leebo5566
Atlanta, GA
MH
Posts:69
 |
| 08/16/2010 5:43 PM |
|
Okay, so Asher the Rascal likes to chew on shrubs. I knew I should wait until the puppy stage ended but due to some erosion problems I had to plant some stuff in the backyard. In a short amount of time, the little guy can do some damage.
Any tried and true ways to keep him from chewing the bushes to death? |
|
|
|
|
unowhoandwhy
Middleofnowhere, NH
MH
Posts:1794
|
| 08/16/2010 7:43 PM |
|
Fences! lol... that was the only way I saved some of mine from Layla, nothing else seemed to deter her.
Actually, I put up a small (18") wire fence, the ornamental ones you can get cheap at Wal-Mart, and that kept her away as well as a bigger fence. |
|
Daniel Yankee Flyer - 8/2002
Lady Layla - 1/2006 |
|
|
Gatormom
St Paul, MN
MH
Posts:193
|
| 08/16/2010 8:13 PM |
|
| Gator came to us as a 3 month old, who lived outside in the northwoods. We assume that he didn't have alot of toys, so sticks, trees and shrubs were his thing. It was funny seeing him try to carry large branches through the patio door. The first winter, he chewed down my snowball bush, and a few lilac bushes. The next spring, he chewed up a newly planted apple tree. The chewing of shrubs/trees quit after he turned a year or so. He turned his attention to shoes and the bills of my husband's baseball caps, and comforters and pillows. The chewing subsided at about 2 years of age. |
|
Barbara
Kaiser (1996-2010)
Gator
I am simply thankful that least dogs exist, and I'm humbly aware of how much less a person I'd be - how less human, if they did not exist - Rick Bass |
|
|
Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:6748
|
|
leebo5566
Atlanta, GA
MH
Posts:69
|
| 08/17/2010 5:09 AM |
|
| Well, at least I'm not the only one with a German Shorthaired Pruner. A good friend of mine managed a Petsmart for 6 years so I called him last night. He suggested I buy some cayenne pepper and put around the bushes. May have to try that, it took me two days, $100, and a lot of sweat in the Georgia sun to get those bushes in. Kind of want and need to protect them. |
|
|
|
|
unowhoandwhy
Middleofnowhere, NH
MH
Posts:1794
|
| 08/18/2010 6:55 AM |
|
| Layla LOVES the bitter apple, the 3 kinds of mammal repellent AND the cayenne pepper I tried, so hopefully it works better for you! |
|
Daniel Yankee Flyer - 8/2002
Lady Layla - 1/2006 |
|
|
Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:6748
|
| 08/18/2010 7:24 AM |
|
| Cayenne pepper only worked for me when it was freshly applied. Once it had been there for a few hours it didn't work anymore. Same for bitter apple. Also, Ringo was selective in the plants he would chose and once chosen it would be destroyed eventually unless I moved it completely out of the yard. Mine all outgrew this phase at around a year to a year and a half, but they still like to toss around empty plastic pots. |
|
Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
     
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
|
|
pvstks
MH
Posts:224
|
| 08/18/2010 8:54 AM |
|
Well, I know some of you will disagree with me, but Wolfgang was a digger and a counter surfer... Around 8 months of age, I got an e-collar to deter these behaviors -- within 2 days he was "cured" of these habits with a very mild correction. I know to some it sounds bad, but he was digging and chewing things that he shouldn't be (e.g., one day he dug up a decking screw from under my 10 year old deck and was chewing on it). I havn't had to correct either behavior in over 6 months. |
|
|
|
|
Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:6748
|
| 08/18/2010 9:13 AM |
|
| pvstks - I absolutely agree with the use of the ecollar and also cured my boy of counter surfing using the ecollar. I have also used the ecollar to break my dogs of jumping on the windows on the back of my house. I didn't use it for the potted plants because I had so many with different plants and the dog would have no way understanding that the correction meant all potted plants. I chose to move the plants I loved, not worry about the ones that were destroyed and put up decorative fencing and train them to stay out of those areas. My feeling is you do what works for the individual situation. |
|
Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
|
|
zodiakgsps
NW PA
MH
Posts:1059
|
| 08/18/2010 3:41 PM |
|
| I planted blueberry bushes in my yard.....my guys LOVED the blueberries, shrubs & all!!! (needless to say, they are gone now......) |
|
|
|
|
leebo5566
Atlanta, GA
MH
Posts:69
|
| 08/18/2010 4:41 PM |
|
I will eventually get to the e-collar if needed, but he is still pretty young (little over 3 months) and from what I read it's used for enforcing commands more so than teaching them.
It's crazy though, I told my father I was done planting in the backyard until Asher the Crasher got out of the puppy stage. But I needed to plant to keep the water flowing out away when it rains.
It's a shame, he loves the backyard but I just can't trust him out there more than 15 minutes without me there. |
|
|
|
|
Patti
Scituate RI
MH
Posts:78
|
| 08/20/2010 3:25 AM |
|
| I forgot all about the destruction of the plants in the backyard. They were lovely, if I recall. I should have taken pictures! Whatever went, went and what is left is still there so I guess mine grew out of it! I did have a potted plant that looked exactly like the one the *other Ringo pruned. |
|
|
|
|
Patti
Scituate RI
MH
Posts:78
|
| 08/20/2010 3:25 AM |
|
| I forgot all about the destruction of the plants in the backyard. They were lovely, if I recall. I should have taken pictures! Whatever went, went and what is left is still there so I guess mine grew out of it! I did have a potted plant that looked exactly like the one the *other Ringo pruned. |
|
|
|
|
everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:2737
|
| 08/20/2010 6:04 AM |
|
| This is why my garden in the backyard is all in raised garden beds. That doesn't stop the dogs from running through the gardens at times (sigh). I have adopted a "what will be, will be" attitude and keep my most important plants in the front yard. |
|
Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
|
|