Oh my....looks like he might like one of those rawhide bone things! he might be at the baby pup teething stage...or might just love chewing...wow...He's so darn cute it'd be hard to be angry at him. There's this cycle of "oooh, cuteness!" and...."dammit, my wall!" Hope it all gets fixed ok. :)
shutterbug93 on November 12th, 2008 04:44 pm (UTC)
Thanks for your comment! :) It's so funny because we give Cooper all kinds of bones and toys, but the most appealing to him is our darn wall! :P I will have to put something up though, because that's quite a mess he made! I hope he grows out of the chewing stage quickly!
zortrana on November 12th, 2008 04:51 pm (UTC) Uh-oh
Rafferty, from my first set of Shelties, chewed an entire hole though the drywall when he got his molars at about 9 months, I think. I came home one day and there it was! He had plenty of toys too, but I guess it was something about the texture of the wall. He had to go back in his crate when no one was home, until the molars were in!
shutterbug93 on November 13th, 2008 04:22 pm (UTC) Re: Uh-oh
Oh my goodness about Rafferty! :O Sydney, as a puppy also ate a hole the size of a hamburger bun in our bathroom wall... :P They just love that stuff - you're right must be the texture because it can't be all that tasty! ;)
And it's hard to stay mad at Cooper, you're right!
Aww so cute with her "It was like this when I got here" look. Caught in the act - so cute! (Even though the wall needs repairing now... how could anyone be angry when looking at that adorable face?!)
shutterbug93 on November 13th, 2008 04:25 pm (UTC)
It was SO funny because Cooper looked at me JUST like that! It was SO hilarious that he had a piece of the wall still in his mouth, though - as upset as I was, I had to laugh!!
I think we have a boredom problem. Shelties are too damn smart for their own good, and they need stimulation or they start doing these weird things.
I suggest removing the food bowl and getting a food toy, one of those ones that you have to bat around to get the dry food to drop out piece by piece. It makes the meal take an hour or more! Which is GREAT news. Introducing it takes a lot of patience. Also, some safe chew toys. (avoid rawhide, unless it is pressed).
Also, a tired baby is a well behaved baby.. so walkies all the time. I taught Buster to fetch, which isn't natural for a Sheltie, but it was a GODSEND, because I could wipe him out twice a day, and he would sleep after.
Finally, the unpopular: Crating. At least in a safe room, like the kitchen. I hate that solution, but you might want to start training for it -in case-.
Ain't shelties fun? lol It only took me 14 years to find a Trash can that buster couldn't get into. We were regulars at the vet ER.
shutterbug93 on November 13th, 2008 04:34 pm (UTC)
Thanks SO much for your comments!! Other Sheltie owners definitely understand! :) Sydney, for the most part, was really good about not touching things that weren't hers (except for that unfortunate hamburger size bun whole in our bathroom wall...) but she didn't seem to chew a lot of things around the house.
I LOVE playing fetch with Cooper... and he's getting the hang of it too - and finally understands that he needs to bring the ball back to me! ;)
Yesterday I bought some of THESE which seems to keep him away from our walls - at least, for now. ;)
yeah i think puppies are mad so cute so that you wont kill them when things like this happen =) when my sisters golden retriever was little he chewed up book covers, my shoes, and the cord of my electric blanket.. yeah fun phase lol
shutterbug93 on November 13th, 2008 04:35 pm (UTC)
Hahaha!! I think you're right - it's the equilibrium between being so mad at them and wanting to cuddle them and say, "Awwwww!" that's the hallmark of puppy-hood. ;)
Oh my goodness... the little monkey! :P Our friends have MinPins and they did the same thing when they were pups. It was a good excuse for a kitchen reno! :)
Yes Cooper, I think you are in trouble ... at least a little bit. But it's difficult to be really angry with him, isn't it?
Micki never liked walls but only wood - the bed and the bedside table. You still can see her work. Kitty's owner had to deal with the same and he remembered that it stopped as soon as Kitty got her own wood. He needs wood for his work, it's a soft wood what does not splinter that much and he gave us some bigger pieces of it. Luckily it worked. :)
I hope Cooper quickly gets out of his chewing stage. Big hugs to all of you!
msgrumpybear on November 12th, 2008 11:00 pm (UTC)
Chewie did that to some molding when he was a puppy. We'll probably have to replace that section before we move.
I also would suggest bitter apple spray. Spray it in his mouth so he gets the taste, then let him watch you spray things you don't want him chewing on. Never did really work for things Chewie REALLY wanted to chew on, but did get him to stop messing with the boxes when we were unpacking after we moved in to this place. (Spraying him in the face with water while he is misbehaving will get the message across too, unless he happens to like that. Most dogs don't like water in the face though.)
shutterbug93 on November 13th, 2008 04:43 pm (UTC)
Thanks for your comment, Laura! I remember trying the bitter apple spray with Sydney and that did work... Thankfully Sydney's chewing phase was not a long one (or it didn't seem to be from what I can recall...) I bought Cooper THIS yesterday, so hopefully it'll keep him occupied and away from our walls for a while. ;)
bourriquet76 on November 12th, 2008 11:31 pm (UTC)
My original sheltie growing up ate the wall. My parents have a panel type material that goes up to a chair rail now, because my dad never was able to properly repair the sheetrock. ;o)
shutterbug93 on November 13th, 2008 04:44 pm (UTC)
I remember talking with you about this when I told you about Sydney and the hamburger bun sized hole she ate through our bathroom wall. ;) Hopefully Cooper will outgrow the chewing stage quickly. ;)