My Boston Terrier Chews Up Everything

by S. King
(Columbus Ohio)

I have 17 month old Boston that has eaten mine and my familiess cell phones, eyeglasses, shoes and some furniture. He is crated during the day while we are at work. We play with him when we are home and he sleeps most of the night on our bed with us. The chewing is becoming a real problem...it can't continue. He has nylon bones, Kongs etc. What can we do?

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My Boston Terrier Chews Up Everything

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Feb 09, 2011
 Boston Chewing
by: Pam from Wisconsin

Hello,

My Boston chews everything also. He chewed on my coffee table and the legs to my kitchen table and now my leather couch. I did crate him in the past but he is now 7 months old also and he is to big to go in the crate. I lock him in the laundry room with a baby gate. You could try something like this? Let me know if you solved the probelm now.
Nov 05, 2010
 chewer
by: domino

my 7 month old boston is beginning to chew on every thing.Today i came home and he has chewed the corner of my dresser and clawed the utility room wall.Im think of getting rid of him but we only had him 3-4 months.My kids love him and i do also but we buy exspensive furniture to avoid buying in the near future and he has decided to just chew it up.He is good dog for the most part.He plays well with my son,he sleeps all night long.I have to leave him here alone when i work and that is when all hell breaks loose.Some one please let me know how to stop him immed.
Aug 23, 2010
 To crate or not to crate
by: Micah

From a lot of the comments I'm reading it seems that a lot of people feel that it is almost inhumane to crate your Boston during the day. Our Boston is 11 months old and loves his crate..moreso during the night where he will actually walk into his crate voluntarily to go to bed (around 10 pm-ish). Of course, when he is in "play-mode" and both me and my wife are home he will want out. We always let him out when either of us are home. We made the mistake of having a leather couch and expensive ottoman that we now have to cover up with blankets. Strangly, He will not scratch or bite at the couch, or any other furniture other than the ottoman. We are still trying to work on this and actually any suggestions would be appreciated.

Getting back to the original subject, it seems that Bostons love to snuggle with you in bed both the mornings and at night. Haven't tried sleeping with him through the night but he'd probably love it. We just don't want him to get in that habit because we want to have a child in the near future..
Jun 24, 2010
 Dummy
by: Rosalie

Our 1yo Boston named Otis is a doofus. Not smart at all, and he's all muscle. All and all, he's a brute.
Today my grandma discovered that he chewed on a column we have by our front door. Thankfully, my mom is on a business trip so we have time to fix it tonight. Otis has chewed stuff before, such as my sister's little rocking chair, the bench on our back deck, and a couple of kitchen chairs. My mom hates him, and if we can't get him to stop it, we might have to get rid of him. Me and my dad don't want to do that, and we've tried as much as we can to stop him. Bitter apple spray didn't phase him a bit, and he's been to obedience school and he's been fixed. I love my dog, and I don't want to get rid of him. Any ideas on how to stop this?
Note: We need it so that a dumb dog can understand it.
Apr 20, 2010
 Freddie
by: Danielle

Freddie is the best little thing ever and we love him. He is 1 yrs old now, we were crating him in the begining when we would go to work but I felt so bad all day long that I was no use to anyone, so now we put a baby gate up and block him off in the kitchen, he was doing well but now he is biting the corners of my cabinets and chairs. I have sprayed the bitter apple spray and that has not worked, he still chews on it, he is destroying my home and all the wood in it. please help!!!! p.s like most of you he has plenty of toys and ropes to chew on.
Aug 24, 2009
 Chews no more
by: Bennie of Indiana

Colonel was eight months old when we got him. His previous owner was an elderly lady who did not discipline him. So, we had our job cut out for us. We kept him caged during the day while we were at work, but would let him out at night. He slept with us and did not run on his own at night, but yet he managed some how while we were not looking to chew the end off of the coffee table and chew up the table Christmas tree and its ornaments. We took him to the damaged table and made him look at it and we kept telling him that he was a bad boy and we did the same with the tree and ornament fragments. Then we put him in his cage and he would cry to get out, so we told him if he behaved and did not chew on things we would let him out. We would repeat these steps and shame him, and every time he tried to chew on something he was told NO, NO, BAD BOY! and put in his cage.

He learned quickly if he was to roam freely he did not chew on things. Colonel is very intelligent almost to the point of being human He is now eight years old and one of the best little dogs a person could ever ask to own.
Aug 24, 2009
 Chewy
by: Mary

We had a chewer too. I went without a few bra's and other items until he chewed the door frames. That was it. I couldn't let him eat my house. So we crate him when we are not there, and when we are, we have to watch him like a hawk. He now knows what "drop it" means and "no". He has about 50 toys that he knows are "his" and when he gets into something he shouldn't (like the sides of the couch or the trash) we have to tell him "NO!" very sternly. He is now 2 years old, but I would never leave him alone for more than a few minutes (like when I go check the mail). You HAVE to be there and you HAVE to watch him. He's just like a human baby.

Good Luck! (And buy cheap furniture!)
Aug 23, 2009
 Chewing! Arrrrrrgh!
by: Linda Galway

Our 2-year old Boston, Darby, is a chewer as well. I kept hoping he would outgrow it. Like yours, he has all kinds of chew toys to choose from, but prefers our pillows or any "stuffie" he can get hold of. He had been doing very well, sleeping on the bed during the day with his "sister," until yesterday. He ripped one corner (thankfully, not more) of our LLBean down comforter... feathers everywhere! Now, when we leave, he will be put in his crate because I can't take the chance that he will destroy more blankets and the expensive ones, at that. I may try him out again in a month or so, but right now, he's crated... I, too, would like to know if someone has had this problem and solved it!

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