I appologize if this has been asked before but I need serious help. I just got a 10m old daschund puppy. He has had multiple homes and so that probably contributes to his problems. I don't have the usual potty training problem. He is great at that but he has two issues that are driving us nuts. 1) He will not stop chewing up everything. I don't have a blanket left! He also loves to give little bites. He doesn't harm us just drives us nuts that he always gnaws on us.

The second issue is that he is sooooo needy. We can't go anywhere without him. And at night he MUST sleep with us. I don't mind him in bed with us but it drives me nuts that he has to play and chew up my comforter for a good hour before sleep.

We love him very much and his life of moving from house to house is over. I will keep him no matter what I just would like our lives together to be a little more comfortable and less chaotic.

Please help.

I want to start thanking you for giving him a home. I will do what I can ot help, and I am very pleased there are some other good people helping now. I don't have all the answers.

I will start suggesting a crate. It may be tough at first, but it should help. It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the
Household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home,
Other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The
Only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be
Happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
Den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
Its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
Will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic
Ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put
In a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select
A crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave
Anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any
Bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work.
Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at
Feeding time for more than one dog.

The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy. Very few houses even have a
Safe room. How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing
Else? Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else. In addition
To destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have
Intestinal blockage from the pieces. I had a friend that left her dog in a
"safe" room. It ate a hole in the floor covering. The safe rooms fail to
Give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires. Nor
Do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving
Itself.

Look at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/s...ety-49503.html too. It has some of the same issues. There is some general information in stickies at the top of the forum that will help too.

I would suggest finding an alternative for him to chew on. When he chews on something inappropriate take it away and give him his own toy. Make sure it is something that he can sink his teeth into like a rope toy or something soft but safe.

He is needy because of all he has gone through and probably has some separation anxiety. You can try a crate but if he is miserable in it I wouldn't stress him anymore than he has already been stressed. Find a good behavior specialist in your area and consult them. They can help this little guy become more confident and not be so needy.

Remember dogs are pack animals and the idea of being alone is alien to them. Some dogs manage to adapt to our way of thinking but really dogs need other dogs or people to be with all the time or they aren't really having their needs fulfilled. You might think about getting another dog for him to hang out with IF he seems to like other dogs. He may be a dog that isn't interested in anyone but people. You just have to see what he's like around other dogs.

Hope this helps.

For all animals,
Molly

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Originally Posted by kattygirl

I appologize if this has been asked before but I need serious help. I just got a 10m old daschund puppy. He has had multiple homes and so that probably contributes to his problems. I don't have the usual potty training problem. He is great at that but he has two issues that are driving us nuts. 1) He will not stop chewing up everything. I don't have a blanket left! He also loves to give little bites. He doesn't harm us just drives us nuts that he always gnaws on us.

The second issue is that he is sooooo needy. We can't go anywhere without him. And at night he MUST sleep with us. I don't mind him in bed with us but it drives me nuts that he has to play and chew up my comforter for a good hour before sleep.

We love him very much and his life of moving from house to house is over. I will keep him no matter what I just would like our lives together to be a little more comfortable and less chaotic.

Please help.

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Seek help from an animal behavioralist. He sounds like he has separation anxiety.