General Question

blueknight73's avatar

How long will my German Shepard chew on things?

Asked by blueknight73 (2706points) September 2nd, 2010

my dog is 8 months old and constantly wants to chew on socks,shoes, purses, etc. how long will he do this?

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6 Answers

zen_'s avatar

Forever. Really.

It’s part and parcel; when you buy food – buy bones and toys, too. Plastic bottles work, too, but they love real bones the most. Keep your shoes far, far away.

lucillelucillelucille's avatar

When you catch your dog chewing on the wrong thing,say,“No!” then replace the object with something more appropriate to chew on.Praise when they do the right thing.My last three dogs have been GSDs.They’re the best :)

Coloma's avatar

Your dog is still a puppy and will be in behavior for about 3–4 years.

I love the shepherds but they do require lots of activity and amusements.

I’d make sure you have an arsenal of toys and chewy things on hand to mix up his toybox choices.

My shepherd had separation anxiety and always had to be carrying around a pair of my underware in her mouth. lol

They are highly active, intelligent and loyal dogs but slow to maturity, be patient and provide plenty of diversions.

daytonamisticrip's avatar

Hey just be happy he’s not chewing on wallets and cell phones. Give him a chew toy. Any time he chews something he shouldn’t replace it with a toy.

dkrluvmydogs's avatar

Dogs are so called puppies for approximately 2 years. It’s their nature to chew, especially as a “bored” puppy. They have lots of energy to burn. Make sure he/she has plenty of things they are allowed to chew on. Rawhides that are their size and also not too small for them. this usually helps allot. My motto for my Yorkies is “they can never have too many toys.” They like to tear some toys open and get the squeaker out, then incapacitate it completely! That’s alright with me. It’s their toy & they can do what they want with them. Don’t ever try to fight a dog’s instincts unless they are being destructive to your property!
The real problem is not getting enough exercise, but I understand the dilemmas of a busy life. That’s why they get bored, they aren’t tired & have to be busy. I don’t believe in crates. I like to tell people, “you hold your bladder & bowels for 8 hours or more.” It is twice as hard for puppies small organs. I do believe in a restraining area, like a pen or a gate across a door way & such. Then some pee pee papers. Animals can get sick too you know. At any age of life like people. I’ve had 8 Yorkies, various large dogs as a child and at one time 5 dogs in the house together and behaving great. Good Luck.

rooeytoo's avatar

Puppies teach you to be neat and tidy. Keep your stuff up high where the pup can’t reach it and @zen_ has it right, keep plenty of raw meaty bones lying about, I guarantee your dog will prefer them to tasteless old purses.

At the 7 dog years to one human, your dog really is still very mentally immature so it could go on for some time. Do you crate him when you can’t be watching him? That is an excellent solution also.

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