My puppy hasn't learned to stop chewing up my sandals yet. Advice?

I have a chihuahua puppy who's about 9 months old. He's the sweetest thing and very lucky I haven't beat him to death for chewing a pair of my favorite sandals and one sandal from my next favorite. Now I don't own a whole lot of shoes, so I tend to get very frustrated since I have to replace them. I leave them by the side of my door since I frequently slip them on, and when I'm in another room doing something else or while I'm sleeping, he chews the straps off.





The first shoe he chewed, I whooped his butt with it and yelled at him not to eat those and showed him all his toys he could freely destroy.





The next shoe he chewed, I whooped his butt with it again, and pretty much did what I did the first time, just with more yelling envolved.





And the last shoe he chewed, I showed it to him told him that it's not his to chew, tapped him on the nose with it and smacked his butt with it twice. Is this a much better approach to this issue? Is he too little to understand yet?

My puppy hasn't learned to stop chewing up my sandals yet. Advice?
Been there done this!!! I have a 3year old black Lab who has all the toys in the world from day 1 and has always went for the shoes among other things I even bought him an 85$ bed, only the best right! First time I left him with the bed he tore it apart along with the shoes. I know that picking them up where he cant get them is the best answer, but you don't always remember and you want to live with them not around them. I finally gave him a pair of my tenner shoes I wore alot and he chewed on that one pair (only) to this day we still play tug-of-war with the sole of one them. Of course as he chewed on them I had to take parts of the shoe away from him so he didn't eat it, but that seamed to work for me, ya never know.


I've also heard that hot sauce works but I did'nt have the heart ,he's my baby
Reply:get rid of anything he chews. thats what i did with my 2 puppies and we lived happily ever after......... with sofa corners ripped up and a coffee table thats half eaten!
Reply:when you figure out how to do that let the rest of us know... i got 4 cats but trust me they chew just as bad as a dog... i learned a long time ago to not leave shoes and house slippers laying around within reach
Reply:Keep up the things you don't want chewed up, and wait it out. So far, I agree with everything you have done, dogs do need to be disciplined, and I think they do understand when you are smackin' them with what they chewed up! Obviously....You are causing them discomfort, with something they wrecked! I really believe that all you can do is wait it out, the dog will get past the chewing stage!
Reply:Puppies will chew usually until their adult teeth come in, generally around the year mark. For now get the puppy some puppy Nylabones or other suitable chewing toys and perhaps keep your shoes in a basket the puppy can't reach in to.
Reply:i've resorted to putting all my shoes on top of a desk that's next to my back door. figured sometimes you just have to pick your battles and chewing on shoes was something i could avoid by training myself.
Reply:there is a product called bitter apple which you can spray on things, so they are not so appealing to chew on--its made to spray on poisonous plants to keep animal away but it works on all things. not sure if walmart carrys it but i know a pet store would.
Reply:First off the animal has no idea why you are yelling and hitting him. They are not humans and treating a dog as such is not going to work. Ever hear of the dog whisper? You should watch him he gives great advise. You have to train yourself and your dog. Be a pack leader. He does have a website and I tell you if my kids were not grown I would have used him to train them...lol he is good and informative.





When the dog decides to chew your favorite pair of shoes, give the dog a toy he can chew on. Poor thing is young and it feels good on those choppers to chew something and doesn't know the shoe is a no no. Get a squirt bottle if he heads to the shoe squirt it. Distract it, if you are not home and it happens, well then crate the dog when you are gone. Praise good behavior with a treat and to get results to your satisfaction. As behavior gets better slow the treats down and the dog will learn good behavior gets rewarded with good praise not treats.





Yelling and hitting the dog will only make it worse. They do not understand.
Reply:That is what puppies do at his age , put your stuff away if you don't want them destroyed instead of smacking him around and creating a neurotic dog





And when he does happen to chew something instead of smacking him around scold sternly not without screaming and give him an appropriate toy and praise him when he takes it, you have to teach what is appropriate to have as a toy otherwise he will never learn
Reply:train it
Reply:Pick up your sandals!
Reply:I think you should get a trainer if you havent had one. now if you did have a trainer, punish him because now a days you can't just let your animals do anything they want you have to punish them as much as you dont want to you have to do it.
Reply:YES puppys will do this when you catch them at it tell them not and put them in a crate for mabye 20 min and make sure to tell them there a BAD DOG!! every tiem they do this repete this and it may take a bit but they will learn need any more help feel free to contact me by email
Reply:Use the Bitter Apple Spray. It works very well. I have an avid chewer myself, but he will not touch anything that has been sprayed. You can get it at pet stores.
Reply:Put your thing up, away from the little guy



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