Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Lydia/Pepper

Hi! Pepper is now 8 months and has always been the perfect puppy in respect to behavior. However, he has recently started chewing on things i.e. carpeting, toys, anything he can't gnaw at. Is this a phase that is common at this age? As I type this, he discovered a bag from a department store that has the drawstring ties. He is dragging the bag around by the string and then sits down and gnaws at the string. Of course, I look at that face and can't yell at him, but I don't appreciate my carpets being chewed. He doesn't do it to the wall to wall carpeting only the little throw rugs.

DISCUSSION:

I am laughing because we all are so wrapped around the paws of these kids! Lucy, too, loves to drag bags around. Lucy too has her demonic behaviors that I just take one look at the face and... However, we are supposed to be the parents. So. Is he teething or does he have all his teeth already? Have you tried the old no+noise routine where you yell NO!!and make a boom (or shake a can with coins) or whatever? Fortunately, Lucy isn't a chewer except for her toys and chewbones. She is "only" a shredder of paper--dinner guests frequently saw a white blur go by and noticed they no longer had a napkin in their laps. Equivalent to your buying new rugs...I now use cloth napkins. So you can see I'm not a big help (outside of those 2 tried and true methods which I used for everything for Lucy when she was just a baby. Good luck. If I see any sales on throw rugs at Penney's, I'll let you know!! :-)
-cathy brown

This has been the biggest problem with my dogs, and I have not been able to solve it. They shredded my kitchen rug, my area rug in my office. The rugs by the bed, every rug they could find. Another reason they are not allowed on carpet. I know that I have convinced them that it is a no-no because they only do it when I am not around. I finally gave up and took away all the rugs. I stopped them from chewing by putting Dog Off spray on the things I didn't want them to eat. (walls, etc), but the rugs are just something they feel they must shred, spray or not.
-Marsha A.

Are we all crazy?! I, too, apparently have a problem correcting my baby. She LOVES to chase and bite my feet as I walk around the house. Everyone laughs at me when I "scold" her, because they think I'm not firm enough with her. I TRY, really I do, but that face!!!! Apparently, she knows how cute she is, and that she can get away with it. On the rare occasions that I have scolded her, she fusses at me and then CHOMPS my foot!!!!!!!
-Cindy

Cindy--I sort of forgot to mention the chewing of feet--one of Lucy's favorite passtimes. Once I got a lecture from a dog trainer about how I HAD to put an end to this.--biting/chewing being unacceptable. Well, guess what...Lucy still loves to chase and bite "my feets" as I call them when telling her sweetly this is a no-no (as in Lucy, darling, please don't eat mommy's feets). On the plus side, if she gets carried away and I actually say "ouch, Lucy," she sits down and looks at me with this astonished (I didn't know it would hurt, mom look) and leaves me alone...until another day, that is. So, let's face it, we are all warped somewhat by the love of these small white fluffy creatures and they absolutely DO know it and use it to its greatest advantage. I am just thankful that Lucy, unlike my son, doesn't have to be prepared to leave home and make her way in a world that isn't full of me's. Smiles to all of you and kisses from Lucy, the best, all around kisser on the planet!
-cathy brown

O.K. So we all need a little "parenting classes in the discipline department!! I thought there was something special about my rugs! He too knows its wrong cause he only does it when I'm not looking or not home. Yes, he's also gotten into the act of shredding paper. Particularly toilet paper. Good thing they are cute...or else!
-Lydia/Pepper

The breeder who sold Kirby to me kept repeating "Always remember, you have to be smarter than the dog." I never understood that until Kirby started chewing on the wicker furniture in "her" room. I then had to do some serious thinking on how to out-smart the little darling, and tied old socks around all the legs & wicker wrapping on the furniture. She then only chewed on the socks & the knots in the socks--too bad I didn't think of it BEFORE she did some major damage. I, too, couldn't look at that face and scold her. Morale of the story, "be smarter than the dog"; unfortunately I haven't come up with a solution for your carpet yet!
-Kirby

Is this the same Kirby featured on the Maltese Only greeting cards? She is a Cutie-pie!!! Too cute to yell at for sure.
-Meranda

Finally my baby has all of his adult teeth. He now no longer chews everything on site. He still rips any kind of paper to shreds. Whenever I catch him i always get ready to scold him but when I look into his adorable face, I just can't and actually will let him finish shredding the paper. I know I shouldn't but he's so cute.=)

One thing though, does anyone of yalls dogs chew the wall? NiNi had chewed the wall until there is a considerable indention in the wall. I had to put a board there to keep him from chewing on it. Anyone have any idea why he does this? Just wondering.
-Linda/NiNi

Buster also loves to shred newspapers. His favorite is the TV Guide, usually on Sunday, (when we have 6 more days left). He just reaches over from the couch and snatches it off the end table, and makes a run for it, in his mouth. and when we finally get it back, it is a goner. He also used to tip his bed over, and rip the foam out. So now he only has the kind that has a removeable pillow, inside. I liked his old ones with the removable cover, but after he distroyed two of them, I "got smart".
-Patti

I read somewhere that "you don't own a maltese -- the maltese owns you"! That pretty much sums it up for me! These adorable creatures can get you to do anything. They are incredibly smart and incredibly cute -- I am no match for that! Yesterday I got home and found my beautiful white freshly-bathed Touquet covered from head to toe in a chocolate drink (not real chocolate) I had accidently left on a table. They CAN extend their reach, you know -- size has NOTHING to do with it!!! Guess who had a bath two days in a row??? But if only you could have seen that precious "brown" face with the eyes full of mischief...
-Barbara

Yes Meranda, that's the one and only Kirby from the greeting cards. Didn't realize "she" put "her" name on the reply--guess she's hooked on the Discussion Group page too! Thanks for the flattery words....yes, they do own us and can outsmart the best of us human types.
-Debbie

I'm glad I have hardwood floors!! Emma also loves to shred paper. She nips at my fingers when we are playing. It doesn't hurt, but I suppose I should tell her "NO", so she doesn't hurt a child or something. I am learning to change my tone of voice when I scold her, but it's hard to keep it for long. I praise her after she goes potty outside, but I'm realizing I give her so much attention all day long that she may not realize I'm praising her specically at that time for pooping outside. She sure is irresistable. wow. And just a week ago I had never heard of maltese dogs, only falcons!!
-Jessica

Must be a Maltese "thing" as our little one loves to pull yarns out of my throw rugs also. When I tell her No No!! she will look up at me with the yarns hanging from her mouth and the most innocent look on her face. feet are another one of Angels favorite ways to get us to notice her.
-Janis

Jessica, Try giving Emma a treat when she goes outside in addition to the praising and until she is potty trained, try not to give her a treat for anything else (hard to do, I know!). When I was training Lucy I used kitty treats (I used Smoochies 'cause they are shaped like littler hearts, not that Lucy noticed!). When she did her thing I told her what a good girl she was and gave her a Smootchie. Once she was 100% trained, I began treats for other things. She now has "good girl cookies" (still the smoochies) and "big girl cookies" (puppy-sized IAMs biscuits). She knows the differnce. When she is being a good girl for any reason, she gets a good girl cookie. The "big girl cookies" are bedtime snacks and given when I leave her to go out, etc. They are kept in different places and she knows where to head to get one depending on what it's called. Back to the potty training. Treats REALLY work for that.
-cathy brown