Ideas to keep a dog from chewing on vehicles?

Tacoma747

Tacoma747

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Winston-Salem
Sarge has been trying to cause trouble lately, he chewed the wires going to the trailer plug on my truck (as well as the ones on my small trailer), then he chewed the wires on Rebecca's 4runner that go to the trailer plug, this actually caused some fuses to pop on her 4runner, but I figured the problem out quickly...

Last night I caught him tugging on the cord for the block heater on my truck, so I went out and tucked it back up behind the front bumper (that's where it was to begin with, he pulled it out). Well, he pulled it out AGAIN, so I shoved it WAY back up in there, and wedged it where he couldn't get it back out.

Any ideas to keep a dog from chewing on stuff? He has PLENTY of toys (mostly shoes he has stolen), and he plays with them alot, but he likes chewing/tugging on wiring too I guess...
 
Get him wiring of his own lol.....se if a squirt bottle has any effect on him, my pit is deathly afraid of one.....he chews up interior wires auch as lamps
 
A quick 'bite'/shot to the neck or haunches, then claim the item/area as your own (standing in front of the item or holding it)...simultaneously giving them a short stern command. Stand your ground until the dog backs down...reiterating the short stern command. The dog hasn't backed down until the ears, tail, body relaxes, the dog should not be making eye contact with you and then they voluntarily walk away and vacate the area. It doesn't work just doing it once, it's consistency in discipline. If that doesn't work, flip them on their back, hand on the throat, again repeating the short, stern command. It's not done for the dog until they avoid eye contact and their body relaxes.

The purpose of the 'bite' or flipping them on their back stems from pack mentality hierarchy. Dogs don't socialize like humans, look at a group/pack of dogs socializing, if the leader/alpha doesn't like something they issue a quick warning shot and if that doesn't work it results in a flipping. Alot of folks look at this like visciousness, but they're simply jostling for power.
 
nc4x4 dog wisperer.. sound practicle but a mouthful of my labs muddy coat sounds awful..
I think I'll try this one too, I'm tired of fixing stuff at work then doing O.T. on non fun stuff around the house:beer:
 
Utfball68, if I catch him in the act I do all of what you stated (pretty much), he definetly knows he's doing something he shouldn't be, last night he was tugging on it, I heard him from in the living room, went outside and showed him he shouldn't be messing with it, he KNEW, cause he was laying on the ground hunched down (and rolled over eventually). It wasn't 30 minutes later he was out there again... We had the same problem with him taking shoes outside and chewing them up, I could shove him to the ground and tell him 'no', in a VERY stern way I guess you would say, but he still takes them if we leave the door open to where he can get outside, he will ONLY mess with stuff he isn't supposed to when he's by himself...

He took a 'totes' umbrella out of Rebecca's purse one day and took it outside, I really wish I had it on video when it popped open on him, I am sure that scared him enough not to mess with it anymore...
 
I would say put some tobacco sauce on it, but Diesel like it so that may not work. Although Diesel also drinks whiskey he is kinda weird. You could also try some Alum. It is extremely bitter and I cannot imagine any animal liking it. One final thing you may do is get Sarge a friend. He is getting bored and looking for things to do. I know that his momma got into all kinds of trouble till we got another dog for her to play with.
 
I've found a shock collar works the best. My dog will do the same thing when I get on to her when she does something wrong...lay down roll over, then back at it again 5 minutes later.

Any time I've used the shock collar, she may only do whatever one more time and that's it. Buy one and turn it to the highest level. Don't mess with the lower levels. The dog will learn quicker and you will use the collar less.

If you don't want to buy a collar, try the water trick but not a water bottle. Use the hose and soak the dog when it chews on the wires. Unless it's a lab it won't like this.
 
My wife's heathen lapdog ;learned on his own when he bit into a plugged in lampcord.

Don't want ya to hurt the pooch, but it is food for thought. He's now afraid of cords and wires.

Matt
 
i would have been better off getting a goat for a pet, ill stay tuned because nothing is safe within the electric fence, and my shop is inside the boundary.
 
my dog chewed up the wiring harness on my trailer. After repairing the wiring, I bought a small metal toolbox, cut two holes in it, threaded the harness into the toolbox, and mounted the toolbox to the tongue of the trailer. When I use the trailer, I thread the harness out of the toolbox thru the other hole. Now he can't get to it when the trailer is parked.
 
Good luck. One of my dogs ate my house ac control wires...twice.

Solved that with a fence. She just recentlt ate the christmas lights on the porch

You figure out something good post up the solution
 
my lab got two trailers and the side of my wifes car. a few tools that I chased him down for and everytime I bring in wood he carries a chunk off. He picks up softball size rocks to play with an demolishes anything other than the heavy aluminum pots we were going to discard as food bowls. He has plenty of chew toys and gets regular attention. I think one of the ladies from church had it right he doesn't get a brain until he's 2 yrs old. He minds several commands very well but chewing the crap out of stuff just seems to be his favorite past time.


Oh the last thing he chewed was two ornimental christmas trees. Seems the wires and greenery weren't tasty enough. He ate all the glass colored balls instead. GLASS go figure. Whats next nails and barb wire?
 
I've found Christmas tree tinsel and a condom in piles of my dog's crap. I'm sure a smaller dog would have died.
 
Would leaving one of the wires plugged in help? Maybe a good jolt will do it!
Just kidding.....I think:confused:

edit* just saw Lizook already said this...
 
Make the wires hot, he'll get a shock and decide it isn't a good idea. My lab chewed wires all the time. Then she chewed up the cord of a stereo that was plugged in. Last time she ever chewed a wire. Must have felt pretty good. :lol:
 
Our Pit, Petey was about to get boot for chewing non stop. I started buying him these 3/4" ropes with the knot on each end at Target for 99 cents. He goes through 1 every day or so and leaves everything else alone now. The squirt bottle only worked when we were there. Having the 2 Pekes to wrestle with helps a lot too. Companionship goes a long way for a bored dog.
 
Blaze said:
Make the wires hot, he'll get a shock and decide it isn't a good idea. My lab chewed wires all the time. Then she chewed up the cord of a stereo that was plugged in. Last time she ever chewed a wire. Must have felt pretty good. :lol:
Click to expand...

This.

nctom said:
Our Pit, Petey was about to get boot for chewing non stop. I started buying him these 3/4" ropes with the knot on each end at Target for 99 cents. He goes through 1 every day or so and leaves everything else alone now.
Click to expand...

And this.

One of ours went through a couple of lamp cords. No problem (for him), since he'd tug on the cord first, and it would come unplugged, then he'd chew it up. That stopped once he chewed on an extension cord that was plugged in behind the sofa and wouldn't come easily out of the wall.

Buying chew toys for them isn't enough on its own. You've got to train them to use the chew toys instead of your stuff. But ours are big fans of the knotted ropes. Works well for that after-dinner bones-and-sinew chewing they want to do.
 
Habanero sauce is very effective. Our bitch was eatin her doghouse until I put a fresh coat on. How could a doghouse taste good? :shaking:
 
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