Adopted 5/2007 to a great family in Seattle

6/30/07 adopter writes: "We did rename her and her name is Kali. She is named after our favorite character on Grey's Anatomy. She is wonderful! She has gotten so big so quickly! I did have to laugh at the part of your email.....I am not sure which is more work a new baby or a new puppy! : )

We have lost several shoes and a few pillows but nothing that can not be replaced. It is worth the trade-off....she has brought much joy to our home! She has a sweet way about her and she loves to play! If you have any advice on the biting that is really the only thing we are having a hard time with. Potty training and sleeping has gone well. Her constant biting is our only issue.......oh that and the fact that our cat is still really mad at us. Especially since Kali loves to chase her.....she thinks Mallory is another chew toy! : )"

(NOTE: see our "Dog Chewing Everything" advice, which we sent to her adopters in response to the plea from their shoes, below Kali's photos)

Dog Chewing Everything, Please Help!!!

OK, take a deep breath. This is not an uncommon behavior, and it *is* one that can be retrained. The first thing to do is make sure as many inappropriate chewable objects as possible are removed from the area to which the dog has access. For items that cannot be moved, some trainers recommend coating the chewable parts of it with a bitter or hot substance (many pet stores carry this sort of anti-chew substance). If your dog seems immune to the first anti-chew “flavor” you try, try another one. 

Next, you'll want to provide lots of appropriate chew items; try some of the large sterilized bones, some heavy duty canvas dog squeaky toys, a rope toy, a kong full of peanut butter... different things, to see what he is most attracted to. If your dog is still a juvenile, he is still teething, and will enjoy having appropriate things to chew. Wetting and then freezing a twisted washcloth can make a great teething chew!

Here are just a few resources out there about the best ways to properly train a dog about what he can, and can't, chew:

www.petco.com/caresheets/dog/Dog_chewingAnxiety.pdf

http://www.cuhumane.org/topics/chew.html

http://us.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=A&intcmp=RA96&articleID=163

They have lots of tips to get you started. Until the training is complete, the short-term solution is to either remove the inappropriate objects from the dog’s reach, or remove the dog from the inappropriate objects. In cases like this, crate training can be your best friend!  If you did not receive the DVD “Training Your Adopted Dog” when you adopted your dog, please let us know if you would like us to send it now; it has good tips for crate training.

For other web resources, just Google "dog inappropriate chewing" - there are so many, you will know you're not alone in your frustration! You can do this!!! It
will require a period of extreme attentiveness, and you may need a session or two with a professional trainer if you don't find yourself making enough progress, but this is a fixable offense, and I have faith in your ability (and your dog's) to conquer it!