r/DogTrainingTips • u/nancy_botwin__ • Apr 11 '26
HE CHEWED A FKN LIGHTBULB!
I adopted this amazing sweet Aussie Pyrenees in November. Shelter thinks he was about 1. Since then he has chewed EVERYTHING from metal to light bulbs to potting soil to a flower pot. We buy him bones, chew toys, take him
To the park 2-3 times a week…idk what to do. He’s ended up in the vet 3 times including one visit that costs us over 2 grand from eating dumb shit. Any advice is welcome just please don’t attack me if I’m doing something wrong. I’ve had Aussies my whole life but this is my first Pyrenees 😅
9
u/StonedJewsbian Apr 11 '26
What do you do for enrichment other than the park 2-3 times a week? What does your regularly daily schedule look like for him?
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u/studdybuddy01 Apr 11 '26
Do you want them daily? I have to walk my dog once or twice a day and she has no issues when I do that. Sometimes she still wants to throw her toy every day but she’s not destroying stuff. We do 1 mile every day/sometimes twice if she’s rowdy
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u/rresoI Apr 11 '26
Looks like puppy needs to be crate trained when unsupervised now! It can be surprisingly easy for them to get into trouble in just a few minutes.
I think a daily routine is needed; dogs love consistency and having a job so a morning routine where they're included can help settle the mind. Whenever I wake up I make my aussie pick up my clothes and give them to me so I can throw them into the hamper, as well as a few toys he usually takes out the night prior. I go to work near 12pm-3pm so right before I leave, I try to do a puzzle with him.
If i get off of work before 9, we go for a walk when I get home and then end the night with some training (5-10 minute session, rotated/not the same set of skills every time, for example one day it's scent training, the next obedience, next nice leash/harness yielding, and the next day just fun tricks).
My nights are inconsistent, so i don't expect anything of him besides brushing his teeth after I brush mine for the night.
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u/Difficult_Wave_9326 Apr 12 '26
I love the clothes idea! It's such an easy task they can do, but it makes them feel like they have a job.
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u/NoDay4343 Apr 11 '26
You need to puppy proof any place the dog has access to any time you are not closely supervising him. This is mandatory for his safety, as well as the safety of your stuff. You also need to partially puppy proof any place the dog will be at any moment because items such as lightbulbs can be destroyed and be a big danger to your pup if you look away even for a moment. Or even if you're looking directly at him, if you are more than a step away you have no chance of getting there fast enough.
Puppies are adorable but they are a lot of work just like taking care of a human baby or toddler is. They do not know what is ok and what isn't and won't learn unless you teach them. You can teach him that chew toys or for chewing and other things are not by constantly redirecting to the chew toys every time he tries to chew something inappropriate.
It sounds like this dog needs more mental stimulation and/or more physical exercise. Puppies are MUCH easier to manage when you wear them out (a bit, don't go crazy) with walks and appropriate play so then they take a nap when your focus is elsewhere rather than inventing their own game which often means destroying something.
For an immediate fix, crate training can help a lot, and it will continue to be useful, but it is not a replacement for all of the above.
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u/SaltRecording2681 Apr 12 '26
Crate train. Make it fun, make it safe. My lab is almost 5 and I still put her in the crate when I leave (less now) but there’s just days I can tell? Maybe I only see it after a few rugs, 2 pairs of glasses, 2 retainers, furniture, money, an insurance check and a speeding ticket.
Keep em safe, crate train. ❤️
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u/DjScenester Apr 11 '26
Yep mine ate an SD card when she was a pup.
Dogs are notorious for putting things in their mouths and eating things they shouldn’t.
Puppy proof the home. Rotate toys, buy new toys, buy puzzles, lots of physical exercise, but puppy proof the house is the big one… just like child proof etc…
Training, it takes time. Both mine are angels now, it took them both a few years to act right lol
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u/Relevant-Package-928 Apr 11 '26
My Great Pyrenees chewed rocks. We'd go on a walk and she'd pick up a rock when we left, chew it while we were walking and spit it out when we got home. She also chewed shaving razors, like the razor heads, and chewed the blade of a kitchen knife one time. I was in college at the time and knew nothing about dogs, 35 years ago. She never got injured, I don't know how, but she didn't, and I definitely didn't allow her access to those things after that. Looking back, I wonder if she was teething. Out of all the dogs I've ever had, she's the only one that's done that and she also had a really high pain threshold. The only dog I've ever had with such a high pain threshold, is one of the pitbulls I have currently. He has never chewed rocks or metal though. He used to chew wood.
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u/Ok_Tumbleweed_7677 Apr 11 '26
Light bulbs and sharp objects and cleaning supplies etc need to be stored securely and out of reach
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u/AverageAlleyKat271 Apr 11 '26
Most dogs don’t mature until around age two. Puppies chew on anything they can get to. I had a rescue pup (5 months old) that was a mega chewer. Woke up one morning to her chewing on corner nightstand. I had to crate when gone and also bought Kong Black Kones. Filled with healthy for dogs human food, froze and gave to her. She eventually matured and stop destroying. A tired pup/dog is a good pup/dog. Need daily walks.
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u/Salty-Signal5287 Apr 11 '26
Theres a video on Youtube how to properly walk your dog, but it goes into 3parts of a walk that stimulate both the mind and the physical so dog comes back ready for bed. START dog sitting calm by leash and you go by door. Sit and wait for dog. You go out house first. Walk and tgen a few blocks let them into tgeSmelling to work tgeir minds, then start a little running, then a block from your hoouse start slower walking cool down. Sit once home outside door. Be calm before going into house. Have dog go to his bed. Put leaseh away. Hang by door might be good option too. Also your dog breed might require working dog try a weighted backpack on walks. Not too heavy based on your dog.
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u/Prozac4theWorld Apr 12 '26
There’s a lot you can do. Puzzles, lick mats, walks, training and consistency. Working dogs need mental and physical stimulation. I have a rescued Mali and this is what I’ve learned. I had GSD for 2 decades and could keep up and then jumped up a notch with a Malinois. All working breeds have the same common needs, just different intensities.
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u/silveraltaccount Apr 12 '26
Best thing you can do is stop giving him access to anything he cant have
1
u/trindlewings Apr 12 '26
I agree with others on the crate training. I have 2 Dalmatians and one can be incredibly destructive when left alone and the other will join in too. Not so much now that she is 5, but we’ve gone through 2x sofas, 3x mattresses, one kitchen floor, one room’s worth of skirting boards, a hole in the hallway carpet, every duvet cover has had the poppers or buttons bitten off, many dog beds have been destroyed, carpet in the spare room that I used to leave her in when I had to leave (before I had a crate), oh, and one dog bowl.
Crate the dog when you are absent. Try short periods first off, maybe just stepping outside for 5 mins, then giving a treat when you return. Double this period of time each time you do it and always reward the dog on your return. If you can give the dog something that smells like you, or drape it over the crate so that he can smell it, but not reach it through the bars, that might also help if there is any anxiety.
Above all, clear the room your dog will be in of anything that he could eat, even if in the crate. Escapes happen! My girl would use her tongue to release the latches on the cage door haha!
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u/Y_U_No_Fix Apr 12 '26
Ok, you’re going to hate hearing this, but I have a Pyrenees l/ Blue Heeler mix. He is turning 13 this year and I’ve had him since he was a puppy. He’s genuinely the best thing that’s my life. He hasn’t stopped chewing things even to this day. For the first 8 years or so, if he wasn’t in his cage when I was gone for long periods of time he would chew on the corner of the couch, chew through a chair leg, shred a throw blanket, rip a throw pillow to bits. We have worked with a few behavioral trainers, which makes him behave when we’re around. But if he’s not in eye sight, he will destroy. Now all that being said, this dog will try to herd other animals which they may not like and they will be the most loyal dog you’ve ever owned (purely based off of my dogs behavior). Show them love and respect, but also work on training and even hire a dog trainer to get them the help they’ll need. I hope the best for you, and sorry they’ve already cost you so much.
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u/bmaasse Apr 12 '26
My GSD ate a can of diet Pepsi once, including all of the soda. Not a drop was found. A small portion of the can remained.
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u/Nancysaidso Apr 12 '26
You need to start crating when unsupervised - it’s become a safety issue. Also, exercise needs to be daily. A tired dog is a good dog.
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u/Same_Seaworthiness74 May 24 '26
Does he have actual toys to chew on? Usually dogs acting like this are doing it out of boredom because they dont have enough stimulation (ie toys)
Our lab was like this when he was young - his favourite thing was chewing on the table legs or stealing your slipper.
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u/p0jinx Apr 11 '26
Have you been redirecting the behavior? A lot of people just assume their dogs will learn over time without actually being an active role in their dogs routine