GSD Pup advice needed

Hi we have a GSD pup who is 6 months old,and is coming along fine,he is very obedient walks to heel sits to the kerb..never destroys anything in the house..BUT when were out at work he lives outside on a large patio and when he chooses he can come into the conservetory,he has to date eaten most edges of the wooden conservetory...started on the wooden patio furniture but really got me is when I got home today (and he ahad only been on his own for 2 hours)he had chewed the cane settee arem and leg.Upto a couple of weeks ago I put it down to teething but he has all the big ones now,I have tried smearing things with mustard(it worked with our previous dog,but this Pup loves the stuff.Does anyone know what will taste that bad he wont want to chew it.....thanks ...Allan

Hi Allan at six months old your puppy will still be teething, and for some puppies as with a human baby this means everything he can find to chew will go into his mouth .

Dogs and puppies also chew as a displacement activity when they are bored or lonely.

What can you do, make sure your puppy has a good supply of safe things that he is allowed to chew like a large 'nylabone', maybe a puzzle cube that drops bits of kibble out when rolled around.

Remove anything you don't want your puppy to chew when he is being left alone, leave the radio on for company and an old teeshirt or garment that smells of you.
Try frozen carrots to sooth the puppy's sore gums.

If you really have must rub anything on furniture try pure lavender oil, it smells good too but remember chewed objects can get stuck in your puppy's tummy making him very ill so it really is is better to either remove things that are chewable or confine the puppy to a 'safe' area when he is alone.


Added..here is one example of a toy.
.http://www.pets.f9.co.uk/shop/media/buscub.html

You beat me to it Mini..I was just going to say welcome to the world of the teething pup. All good suggestions from Minihaha and even with all of the things in place, you can probably still expect some damage at that age. Look and see the damage my reprobates did and they are active all of the time and I'm at home full-time with them, so they are never bored.
Notice the door, skirting and walls;

This was done when they were about 5 - 6months old! and yes they have loads of toys, company are exercised and stimulated all of the time. However, it does pass they are great again now! So do what you can to prevent damage and hang in there..things will improve. Good luck

Thanks for your help,the photo of your pup is just about identical to our Archie they could be twins.
thanks again...Allan

Hi again you have beaten me to it, i would add that a stupid amount of all types of toy help to entertain, also have you considered another dog for company? We always kept our GSDs in pairs one puppy and one rescue dog. This meant the puppy chewed the older dog and not the furniture!! Just a thought fotr you.



Chloe age 5 and Caspa age 12 not departed as of 3 weeks ago!
And we have a Nortern Inuit age 4.5 mth called Tala

Had the same with Cassie, she ate every stick of furniture in the house and I had never had this before with any gsd puppy. However, once my older bitch would actually accept her and play with her, she never touched a thing! So I'm saying what running cloud is saying, maybe a little playmate????

One of my older bitches used to like eating the plaster off our walls, and she did this all her life!!! Lol! My house is still standing though!

Good luck, I think you've got to veer her attention elsewhere, anywhere but your furniture, and good luck!

you can buy a spray from pet shops that stops chewing. I think it is called bitter apple spray. I would definately go with the toys and removal of all other objects though. Fudge just missed having to have surgery this week due to a stuck hair bobble!

IMO he is too young to have so much freedom. Shrink down the space he has and give him things he can chew on.