Chewing

[Muffy]

I have a 2 yr old sheltie that chews the long hair on the side of his neck, I have never heard of a dog doing this before, he only does it on one side and it is only occasional but when he does it is so bad that the hair ends up being only about 1inch long. Have tried all of the normal ways shaking pebbles, saying aagh, spraying water to no avail. He uses his back foot to push the hair into his mouth. Does anyone have any ideas??

[kuritsa18]

I suggest going to your local pet store and buying a no chew spray. I am pretty sure you can buy ones that are safe to spray on them because some dogs like to chew on their paws or tails. I had to buy a no chew spary for my dog and it worked really well; doesn't chew on anything I put the spray on. It has a really bad taste and will teach them very quickly that this not a tasty thing to chew on! They are not expensive either; from $5 - $30. If you are worried about the price Walmart has a good pet section and my boyfriend bought a bottle of spray from their for $5 for his parents dogs and they said it worked really good. You could also talk to a vet or someone at the pet store to see if they have any other recommendations or ideas. Good Luck!

[Angie]

Hi Muffy,
Self-destructive behavior in a dog is a neurotic behavior which is generally caused by an underlying issue like anxiety, boredom, loneliness, or pent-up energy.
In the short term, yes an anti-chewing spray is a good idea (you can also try a Victorian collar - one of those inverted cone collars which go around your dog's neck) but you may also want to consider treating the cause of the behavior, not just the symptoms.
What kind of a lifestyle does your dog have? Does he get lots of exercise and companionship? Is he by himself for long periods of time? Does he get lots of play sessions, training, and just hanging-out time with you or other family members?
Lack of sufficient exercise and companionship are the two major contributors towards destructive behavior in dogs.
If you treat the behavior short-term, with an anti-chewing salve or collar, and ALSO work on it long term, with lots of walks (an hour a day of vigorous walking would be good) and frequent companionship, your dog will probably not feel the need to occupy his time by chewing on and pulling out his hair.

[BrianP]

I never even knew there was such thing as anti-chewing spray - sounds cool - cheers kuritsa18 and Angie.

I wonder if this chewing is some sort of bad habit like how people bite their nails? Personally my dogs have chew toys and they chew on them, but I had a dog trainer help me get them trained when they were puppies.

Brian

[kuritsa18]

I have lots of chew toys and give her raw hide bones but dogs will be dogs and still chew on things they are not supposed to sometimes

[Muffy]

Thanks everyone for your ideas on stopping fur chewing with my sheltie, I will try the spray, as for finding the underlying problem I think it is habit that he has got into,it is improving. We do have plenty of exercise and companionship as we do obedience, Agility and go for walks most days for about 3/4 hour plus we play in the yard and he as lots of chew toys. Will keep working on things. Muffy & Jordie

[hazelnutx]

I have found a spray that works rather well from my time working at a dog kennel... It's a green apple spray. It worked on an english bulldog and a french bulldog that has issues with chewing/licking to the point of sores on their feet.