# Eating walls...HELP



## GoldenGratitude (Jan 25, 2007)

Archie is a little over a year old and really is a good dog. He is never left totally alone - he always has my other golden, Theo with him. The only issue Archie has is that he likes to eat walls! Not carpeting, not anything else, just walls. When they are home alone they get the run of the dining room, kitchen, and sunporch so he is not caged up. They get left with lots of toys - filled kongs, tug-o-war rope, and a few other things plus they are never left for more than 4 hours. I realize if I crated him again (which he hasn't been crated since last fall) he _couldn't_ eat walls however that would not change the behavior, he wouldn't understand why all of a sudden he's being crated again. He is a sweet sweet dog and I'm assuming a bit of separation anxiety is the reason he's doing it. I'm sure others have experienced something similar - any ideas on how to change this behavior will be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Faith's mommy (Feb 26, 2007)

imho he needs to be crated again until he grows up a bit, and it doesn't matter if he understands why or not.

the only way to get it to stop is to catch him in the act and give him a punishment, but i would bet he doesn't do that when you are home.

or, you could coat your walls with hot pepper sauce and hope he doesn't think it's tasty.


----------



## Celeigh (Nov 29, 2007)

Fergus has had bouts of wall eating - outside he likes stucco corners and inside he once gnawed on a drywall corner when I was't home. As a little puppy, he would chew at the flat wall and just managed to make a few tooth scratches in the drywall. KNOCK ON WOOD, he hasn't done any of this in several months, so I don't know how to tell you to stop it. For me, I put something he couldn't get around in front of his preferred spot...


----------



## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Yes indeed crating will change the behavior!!!
Crating him will help him learn to cope with being separated from you...which in turn will eventually allow him to be left uncrated becuase he wont be as anxious and wont chew up the house!!!

Start as though he were a puppy...feeding him in his crate ...crate him for short periods throughout the day even when you are home with a Kong or bully stick to keep his mind busy....


----------



## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Learning to be alone is a skill...one that many people forget to teach their dogs (and their children)...


----------



## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Beau decided when he was a puppy to redesign our breakfast room and combine it with our half bath. He had a hole the size 12"x12" square. He was lucky he didnt hit a water line. He come out from under the sink. It was funny but not funny if you know what I mean. And also when the bug man came for the yearly termite spraying he was checking all the baseboards and said I think you have a mouse, there is a bunch of holes on the wall behind the couch and loveseat. Beau had little holes from laying behind the couch and just going to town on the wall. each wall had about 5 or more litle holes. Needless to say when we moved, we had lots of dog repairs to make.

Get him used to the crate and he will learn that he cant chew on things. In no time he will learn not to chew. Beau did.


----------



## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Ike ate my wall too. He pulled off the wallpaper and was working on the drywall beneath. I crated him when alone for a while after that, about a month. This was a year ago and he hasn't done it since.


----------



## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

We have a few areas in our home where the molding still needs to be put up so she eats the drywall until we catch her in the act!!! Dont know what the obsession is with it. She has never chewed anything else in the house except that!!! She is 8 months old


----------



## martinrt (Jun 24, 2008)

Allee has been out of the crate since about 5 months, now 9 months. Initially she was confined to the Kitchen and never did any damage. Then she got the run of the downstairs. When I was out of town once my wife stuck her back in the kitchen and came home to a chewed up floor molding. She went at that a few more times but then we got a spray of bitters that she doesn't like to mess with. She's got the run of the downstairs now but unfortunately when I went home for lunch today she had done a number on a leg of a dinning table chair. Not cool! Back to the kitchen for her!


----------



## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

UH OH BIG TROUBLE!!! She looks so innocent in the picture you have there of Allee


----------



## sophiesadiehannah's mom (Feb 11, 2007)

i got a new kitchen because one of my dogs (gordon setter) ate through the plaster, as well as the floor, cupboards, base boards and anything else she liked. and she was only left 2 hours a day.


----------

