Dog Community

Lab chewing on backyard stucco

Posted : 9/21/2010 7:14:28 AM

Greetings- hopefully I'm posting this in the correct area...

We have a 4 month old male yellow lab who is doing well overall. However, he has chewed on a stucco beam in our backyard that is part of our house's rear wall. I can see the white styrofoam exposed and was planning on using a stucco patch to repair it (I understand it can lead to water damage of our house if left unrepaired)

My question is: what can I do to prevent him from going back to this same spot and chewing it again?

He is an indoor dog (crate trained) and we typically let him into the backyard only for #1 and #2 and for supervised exercise. But sometimes we step inside for a moment to get something, and that's when he chews.

Thanks for any advice!

Liesje

Posted : 9/21/2010 8:04:53 AM

If he's chewing one specific spot, could you use an expen (or just a few panels from one) to surround the beam or make a small barrier in front of it?

BlackLabbie

Posted : 9/21/2010 8:46:45 AM

I suggest either blocking it off, or just don't leave him outside unsupervised (even for a minute ot two).

Xebby

Posted : 9/21/2010 9:00:27 AM

Does he have any other chew toys outside? I would work on re-directing the behavior to giving him guidance on what is acceptable to chew and what is not. In the mean time blocking off the area would also help.

He's just about the age where he's either about to or is starting to loose his puppy teeth and needs something to chew. If you give him rawhides be very careful, supervise while chewing to make sure he doesn't swallow any large chunks whole. You don't want the pieces to get stuck inside the intestine and cause blockage. Rope toys are also great but same problem if the threads get loose. In my opinion, Kongs are the best toys for chewers and you can fill them with peanut butter for an even more interesting toy for the puppy.

MisterCee

Posted : 9/21/2010 12:23:43 PM

Wow, what a great board! Thanks for all the helpful responses.

We do have an old ex-pen being used in the living room, which will be replaced by a new taller metal gate on order. I forgot the Ex-pen panels can be separated...I'll try using 2 or 3 to block it off.

I'll need to figure out how to fasten the panels securely otherwise he'll probably just grab on them and take it away.

Thanks again

BlackLabbie

Posted : 9/21/2010 1:31:57 PM

BTW, we'd LOVE to see pics of your baby!

Liesje

Posted : 9/21/2010 2:18:40 PM

I use a needle-nose pliers to pry off those metal fasteners that hold the expen panels together, and then I use plastic zip-ties to hold panels together. My dogs haven't figured out how to chew the zip ties (yet). I've done this many times, like if the dogs want to dig in a certain area, I make an expen that size and put it around the hole until they give up and forget about it. I've used them to block off plants and flower beds.

JackieG

Posted : 9/21/2010 2:58:52 PM

MisterCee
I'll need to figure out how to fasten the panels securely otherwise he'll probably just grab on them and take it away.

If you have some tent stakes, that might work to stake them in the ground. Keep a bully stick or kong or other chew toy handy by the door and if you have to go in the house and aren't watching, toss him the approved chew. Stock up on chew toys and such because the chewing has just begun. lol I agree with Steph that we need some pictures!! That's our fee for advice......:)

MisterCee

Posted : 9/22/2010 1:33:00 AM

I hope I'm doing this correctly (Inserting images from my user folder on this forum is very different from all the other forums I've used), It took my web browser about 15 minutes to finish running the javascripts to show the upload folders, etc. I had to keep hitting "Continue" because it was saying the script was nonresponsive. Maybe it is my NoScript add-on causing it?

Anyways ... here are 2 pics of our Max, our new puppy!

Thanks so much for all the great responses so far guys. Man, this sure is a fantastic forum. I've belonged to tons of forums the past 15 years, and this has the most/quickest responses by far.

I especially appreciate the tips on detaching/securing the ex-pen and keeping treats nearby for indoor incursions by yours truly. We just picked up some bully sticks at Costco today, what a lucky coincidence.

I'll give your ideas a shot and post my results.

Thanks again!

hapnthatch

Posted : 9/22/2010 2:44:09 AM

OMG, he's sooo cute. Luckily he's not mine, otherwise I'd probably just let him tear up everything as his heart desires... as my dogs would tell you, I'm a push-over, lol. Embarrassed