities.

That's like first period: numerals, second period:Integrals!
So if you CAN do it, get one.
If you cant, then be fair to yourself and the dog.

I wanted a rottie, but read a lot online on how it continuously challenges/frustrates its master. I'm not too sure if i'm up for it, especially if its a repetitive habit of the breed.

Originally Posted by mayankk

Id suggest a GSD.
Or a bhutia from the hills ( These guys are AMAZING pets!!!)

Look for a mastiff cross.
They are tall, lanky, very intimidating to look at, and gentle like anything.
tend to identify family very quickly, and are protective to the extreme of owner AND manor.

GSD is ruled out as i need a dog which sheds very little due to my dad's allergies. How good is a mastiff cross when it comes to shedding ? If it sheds a lot, i'll have to it out.

Originally Posted by mayankk

And since youll be a first time owner, just one last thing.
Stick with it, theyre worse than children sometimes, but its very rewarding to spend the dog's whole life with him.
If at all it turns out you arent able to take care of the dog, dont abandon him.

Just saying, cos last evening, one of the guys from my dog's clinic was called out to get a pug who had been left in the sun, tied to a fence miles from any shops or house.

I understand the concern, i've also seen pets abandoned by their owners when it becomes 'inconvenient' to have one. Infact, my neighbor left his domestic breed free when he got a 'GSD'.
If i do get one, i'll stick with it despite all the tantrums

[jp1]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Apart from teething, chewing in young dogs can be due to boredom. Is there any one at all times at home, or is the dog left alone for long durations. The dog is trying to latch on to familiar scents and chappals have that in abundance. I have seen bored dogs left alone in the house shred chappals, brooms and mats with gay abandon.

I suggest that you get the dog some big bones like mutton thigh bones or your religion permits beef/port bones of approximately 25mm in diameter and 10-15cm long.

If the dog is feeling neglected, give him a lot of time and exercise, that would take care of a lot of things. Long walks twice a day and a game of catch will ensure that thee dog is happily tired and out of mischief.

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to try the bones few times until it gets tired. Since I have one more which is quite old, i am worried there would be a fight when we are not around.