We're in the process of having the exterior of this old place redone. I'd
hired a painter, who needed a carpenter to replace 'a few rotten corner
boards'.

Well, this has led to a major replacement of siding, plywood, and some
framing due to both wet rot and carpenter ants. Unfortunately, this place
was built in the early 1960s, without the benefit of modern things like
house wrap.

Long story short, the carpenter recommended cedar as a deterrant to things
like bugs, and we've gone with that. The siding is cedar clapboard anyhow.

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to cedar as
a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. As a younger pup, she gnawed
on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing serious. Now I'm concerned,
not just about the expense of replacing things again soon, but about the
health of the dog. This is freshly painted wood, primed with stain and
finished with latex.

It can't be good for her, yet keeping her totally away from the house is out
of the question. The painter suggested the clear-plastic corner protectors
until she grows out of it. I've never seen the dog give plastic a second
look, so that's not a bad idea, but I'm seeking others short of putting a
'return to sender' tag on the dog and hooking her to the mailbox.

I'd appreciate any thoughts.

Keith

"K" wrote

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to cedar
as a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. As a younger pup, she
gnawed on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing serious. Now I'm
concerned, not just about the expense of replacing things again soon, but
about the health of the dog. This is freshly painted wood, primed with
stain and finished with latex.

It can't be good for her, yet keeping her totally away from the house is
out of the question. The painter suggested the clear-plastic corner
protectors until she grows out of it. I've never seen the dog give
plastic a second look, so that's not a bad idea, but I'm seeking others
short of putting a 'return to sender' tag on the dog and hooking her to
the mailbox.

Grin, use the plastic and then get some of that 'doggie go way' spray (they
even sell ones for outside that are rain resistant) and coat the ground in
that area (not the wood, may stain).

You are right, it's not good for her. Until the plastic stuff gets there,
use the spray.

If you need something *now* and do not mind the loss of the grass (it will
grow back later after about 2 months), pour straight vinegar all over the
ground about 2ft out and soaking as much as possible. Most dogs dislike the
smell of it.

This is guaranteed to kill your grass and probably anything else green
within a 2-3 ft radius so make your choices wisely.

An alternative is ammonia, but this may damage the paint and you'd have to
get it on the wood. This will make the dog pee on that corner. He will not
however chew on it if it's where he pees ;-)

K wrote:

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to cedar as
a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already.

Keep a flyswatter within reach. Use the tool liberally on dog butt when
you catch her chewing on siding. Repeat as necessary.

"K" wrote

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to cedar
as a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. As a younger pup, she
gnawed on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing serious. Now I'm
concerned, not just about the expense of replacing things again soon, but
about the health of the dog. This is freshly painted wood, primed with
stain and finished with latex.

It can't be good for her, yet keeping her totally away from the house is
out of the question.

Fortunately, latex paint is not poisonous. Buy a good book on dong behavior
or take a course in dog handling. Chewing can be stopped. Talk to your vet
for some advice.

I'd appreciate any thoughts.

Keith

Don't leave your dog unattended until you have trained it
to not chew on anything other than its dog specific toys.
If you don't have the time then you shouldn't have the dog.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"K" wrote

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to cedar
as a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. As a younger pup, she
gnawed on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing serious. Now I'm
concerned, not just about the expense of replacing things again soon, but
about the health of the dog. This is freshly painted wood, primed with
stain and finished with latex.

It can't be good for her, yet keeping her totally away from the house is
out of the question.

Fortunately, latex paint is not poisonous. Buy a good book on dong behavior
or take a course in dog handling. Chewing can be stopped. Talk to your vet
for some advice.


Another dog could help, or maybe a kid. Chewing is a common side effect
of boredom.

--
aem sends...

On Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:31:59 -0400, Claude Hopper
wrote Re Dog eating house:

Get rid of the mutt or take some lessons from Cesar Millan, the dog
whisperer. You are obviously not the pack leader.

Well said.

On Sep 6, 5:40*pm, "K" wrote:
We're in the process of having the exterior of this old place redone. *I'd
hired a painter, who needed a carpenter to replace 'a few rotten corner
boards'.

Well, this has led to a major replacement of siding, plywood, and some
framing due to both wet rot and carpenter ants. *Unfortunately, this place
was built in the early 1960s, without the benefit of modern things like
house wrap.

Long story short, the carpenter recommended cedar as a deterrant to things
like bugs, and we've gone with that. *The siding is cedar clapboard anyhow.

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to cedar as
a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. *As a younger pup, she gnawed
on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing serious. *Now I'm concerned,
not just about the expense of replacing things again soon, but about the
health of the dog. *This is freshly painted wood, primed with stain and
finished with latex.

It can't be good for her, yet keeping her totally away from the house is out
of the question. *The painter suggested the clear-plastic corner protectors
until she grows out of it. * I've never seen the dog give plastic a second
look, so that's not a bad idea, but I'm seeking others short of putting a
'return to sender' tag on the dog and hooking her to the mailbox.

I'd appreciate any thoughts.

Keith

Seven month old Golden's are both very social and fairly active. He
needs more walks and to go out and see things. As some one else said,
he's bored. Give him something more interesting to do.

Meanwhile, have your old paint checked for lead. It is has some, have
your dog tested.

You only other option is a shock collar. But walks are a better
alternative.

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to cedar as
a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. As a younger pup, she gnawed
on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing serious.

My golden retriever/yellow lab cross (now 15 yrs old) was a chewer too
as a pup, and yellow dogs have LONG puppyhoods. He ate ANYTHING
vinyl: garden hoses, lawn edging, spa covers, Barbie dolls, the fill
port on the water bed mattress, &tc. Not to mention my daughters' sox
and panties, a whole yard worth of redwood bender board, and other
stuff. ANd I mean ATE, not just chewed.

When he tuirned 3 yrs old or so, he just stopped.

-Zz

On Sat, 6 Sep 2008 16:40:16 -0500, "K" wrote:

...Our dog, a seven-month old Golden,...

In Puppy 101, they should have taught you that puppies need activities
and things to chew on--just like adult dogs.

Buy a "bitter apple" product (to combat chewing of inappropriate things)
at any good pet supply store; and while you're there, get him some
squeaky toys, a knotted rope, a Kong for loading with peanut butter, and
a good supply of basted rawhide. Always offer one of those items,
whenever you finding him chewing on something inappropriate.

Goldens are intelligent, high-energy dogs. If you don't burn off the
energy and provide amusement, they will devise their own amusement.




___________________
A dog's life is too short; their only fault really.

On Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:58:03 -0400, wrote:

...If you don't have the time then you shouldn't have the dog.

Keith didn't say he lacked the time: only the enlightenment: much like
most pet owners.

At one time, I--and you--knew nothing about pet care. Far more than most
folks, I know your quoted statement is correct, but it doesn't need to
be said to someone who already has the puppy, and is trying to learn how
to become a good pet owner.


________________________
Every dog is an individual, as is their guardian: no single training method works for all.

On Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:37:25 -0700, Zz Yzx
wrote:

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to cedar as
a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. As a younger pup, she gnawed
on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing serious.

My golden retriever/yellow lab cross (now 15 yrs old) was a chewer too
as a pup, and yellow dogs have LONG puppyhoods. He ate ANYTHING
vinyl: garden hoses, lawn edging, spa covers, Barbie dolls, the fill
port on the water bed mattress, &tc. Not to mention my daughters' sox
and panties, a whole yard worth of redwood bender board, and other
stuff. ANd I mean ATE, not just chewed.


ROTFL! Remote controls, plastic beverage glasses, flip flops, etc..
Caught my dog headed out the door one day with my damn cell phone!

I read many stories about damages in the thousands of dollars. I have
a 4 YO Basenji (in the top two hardest to train).

When he tuirned 3 yrs old or so, he just stopped.

-Zz

My dog got "kicked out" of obedience 101 class (G). He wanted to eat
the other puppies.

As was mentioned, learn to be the "pack leader".

"Michael A. Ball" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 6 Sep 2008 16:40:16 -0500, "K" wrote:

...Our dog, a seven-month old Golden,...

In Puppy 101, they should have taught you that puppies need activities
and things to chew on--just like adult dogs.

Buy a "bitter apple" product (to combat chewing of inappropriate things)
at any good pet supply store; and while you're there, get him some
squeaky toys, a knotted rope, a Kong for loading with peanut butter, and
a good supply of basted rawhide. Always offer one of those items,
whenever you finding him chewing on something inappropriate.

Goldens are intelligent, high-energy dogs. If you don't burn off the
energy and provide amusement, they will devise their own amusement.




___________________
A dog's life is too short; their only fault really.

LOL, I didn't mean to give the impression that I'm a first-time dog owner,
or that this chewing the house thing has been going on-and-on. We've had a
steady stream of healthy, happy dogs since the 70's, and this is actually
our third Golden.

In my original post I mentioned that she chewed on furniture as a young pup,
but that stopped months ago. She never chewed on an exterior part of the
house until just now, when the entire garage front was replaced with cedar,
and freshly painted with latex.

You'd think I did the place with marrow bones! She homes in on it the
moment she's let out, stops when told to, then goes back at it the minute
the old back is turned. This isn't a city lot, but a 12 acre farm with
another 14 acres across the street - two ponds and a stream, and a lake
across the way. We have horses, donkeys, sheep, goats, and a couple of
llamas, and she has a world's worth of bunnies, squirrels and ducks to
chase.

She likes that wood, though, and i think it's the latex paint. I gave her a
piece of cedar to gnaw on, and she did, but it could have been any old
stick. Now the paint has been on for a few days, and it's rained a few
times, and she's less interested.

The painter still has a way to go in 'dog' territory, so I picked up some
snow fence today to keep the dog out of range. If she goes back at the
garage and starts eating again, then maybe it's time she became a barn dog.

I just worry about her eating things that aren't food, and creating great
vet bills.

thanks for all the tips,
Keith

ps: That Dog Whisperer book bites. I bought it, and there isn't a word in
there about raising dogs; it's just a 200+ page ad for the TV show and the
author. We're in an un-cabled area, and this is one more reason I'm glad of
that.

Claude Hopper wrote:
K wrote:
We're in the process of having the exterior of this old place redone. I'd
hired a painter, who needed a carpenter to replace 'a few rotten corner
boards'.

Well, this has led to a major replacement of siding, plywood, and some
framing due to both wet rot and carpenter ants. Unfortunately, this place
was built in the early 1960s, without the benefit of modern things like
house wrap.

Long story short, the carpenter recommended cedar as a deterrant to things
like bugs, and we've gone with that. The siding is cedar clapboard anyhow.

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to cedar as
a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. As a younger pup, she gnawed
on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing serious. Now I'm concerned,
not just about the expense of replacing things again soon, but about the
health of the dog. This is freshly painted wood, primed with stain and
finished with latex.

It can't be good for her, yet keeping her totally away from the house is out
of the question. The painter suggested the clear-plastic corner protectors
until she grows out of it. I've never seen the dog give plastic a second
look, so that's not a bad idea, but I'm seeking others short of putting a
'return to sender' tag on the dog and hooking her to the mailbox.

I'd appreciate any thoughts.

Keith


Get rid of the mutt or take some lessons from Cesar Millan, the dog
whisperer. You are obviously not the pack leader.

Oh but the dog is sooo cute and smart and just like a person...


There is a local dog trainer who is very much like Cesar Millan. He
knows how to read dogs and knows that they aren't human and while they
are smart they have just enough brain power to be a dog. He says the
most frustrating thing about doing what he does is people just don't get
the idea that the dog knows what to do and the owner needs to be trained
to understand the dog. He says people will call and actually ask if they
can drop their dog off for training and pick it up when he is done.

"K" wrote in message
...
We're in the process of having the exterior of this old place redone. I'd
hired a painter, who needed a carpenter to replace 'a few rotten corner
boards'.

Well, this has led to a major replacement of siding, plywood, and some
framing due to both wet rot and carpenter ants. Unfortunately, this place
was built in the early 1960s, without the benefit of modern things like
house wrap.

Long story short, the carpenter recommended cedar as a deterrant to things
like bugs, and we've gone with that. The siding is cedar clapboard
anyhow.

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to cedar
as a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. As a younger pup, she
gnawed on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing serious. Now I'm
concerned, not just about the expense of replacing things again soon, but
about the health of the dog. This is freshly painted wood, primed with
stain and finished with latex.

It can't be good for her, yet keeping her totally away from the house is
out of the question. The painter suggested the clear-plastic corner
protectors until she grows out of it. I've never seen the dog give
plastic a second look, so that's not a bad idea, but I'm seeking others
short of putting a 'return to sender' tag on the dog and hooking her to
the mailbox.

I'd appreciate any thoughts.

There are probably various solutions but when a horse eats its stall, that
is generally caused by a vitamin deficiency. Could be something like that re
the dog.

I would get him some dog multivitamins and examine his diet. The other
solutions such as putting something distasteful on the wood have probably
already been covered elsewhere in this thread.

Claire and John

"Michael A. Ball" wrote

...If you don't have the time then you shouldn't have the dog.

Keith didn't say he lacked the time: only the enlightenment: much like
most pet owners.

Quite true. And some 'pet owners who think they know things' can make for
bad advice.

At one time, I--and you--knew nothing about pet care. Far more than most
folks, I know your quoted statement is correct, but it doesn't need to
be said to someone who already has the puppy, and is trying to learn how
to become a good pet owner.

It takes time.

"Oren" wrote

ROTFL! Remote controls, plastic beverage glasses, flip flops, etc..
Caught my dog headed out the door one day with my damn cell phone!

Hehehehe!

I read many stories about damages in the thousands of dollars. I have
a 4 YO Basenji (in the top two hardest to train).
My dog got "kicked out" of obedience 101 class (G). He wanted to eat
the other puppies.

Ohh! No!

As was mentioned, learn to be the "pack leader".

Yup. Took time to get Charlotte (14YO 2 foot type) to learn that. I kinda
picked up right away (horrible as it sounds I did some googling at SPCA
sites and their recommended ones and such, before getting a dog as I'd only
cat experience). It worked as my husband has had dogs most of his life
before getting married and he says a few of the things I read even helped
him a bit.

Our Dog still isnt well leash trained as for pulling, but he's well behaved
in all other ways with the occasional gaff like eating the PS2 controller
(we left him alone too long and he knew *we* played with it so must be a
toy!).

K wrote:

....

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to cedar as
a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. As a younger pup, she gnawed
on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing serious. Now I'm concerned,
not just about the expense of replacing things again soon, but about the
health of the dog. This is freshly painted wood, primed with stain and
finished with latex.

....

You could try applying something like:

http://www.nixalite.com/ropel.aspx#How_does_Ropel_work

to the house. This is an extremely bitter substance
that will quickly discourage chewing.

On Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:22:59 +0000, aemeijers wrote:

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"K" wrote

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to
cedar as a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. As a younger
pup, she gnawed on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing
serious. Now I'm concerned, not just about the expense of replacing
things again soon, but about the health of the dog. This is freshly
painted wood, primed with stain and finished with latex.

It can't be good for her, yet keeping her totally away from the house
is out of the question.

Fortunately, latex paint is not poisonous. Buy a good book on dong
behavior or take a course in dog handling. Chewing can be stopped.
Talk to your vet for some advice.


Another dog could help, or maybe a kid. Chewing is a common side effect
of boredom.

A pretty good idea, but then a steady supply of kids for the dog to chew
on would be needed. From what I understand it takes about nine months to
manufacture one and it wouldn't last long.



--
Liverpool. European City Of Culture 2008
http://www.liverpool08.com

"M Q" wrote in message
...
K wrote:

...

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to cedar
as a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. As a younger pup, she
gnawed on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing serious. Now I'm
concerned, not just about the expense of replacing things again soon, but
about the health of the dog. This is freshly painted wood, primed with
stain and finished with latex.

...

You could try applying something like:

http://www.nixalite.com/ropel.aspx#How_does_Ropel_work

to the house. This is an extremely bitter substance
that will quickly discourage chewing.

noted - thanks.

"Aardvark" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:22:59 +0000, aemeijers wrote:

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"K" wrote

Our dog, a seven-month old Golden, seems to have taken a liking to
cedar as a snack, and is gnawing on new boards already. As a younger
pup, she gnawed on some chair rungs and the like, but nothing
serious. Now I'm concerned, not just about the expense of replacing
things again soon, but about the health of the dog. This is freshly
painted wood, primed with stain and finished with latex.

It can't be good for her, yet keeping her totally away from the house
is out of the question.

Fortunately, latex paint is not poisonous. Buy a good book on dong
behavior or take a course in dog handling. Chewing can be stopped.
Talk to your vet for some advice.


Another dog could help, or maybe a kid. Chewing is a common side effect
of boredom.

A pretty good idea, but then a steady supply of kids for the dog to chew
on would be needed. From what I understand it takes about nine months to
manufacture one and it wouldn't last long.



--
Liverpool. European City Of Culture 2008
http://www.liverpool08.com

She had pretty much stopped chewing a few months ago - still has a fondness
for paper, though.

I think it's the fresh paint that she's taken to - it's always a new spot,
and the wood is only gouged where she gobbled the paint. I think I'll try a
little clear plastic for about a month, until the aroma is good and gone.

thanks,
Keith