[kristl81]

so far we've lost:
1 hot pink flip flop
1 digital camera connecter cord
1 stuffed animal

which i guess isn't too bad...are there any tricks to get them to stop chewing things that aren't theirs? when i catch her i give a firm NO, take away the item, and give her one of her toys.

 

[brandyb]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it's probably going to get worse. How old is she? It sounds like you're doing the right things but puppys love to chew anything they can put in their mouths. I know it's easier said than done, but try to keep eveything out of her reach. Good luck! Have you tried Bitter Apple?

 

[beagletails]

I guess you could tape her mouth shut! lol Just kidding.

I will prewarn you...they love remotes and cell phones too. Just try to puppy proof the home just like you would with an infant. And when you can't find something that is missing...ask the dog.

 

[deedeebee]

We know when Zelda has something when she hides underneath the bed and won't come out (unless I have bacon)

It's gotten a bit better since we've used bitter apple spray... but she WILL find any shoe in the house that she can, and I would assume your beagle will be the same way.

 

[momtothreebeagles]

LOL! Takes me back to September 2003 when I got my first beagle puppy. We lost two cell phones, four remotes, two pairs of (expensive!) sunglasses, untold amounts of my lingerie, a digital camera, a cordless phone, multiple pairs of gloves and shoes, one cashmere scarf, and that's what I can remember! LOL.

We finally decided that anything that was within beagle reach was fair game. So we removed the temptation by putting everything away, leaving only the allowable chew toys out. So we helped Brooks by helping ourselves. We were green at the time and didn't know better, but it worked. Now, if the dog grabs something inappropriate to chew on, I quickly remove it, correct him/her, give him/her something appropriate to chew on and praise him/her as appropriate. Seems to have fixed the problem. I do still, however, not leave anything out when I leave, just in case.

 

[Sephly]

Originally Posted By: DianaWe know when Zelda has something when she hides underneath the bed and won't come out (unless I have bacon)

It's gotten a bit better since we've used bitter apple spray... but she WILL find any shoe in the house that she can, and I would assume your beagle will be the same way.

f

HAHAHA mine does the same! under the futon is his i'm doing something naughty so i'll hide here spot. and usualy it takes cheese and lots of persuasion to nab him.

 

[fauxpasta]

We did some puppy-proofing when Spock came home with us - spraying apple bitter on cords, keeping the trash can and recycle bin on a small counter in a corner of the kitchen - but they still get their teeth on things such as my boyfriend's cigarettes, everyone's socks and underwear, both cell phones, my glasses. I have my eye out constantly for things they can potentially chew, and nothing that is expensive/messy/dear, small enough for them to chew, and not durable is left anywhere lower than the kitchen counter. I regularly go through the living room to make sure my boyfriend or his friends haven't left food or drinks out and long-unattended on the coffee table, we have tall closing hampers stashed in our closets where we (optimistically) put our dirty clothes, etc. It's just a matter of diligence in keeping things out of reach and of gently correcting bad behavior the moment you see it.

 

[angelaH]

Our first beagle was a terror. Bilbo used to steal from all our neighbours, socks, rugs, food prepared for grilling and once gloves from the local fire-brigade. People knew where to come to find their stolen goods. Her days of freedom ended when the local hunter warned us he would have to shoot next time he found her chasing the deer. Our other beagles are always on the lead outside of a secure garden. Didnt stop our second beagle stealing a camenbert cheese from a restaurant we were eating in! I have told this story several times so wont bore you with the details.

 

[Murphys Dad]

OK, here is what you do:

<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FF0000">ELEVATE ANYTHING THAT IS DEAR TO YOU, DON'T LEAVE CLOTHES/SHOES/ACCESSORIES WITHIN HER REACH.</span>
</span>
Yup! That should do it

 

[Brien]

Give her lots of toys! And when you see her start chewing on something she shouldn't, replace it with one of her toys. It will take consistency and time.

 

[brandyb]

Whenever we are missing something we always check Caesars bed. We call it his nest because he steals things like bits of paper or whatever he can find and puts it in his bed. I found a potato in there once....I wonder about that boy sometimes.

 

[CarrieD]

Oh, that's not bad at all...yet. Hope this doesn't scare you off, but at 6 mos Menolly's made swiss cheese out of my blanket and chewed up almost all our cloth napkins, about a dosen books, the lower 12 inches of the front window's miniblinds, the entire rear speaker cords for my dad' sound system, and all but destroyed an 18 in by 4 inch section of the carpet...and that's what I can remember off the top of my head! And we are in a rented house, mind you. We've been sooo lucky 'cause the landlord said he wants to replace the carpet anyway.

Her toys are all gone (except for the rubber ones and tennis balls) and the bitter stuff hasn't worked so all we can do is wait for her to outgrow it.

Hang in there...it'll pass, and I know what you're going through.

 

[iain langman]

Bonnie destroyed 3 carpets, skirting boards, many dog beds and every flower in the garden. She has turnen out to be a very good and reliable beagle though.

 

[Joe Johnston]

We lost alot of stuff with Beagle #1. With current Beagle resident, we gave him several hard rubber toys to chew on. This seemed to help alot during the first year.
After about 12 months, as I recall, he kind of stopped having the desire to destory my stuff. That was also the time he stopped teething. Until then, good luck.

 

[MyKale]

I say the same as everyone else... keep your things you value in a closed room or up high.

diesel has ruined 3 pair of shoes (one yesterday)
a cell phone charger
and countless other things.

you just have to keep with your training. keep up with the firm no and taking the object away and giving her something of hers. try praising her when she grabs her toy and plays with it on her own. the spray works sometimes. bitter apple might not work (diesel acctually licks it) but i bought this bitter yuck stuff at pets mart and it works wonders. and i can see why... the stuff lingers in the air too and it got in my mouth once and it was nasty!

but just keep at it you have to be consistant. they will eventually grow out of it

 

[kristl81]

all these stories made me laugh...it's not funny to have items destroyed, but at least later on down the road we can laugh about it. it also doesn't help that i have a crazy cat that finds great joy in knocking anything and everything off whatever surface it may be on. i've began working on crate training also. my other dog was always crated until it got to the point where he just no longr needed it. he's a black lab and the only things he ever killed were blankets and pillows and stuffed animals. and even then, only if he was left alone for an extended amount of time. being that i have absoultely no idea on her age, other than i believe she's young, in the 8-12 month range, she doesn't seem to be destroying as much as any young puppy would! i'll also try the bitter apple, there may be some around here from when the lab was a puppy.

 

[Murphys Dad]

You're in good company. Annabelle sounds like a typical Beagle pup.

Originally Posted By: Chloe's MommyOK, here is what you do:

<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FF0000">ELEVATE ANYTHING THAT IS DEAR TO YOU, DON'T LEAVE CLOTHES/SHOES/ACCESSORIES WITHIN HER REACH.</span>
</span>
Yup! That should do it

The ironing board was kept up for the first 6-8 months we had Jersey. I didn't have things on the bottom two shelves of my bookcases for over a year.

Jersey chewed...several towels and pot holders, CD's, a DVD from Blockbuster (they don't charge if it's just the case that gets chewed!), a blue Sharpie marker, three pairs of my Skecher's and two sneakers, a pair of Mike's shoes, numerous books and magazines, her crate, the vertical blinds on the sliding glass doors, the rug in two places, the vacuum cleaner cord and two DSL cables...I could really keep going. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to throw her off the balcony. It's a good thing she was so darn cute.

 

[CarrieD]

oh yeah, that reminds me....

Menolly also chewed up the case to Jaws!

 

[Ryan79]

Be thankful she only ate the camera cord and not the camera, lol. Fin is almost 8 months and his lives his life only to chew things. The way I see it, if I leave something valuable in his reach it's my own fault. Like when I left my sunglasses on the coffee table and Fin got hold of 'em. Even though he only had them for a couple seconds it was ust enough time to put teeth-marks on both lenses directly in front of my eyes. Then a couple weeks ago I'm sitting in my apartment and I hear Fin gagging a little. Didn't think too much of it at first, then he did it louder. I look over and he had just vomited up a pair of my black dress socks. Yes, both socks. I can laugh about it now, but that could've been a bad situation.

RULE OF THUMB: IF THEY CAN EAT IT, THEY WILL EAT IT.

 

[cobismom]

In the course of having three beagles I can't even list the number of items we have lost to chewing. And we aren't the most permissive parents in the world. Let's see, a couch, a bed, a chair, a dozen shoes, several 100 flip flops, pillows, mittens, scarves, bags, soccer balls, and the list piles up. Beagles chew, it's what they do....that and eat and sleep and play guard dogs. Ya, gotta love 'em!

Cathy
Mom to Cobi and Casie