I thought I would give you an update on our sweet puggle puppy Lucy. She has been with us for a week and a half now and is settling in very well. After a trip to the vet, and thanks to your recommendations, we decided to feed her Blue Buffalo dog food and she is loving it. We give her the crunchy stuff during the day with about a tablespoon of the wet dog food mixed in with it in the morning.
She has a bunch of chew toys, but holy cow does she like to chew on the bottom of our jeans. I’m hoping this is just a phase. Other than the chewing, she is doing great and LOVES to play outside when I’m out in the garden. I think the key is basically wearing her out so she’ ll take nice long naps. It’s almost like having a little kid again.
This is Ellie, Francisco’s Dog.
Francisco and his son were taking her for a walk the same time we were with Lucy outside.
This is the second dog Lucy has played with in our neighborhood.
Smooches.
Ellie was very sweet and let Lucy climb all over her and they played for a good 10 minutes.
Never in a million years did I think we would have a dog, but we are loving every minute of it.
Ahhh we love you Lucy. You are too stinkin’ cute!
Do YOU have a dog? If so, what kind? And is this whole chewing business normal? Will she outgrow it?
~Mavis
 |
I have a basset that looks quite a bit like Ellie. Ours is named Molly, we got her when she was 5, she’s 8 now.
Three dogs, all Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Lucy is ADORABLE. Yes, they eventually outgrow compulsive chewing, but dogs love to chew, so they will always do it to some degree. The key is to give them acceptable things to chew on, and when you stop Lucy from chewing on, oh, let’s say, a shoe, you tell her “no,” and immediately give her something that she is allowed to chew on. My youngest dog is a sock thief, so I spend part of every day hunting down socks, prying them out of his mouth, and then giving him one of his chew toys and praising him. I have a lot of holey socks.
I like the idea of trading. I’m going to try it. Thanks Madam Chow.
We are very much looking forward to getting a dog. My boys have asked for one for a while now. We haven’t had one since the oldest was a baby. We had to give her to my MIL, because she was not a fan of my son as a baby. They’re good buddies now that he is older, though.
We have 5 dogs: 2 rat terriers we got as puppies, 2 jack russell/bichon mixes taken in at 12 or 13 years old, and another who was a city pound rescue and she’s a whippet/ridgeback mix. The chewing is a phase–kind of like teething. For now, keep things you don’t want chewed picked up and give her plenty of chewable toys. The first 6 months or so are trying as you help them become an integrated (=non-destructive) member of your home, but MAN are dogs worth having!!! Congrats on getting Lucy—she’s a cutie and will surely be a great gardening buddy!
I’ll be interested in hearing how Lucy gets along with the chickens.
It’s very common for puppies to go through a long chewing phase. When our dog Maggie (a sheltie) was a puppy, we made “kong-cicles” to tire out her jaw so she wouldn’t chew on anything she wasn’t supposed to… Basically you fill a Kong chew toy with pieces of apple, some peanut butter, dry dog food pieces, and stick it in a plastic cup. Fill the plastic cup with water & throw the cup in the freezer. When it’s frozen, unmold it from the cup and hand it to Lucy in an area where you don’t mind her licking and entertaining herself for a while. Our dog would like the water, chew the plastic toy, and get all of the treats out, but it would take her forever. By the time she was done, her jaw was so tired, she didn’t have any desire to chew anything else. Good luck! Puppies are so fun!!!!
Nice! Mrs. HB’s dog has the Kong chew toy and now I may have to get one too.
I have had lots of dogs throughout my life-currently I have a 9 year old German Shepherd who we have had since she was 12 weeks old. She did chew alot- my office is in the front of my house and she used to lay next to the front door with her head on the windowsill of one of the long windows that I have on either side of my front door. I thought she was so cute because it appeared she was using the windowsill as her headrest- until I noticed she was chewing on the windowsill…and yes my husband was less than thrilled when he had to replace the windowsills! We used some spray stuff that apparently has a “bitter apple” taste- it doesn’t hurt pets but they don’t like the taste. Also her doggie trainer suggested using a spray bottle with water in it and when you catch them doing something you don’t like (like chewing on a window sill)- you say “no” and spray them in the eyes with the water- it startles them and they eventually you don’t have to spray them with the water.
I got my Miniature Pinscher mix, Leia, at 7 1/2 weeks old. She chewed on everything! Dirty laundry, pillows, shoes. Her favorite was my shoes, specifically the shoelaces. I bet I replaced those shoelaces at least once a month for a good nine months! Anything you don’t want chewed you have to keep out of her reach. If it’s on the floor it’s fair game until they learn what is and isn’t theirs to chew on. If you find something destroyed, don’t yell at her. She won’t be able to connect the two things together. And when you find her chewing on something she shouldn’t be chewing on, say no, take it away, and then give her something she can chew on. Once I started doing that, Leia learned quickly what she could and could not chew on! Nylabones are a great way for them to get out all their chewing frustration. Leia has 6 different kinds of Nylabones! She loves every single one of them!
We have a lab mix and she still chews on wood, just not as much. She never would use any chew toy we bought for her no matter what kind and wood is her favorite. Think shrubs, young trees, deck, bench. She is also a sock thief.
I’m wondering how Lucy will handle the chickens as well.
Ha! I have a story about Lucy and the chickens.
Puppies always chew w/ their “alligator teeth” so we have always given our German Shorthairs ‘Nylabones’ (for puppies) to chew on. For our adult dogs we give them Bison Bones, or Beef Bones from Mud Bay in GH. The 1st couple of times (for short {5 minutes} to then progressively longer periods{20 mins.})this is given on an old folded sheet from Goodwill, as it is a little messy. Once all the ‘meat’ is chewed off of it & it’s just a bone w/ marrow, & is placed into a plastic “toy” box of which the dogs can freely get a bone on their own to chew. It’s fun to watch as all of a sudden, it is ‘chew time’ & the process of picking out the exact bone to play with.
Also one thing we have always done is, when outside & going inside the house, to give the command “House” to have the dog go immediately to the door. Then as a reward for going “House” the dog is always given a treat immediately upon entering. It makes it fun for the dog to go the house because they are expecting some type of little treat to eat (Bulk bin, again, Mud Bay).
I like the positive reinforcement methods…..such as what Madam Chow wrote about. When my Border Collie was young she would try to swallow anything I was trying to take from her. So, we learned how to “trade”…..I would offer a treat and she would put down the item….call it bribery, it worked and we never had to have her tummy opened up to remove things!
Again, if your vet has puppy classes they are worth the little money/time investment.
We have a very sweet english bulldog “Ruby Lu”. Love her to pieces. Growing up we always had pugs. Love the wrinkly face.
I’ve been wanting a puggle for a while! I grew up with a beagle, though, and know that they are pretty high energy, high maintenance and LOVE to run. They are escape artists, too. Knowing that, I’ve had some reluctance to get dog with those bloodlines. Your Lucy, though, looks like the Pug DNA is a bit stronger. I wonder how much difference that makes in the Puggle. She is about as cute as they come!
Thanks Twylla.
We have three dogs; Tawney and Jessa are both chiwahwa’s, but they look more like rat terriers?! And then we have a guard dog(he keeps the cyotes form our chickens), roy, who is a mut and he’s about 65lbs. Roy used to chew on EVERYTHING (even the wires under the truck!!) but thankfully he grew out of it when he was about 8 months:) Now we have had him for almost 5 years and have had no more problems with him.
BEAGLE!!!! BEAGLES rule… Although Lucy is cute too.
We have Lilah the Beagle now, she is 20mo old, and a sweetie. She arrived after the loss of our Beagle, Bailee. Lilah came with huge “paws” to fill as Bailee was an awesome girl. She had been with our family since a young pup, lived through canine breast cancer and at 13 died due to CHF. We miss her but Lilah Louise, as we call her, is a great new addition.
Chewing never seems to end…. Getting their bigger teeth helps to slow it down. It is a tool for entertainment mainly. Beagles tend to get a bad rap, but trained right, they are great dogs.
In loving memory: Bailee Sue 6/10/97 – 8/21/11
My beloved Beagle, Jessie, passed right before her 18 birthday. She had personality! We felt blessed to enjoy her for so long.
Lori, I’m glad you were able to enjoy her for so long.
BTW, Mavis, she quit chewing on things after she grew up. Got my catechism and ballet slippers as a puppy, but nothing as a grown-up.
Hopefully, Lucy takes after the beagle side with this one!
Our dog Sara is mostly Dauchshund with mini-pin and chihuahua. Her father was a small roan doxi and her mother was half doxi, 1/4 mini-pin, 1/4 chihuahua. They do outgrow it but Sara still has her moments if she feels she being abandoned or ignored. Fortunately she usually just upends the bathroom trash can now.
Love your pup! So cute and tiny.
.
We’ve got a 9 months old Great Dane. She’s awesome, but a bit big for our 4 kiddies … Lol. They get run over every now and then
But we all love her to pieces!
I have a 2-ish year old Chuhuahua and a 6-ish year old Dauchshund/Chuhuahua mix (aka Chewinie). They both still love to chew things and any paper left out is at risk of being shredded. One of their favorite toys are the kong extra-small tennis balls; the squeakers generally break within 5 minutes but then they enjoy the balls for a couple weeks until they have been destroyed (my chuhuahua likes to pull off all the hair of the ball). At least the shoe chewing phase is over (my mom lost 3 pairs in a 2 day span of watching the older one a few years ago).
Eeeek! 3 pairs of shoes? Really? I’ll have to remember that.
Mavis, I’m so glad you just got a puppy because SO DID WE and it’s fun to hear the similar stories. Ours is a 12-wk-old Labradoodle named Buddy. He too chews everything so it’s all about channelling the chewing. What he loves best is to chew a frozen marrow bone (found by the steaks in the meat dept). Also google “bully sticks” for all-natural dog chews … these are worth the $$ because the dog chews them forever and the 12″ can be cut into a 6″ manageable stick for your Puggle. Can’t wait to read more about her! Lesley
Thanks Lesley
My son has a Puggle he adopted to keep him company while he’s away at college. She’s two now, and rotten! Jean leg chewing will never go away, only will get worse. She suffers from little-big dog syndrome (thinks she’s a big bad dog and isn’t afraid of anything……) except….. cameras, going under bridges, birds, anything flying overhead ……she is a hoot! wouldn’t trade her for nothing.
Puppies chew — like babies, they’re teething. As long as you give her things she’s supposed to chew on, she’ll be fine. Also, if a drop of lemon juice in the mouth will stop her from chewing on things she’s not supposed to. She’ll associate the sour lemon taste with whatever’s in her mouth at the time.
Thanks Lauren.
Enjoy that cute puppy.
When my dog was going through that age, she liked carrots. I’d put a few in with other treats in a Kong toy. She doesn’t care for carrots as much now, though.
We have two wonderful but sometimes annoying dogs, a black lab and a black pug. Our pug loves to chew and lick! We have given him raw hides since the vet said he was old enough to have them and he still attacks and bites/chews on our pant legs, although less often now. He also obsessively licks the couch and carpet, we have no clue why he does this and we have yet to find anything to distract him, or stop him from doing it.
Our pup licks everything too. I think it’s so weird.
Congrats on your pup! We have a golden and he is just fabulous! He did outgrow his chewing stage (after chewing all the corners of our walls).
She’ll be a great garden buddy!
Yes I have a dog..Bella my spicy little Chihuahua.. She is just over a year old and does plenty of chewing!! Yes Lucy will stop chewing but don’t be surprised if it not until she’s like twoish..that’s normally the time frame for most dogs. Give her plenty of chews and toys as this will save the Jeans. Good luck with Lucy, She’s a doll baby!!
I agree with Antlers. She’s so tiny you may have a hard time finding one small enough right now. Our pooch also like Himalyan Dog Chews. Both are available at Sophie’s Touch on Harborview.
Yes… I have a Louie, a Beau, and a Lucy too !!! She’s a cutie!!
our puggle is a pain in the butt. He is a year old now and still cant sleep through the entire night. He still chews alot of our stuff in the house also.