Labrador/golden retriever, do they both have a tendency to chew?

[FidoAndHisBone]

I've heard that labradors have a real tendency to chew things when at the puppy stage, I was wondering if this was the same for golden retrievers? I understand that most puppies will do this but I have read on other threads that labs chew more than most.

[Whoopydofoxpoo]

My lab chewed some shoes and cushions but was not a prolific chewer , heard stories of labs chewing skirting board , plaster board etc.

I don't know why she didn't chew as much as we expected - she wasn't left too long , she was given other things to chew , perhaps we were lucky.

[mycatsaysach]

my lab doesn't chew at all - he chewed one thing as a pup - a table

[mute]

Simple answer yes

[BoatingLakeDiva]

why do they chew? I mean why do they chew more than other breeds? Or do they?

[Riversidegirl]

All puppies chew; especially when they're cutting teeth. My friend's houind was horrendous and didn't stop for ages.

The best thing I found for our labs was a red rubber treat holder called a Kong. Google if you haven't seen them. It's virtuly indestructable. (Looks a bit like a sex toy). Fill it with biscuits and a bit of smooth peanut butter and they love it! Fill it and put it in the freezer when they're chewing to cut teeth. n If you find the dog chewing anything it shouldn't say "No!"...give it the Kong and praise to show that's what is OK to chew.

Beware; the hide chews can be too salty and bloat the dog. Bones and sticks can chip off and stick in the throat.

Crating a dog with a filled Kong can prevent damage when you're out and unable to keep an eye on the it but give the dog loads of exercise to wear it out too.

[BoatingLakeDiva]

I've got a kong and the treats that go inside though I have heard of lots of other things being stuffed in there too so will invest in a 2nd Kong to have one on standby

[Elibean]

Yes, Goldie puppies chew - though some won't, or not as much as others.

They do grow out of it though, I'm told!

[Whoopydofoxpoo]

They do grow out of it - I can leave shoes about now without fear of them being shredded !

[Elibean]

Yes, we have a Goldie cross - and shoes are now almost safe (he's 12 months old)!

[BoatingLakeDiva]

a goldie cross Elibean? gorgeous. golden doodle? Or a mongrel? How have you found the first year?

[Principality]

Our eldest lab is now 4.5. At his worst his chewed through chair legs and a door. Wouldn't cross his mind to chew anything now and is as good as gold.

9month old puppy is at it- she has damaged skirting board and a wall plus all the usual small bits.

Neither are left for long and our crate trained. The wall damage happened when my back was turned, doing the washing up, only 1m away!

[BoatingLakeDiva]

oh crikey! Principality. I had better employ a squadron of dog watchers!

[midori1999]

ALL puppies will chew if allowed to get bored and if they are left unsupervised, IMO. With proper supervision, training and vigilance then it's possible to never get anything chewed, no matter what the breed of dog. However, some breeds get more 'restless' than others (eg. need more mental and phsyical stimulation) and so may be more inclined to chew more easily than others. The same applies to individual dogs, regardless of breed.

If you completely supervise the puppy, provide lots of nice things the puppy is allowed to chew, keep things cleared away and use a crate when you cannot supervise the puppy then you will avoid chewing unwanted things. Not only good for your posessions, but the dog's health too. You do have to crate train, not just stick the dog in, shut the door and hope for the best, but think of it as a bed/safe haven for the dog rather than a cage.

The worst we have had is a nibbled wooden chair leg and that was being lazy about crating. Oh, except for the phone handset, which one of our adult Goldens suddenly decided to chew up one day, having never chewed anything in her life! She does have a penchant for nicking margerine if we leave it out though...

[Riversidegirl]

My daughter's boxer had a penchant for her clean knickers and when she'd gone to work he would run upstairs and take them out of her bedside drawers!

She was once met with him sitting in the window with a pair on his head and another pair hanging out of his mouth!!! She knew something was up when she spotted neighbours walking down the street laughing

[Stoney666]

Ours is 16 weeks and touch wood we had no trouble (yet!) he likes cardboard boxes, logs, has loads (spoilt ) and loads of toys so never gets bored. If I go out, he goes in crate, which he loves.

[Stoney666]

Should also add had four one2one training sessions, start classes next week and I do lots of trai I g with him for mental stimulation. He's like my baby

[Elibean]

midori, my last dog used to love stealing margarine - sadly, the evidence (frothy sick on doormat) was not hugely enjoyable

[Riversidegirl]

Our standard snow white poodle called Sandy ate a whole 1lb pack of lard! Yeukkkk!!!!