Oh i am so glad to read this thread!!!! I was about to post a near identical one myself!

I too have an NI which is just coming up for 8 months old. She was very good when she was teething and only chewed one thing - a small fist sized hole in the doorframe to the kitchen. She also did this just before we went on holiday so i put the behaviour down to her being unsettled as she could tell something was going on.

However in the last 2 weeks she has been a nightmare! She has chewed 3 floor mats, an inner cushion of a dog bed, an outer part of a soft dog bed (pulled all the stuffing out), shredded a big box of mansize tissues all over the conservatory, several dog towels and blankets and the protective polystyrene casing of my new washing machine! All this was done within a 2 hour period between when my OH goes to work in the morning and i get up (6.30am and 8.30am.)

I didnt know that dogs have a second chewing phase!!! Vienna (and murf my lab) are left in the conservatory when we go out or just in the mornings before i get up. Obviously they are not in there when it is hot but lately it has been anything but here! Its a large room (18foot x 6 foot) and all that is in it is the washing machine, a chest of drawers, dog beds and dog toys. The floor is tiled so she cant chew that and the walls are brick and glass so she cant chew that. However i dont want her destroying all their beds!!! Also its not a good start to my day having to clear up something that has ben destroyed!

What can i do to discourage this behaviour as we havent had this problem before. She also knows what she is doing is wrong because this morning when i picked up a piece of the polystyrene and looked at her, her ears went back, her head went down and she skulked back to her bed looking sorry for herself and very guilty! I have said to my OH that before he goes to work now they must come back upstairs while i am still in bed so i know she isnt chewing anything downstairs (i would wake up if they chewed something in my bedroom as i am a very light sleeper!)

She has not been naughty any other time and is busy snoozing on the rug behind me right now (butter really wouldnt melt!). The only thing i would say is perhaps she has been slightly more clingy lately as in wanting more cuddles?

Anyone with any help or advise would be much appreciated! Its nice to know i am not the only one with this problem right now and that her unusual (out of character) behaviour might be normal after all!

just wondering, is she due in season perhaps and is 'nesting'. My 2 are currently into building aggregates, so maybe they are thinking of a more durable construction But having had bitches before, I do know that some of them do start wanting to nest before they come into season, some it doesn't seem to bother, but they do definately have some sort of personality change, either by becoming a bit more clingy or doing 'strange' things. Vienna could be about to have her first season as well, because it can happen anytime up to 12 months, my 2 haven't as yet, and they are almost 9 months.

Ahhh i hadnt thought of that one! (can you tell i havent had a bitch before?!)
I do keep checking her bits to see if they are swollen or anything but nothing as yet and obviously no blood.
How long before a season do they tend to do this nesting thing? I have a feeling she will wait until we are looking after a friends entire dog in september before she has a season (just to be a pain lol)
Anything else i should look out for to indicate that she is about to come into season? Or anything i can do to discourage her from or satisfy her nesting?

first of all have a chat with her breeders. They will be able to tell you when her mother (and maybe even her grandmother) started their seasons, and it will give you an idea of the approximate age, but then again she could take after her paternal mothers line....
I am lucky in that Lyn, who bred my 2, has the mother, grandmother and great grandmother, amazingly though one of them comes into season every 4 months and another one every 8 months!!!! So it is not an exact science by any means. The usual signs is she starts licking herself far more often and the vulva will swell (and it will look like an apricot), she will run clear for the first 5 or so days, then she will bleed (which is an indication she is ready to mate) and then will go back to clear. Keep her away from ALL males till at least day 25, there are plenty of people on here who can tell you about their litters conceived very late on into the season!!!
Nest building and clinginess are pretty good signs that there are changes afoot though.
If you have a long haired one, it is sometimes well nigh impossible to tell if they keep themselves very clean (as I can tell you through bitter experience!!!), so I learned to watch out for the other signs as well.

Thanks for that, i will definitely get in touch with the breeders and find out when her mum etc started their seasons. She definitely isnt licking any more than usual and there is definitely no swelling but i'll keep an eye out!

thanks for replying
she is left for about 8 hours , we were worried about this at first but she seemed to be ok but the longer we have her and the better we treat her the worse she gets

thanks tawney wolf
thanks lizdll
have taken what you said on board , just hpe it is the second stage of chewing. we have cut down the amount of rooms she has accsess to during the day ,the ones with the least chewables. nothing has happened today so we were wondering if something might have frightened her. still heres hoping
cheers mark

Hi there

I'm not an expert in this breed by any manner of means so what I am about to write is based on general experience of dogs.

All dogs need to chew. It released feel good endorphins in their system. If a dog can't chew it can become very depressed indeed. I would expect chewing from a dog up to 2 years old if they are a large breed. What you are describing (both posts about chewing ) is normal puppy behaviour and they will grow out of it. However, I don't know if the NI is more of a pack dog like the husky and hence if they are left for long periods of time they will become lonely and bored and hence destructive.

Mark, is there any way you can get somebody to pop into the house during the day to play with the dog for an hour? 8 hours is a very long time for a young dog to be left alone and I have to say that I wouldn't be surprised to come home to destruction as a bored dog tends to be a destructive dog. Maybe a nearby retired neighbour would be able to visit to give a comfort break and relieve the boredom. Its not about the length of time you have had her or how well you treat her (all dogs should be treated with respect as it is a privilege not a right to have a dog ) its about her not being mentally stimulated and finding her own entertainment. A very very common thing for dogs left alone during the day. Coupled with the fact that you rescued her from a situation she could be quite anxious. As I say, not an expert in the breed but do have a fair amount of knowledge generally!!!!

A puppy of 8 months will be destructive for the reasons given above but they do grow out of it and best to keep everything out of chews way. I learned the hard way with 2 pups. 3 mobile phones, shoes etc., etc., I am now a very tidy person!!!!!

I'm afraid that's all the advice I can give but I definitely think that a comfort break during the day and then being left with a stuffed kong. Leave one in the morning and then get the person who visits to leave one in the afternoon. Leave the radio on etc., etc.,

I hope this helps.

Kind regards
Annie