Dear Radha and Smokey, > But when he eats a $200 cellphone, all of the > television remotes and rips newspapers to shreds, I > get to my wits end.
Biggest Berner Sympathy hugs here! I have gone through similar things in the past with my various pups! Sam would tear up towels and teatowels, Sunny loved newspapers and cards and letters (very embarrassing when we went to stay with my cousin and my sweet baby girl shredded the mornings' post!), Sim had a very bad few weeks where he destroyed theTV remote, my purse and credits cards and almost had my camera! Thankfully, these episodes did not last long! With Sam and Sunny was when they were wee pups and teething and they grew out of it very quickly! Sim's from being good as gold as a wee pup started at about eight and a half months, quite out of the blue! Sylvia's advice re. keeping everything important out of the way is very sensible. Having pups around makes you very tidy!!!! But the best thing is to catch them in the act!!!! Go back to basics of leaving alone for few minutes and then praising for good behaviour! Gradually increasing the time! Hah! Took only five minutes with Sim! Had gone down to the shed to milk the goats and out of the corner of my eye saw Sim go by to his favourite 'chew things up spot' in the garden with something in his mouth. Was not his new huge marrow bone, was black! Well, wasn't he surprised when I crept up behind him and caught him attempting to shake the camera out of the case! Lots of "Bad Boys!" Then ignored him for the rest of the day and he followed me around with tail between his legs. Never did anything like it again! You say Smokey is about eight and a half months too, is this a new thing with him too! > he can wander freely--or at least he could > until the above instances. Makes me think maybe similarity here with Sim's behaviour as I had never had problems with him before this. Maybe 'the catch him at it' will work here for you too, I figured with Sim maybe it was wisdom teeth coming in and suddenly being so much bigger and stretching the bounds a bit. > He has even figured out > how to open the cabinet that has his treats in it, Now option for something like this is booby trap technique! Can you arrange something like tins placed precariously in the cabinet where the treats are so when he opens the door the tins fall out! Something that makes a lot of noise, which also helps you catch him in the act! For general chewing I hear that Vick's Vapour Rub works wonders smeared on furniture etc!! Thankfully, haven't had any problems here where I have had to use this one but it comes highly recommended! All Love, Jean, Sunny, Simmy, Barney and the Gang XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX http://www.angelfire.com/anime3/longlease/index.htm
