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Post by Faust on Jul 13, 2006 11:43:48 GMT 1
Hello!
There's only one thing that I would love to know:
How long do weimaraners behave destructive
(chewing everything what comes in their muzzle reach) 
1. Only in the puppyhood and puberty?
2. Till the age of 2 years,
3. Or the whole life???
I live in a flat and I would like to hear as much as possible expirience of those weimie owners who live similar way like me - in a flat, whose dogs are left alone at home at least 4-5 hours during the working days...
Thank you in advance...
Kristina
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Post by szarasfora on Jul 13, 2006 12:36:09 GMT 1
Well, my dogs have never been destructive. Of course at childhood they destroyed a few things, including their own beds. But after teeth change they didn't show any inclinations to eat my things, except my breakfast of course. The only thing that I must hide when I leave my house is a dust-bin in the kitchen. They started to search there when I changed their diet - I started to give them dry dog food instead of cooking them fresh meals.
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tasha
Proper addict
Posts: 1,109
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Post by tasha on Jul 13, 2006 13:57:54 GMT 1
Have to say the same, the general rule is that if your dog is both physically and mentally stimulated then they are rarely destructive. I have to watch my bin, cupboards, oven in fact anywhere that there is food because bonnie is a great foodie even when she's eaten enough to pop she'll still be happy to suppliment her tea with the odd extra, including all the fruit out of the fruit bowl :-)
I've lived in both a flat and a house and not had any problems but my life is very active and she is rarely left at home alone so tends to only sleep and eat at home.
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Post by marjolein on Jul 13, 2006 16:31:10 GMT 1
Mine aren't destructive either. The only thing they've done is chew a cable of the home surround sound. My fault really, b/c I knew how interesting they found. Should've blocked it. But that's all. As long as they're both mentally and physically tired out, they should be fine.
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Post by maeli on Jul 13, 2006 18:36:27 GMT 1
My Drago was destructive until about two years of age. He was left alone not more than 3-4 hours a day, and not every day. He lives in a flat but I have always taken him out for long runs in the fields, in the woods, on the beach. Unfortunately, he was destructive even when he was exhausted after his daily walks. He destroyed furniture, doors, sofas, armchairs and, obviously, his own beds. Once he even chewed the plastic parts of a heater - that caused him enteritis. I "solved" the problem leaving him in an empty room, where there was nothing to chew (except for his bed and water-bowl). However, he kept howling all the time when he was alone. Little by little he left behind that behaviour, and I tried to leave him in the kitchen and sitting-room for short periods. He still howled, sometimes, but never chew anything else. Now he is perfectly behaved, and I can leave him alone in the house for 5-6 hours. He behaves well even when I leave him in hotel rooms. His only "fault" is that... when I come home I find him curled up in my place on the sofa! ;-)
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Post by daniela on Jul 13, 2006 19:40:15 GMT 1
Hi Kristina
My family has owned many Weimaraners over the years and some were chewers and some were not. As puppies, they all chewed – de-stuffing toys, chewing my shoes (!) and chewing toilet rolls - that kind of thing. Mainly, at around 18 months the chewing stopped but there were a couple that would chew even into old age. This would only ever happen when they knew food stood the other side of what they had to destruct to get to it.
I remember coming home once to find the kitchen cupboards open and all the cans of baked beans and tuna mangled in their beds. Thankfully, there were no serious consequences and the dogs were fine but I just couldn't believe how they had managed to open the doors of the units. We had already owned Weimaraners for about 15 years at this point and we'd never dreamt that they could open those darn cupboards!
Nowadays, we just don't take the chance. Everything is pushed out of the way and out of sight. Our dogs are only ever left for a maximum of three hours at a time. They are exercised before I go to work and then I make up kongs filled with kitchen scraps to keep them occupied - they absolutely love these and it keeps them occupied for ages! I have only started using kongs in the last few months, and I can't believe how I ever managed without them.
At the weekends, they are flaked. I take them for really long runs in the woods. This is the ideal exercise for them - running them on flat grass is OK but they get more mental and physical stimulation going in the woods - jumping fallen trees, chasing rabbits, running through long grass, trying to climb trees after squirrels. I get exhausted just watching them!
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Post by Wetdog on Jul 13, 2006 19:43:58 GMT 1
Do you have the dried rawhide chew chips or retriever rolls available there? I buy them in 2 lb. bags(1 Kg). My dogs really like them, they especially like the chicken flavor.
I put a big handful of them down to chew on when I'm going to be gone for awhile. Now that they are getting older the dogs have a bit less interest in them---there will often be several left when I come home, but when they were younger, they'd be mostly gone when I got home. Unlike toys, they can be chewed up and eaten, not a good idea with toys. I've done this for many years and never had a problem.
I cann't say for certain it would solve your problem, but it might not hurt to give it a try.
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indy
Puppy
Indy - Pasquinel's Ahanu
Posts: 132
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Post by indy on Jul 13, 2006 20:08:34 GMT 1
My dog have never been destructive. He gets all the activity hee needs from me :-)
He is no problem to leave alone at home and never barks in the car.
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Post by groovydreamyfab on Jul 14, 2006 1:06:57 GMT 1
I've only had one weim that was seriously destructive, my female Dreamy, until the age of 2, she was hell on wheels, but now she is little miss perfectly obedient! Weims are definitely worth the rough spots, makes me love them even more. With Jack, instead of destruction, it was barking. I guess every weim has their thing. Personally, I always made sure I had literally dozens upon dozens of toys AND mammoth bones/different size bones/hooves around to provide them with endless entertainment. I have buckets of toys and bones sitting in every room that they frequent. That has worked for me.
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Post by emma on Jul 14, 2006 10:08:20 GMT 1
I usually leave some chewing sticks for my dogs and sometimes also some empty cardboard boxes with goodies inside. This way they have something to do during the day. My dogs are alone a full work day. They do get used to it but I think it is a good idea to leave small things to do for them  |
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Post by maeli on Jul 14, 2006 12:51:21 GMT 1
I forgot to say that neither toys nor chewing sticks nor food-filled marrow bones ever worked with Drago: he left them untouched and preferred to chew furniture, books etc ... now I remember that once I came home and found he had gnawed the wall! (it was a protruding angle). So I really had a difficult life with him... but it was worth it, considering that in two years' time he became the ideal dog!
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Post by Alkemist on Jul 14, 2006 15:01:55 GMT 1
Kristina we used to live in a terraced house - not unlike a flat, because you are attached on both sides to your neighbours, and have a very small yard. We also both worked full time, and our dogs were mostly destructive as puppies back then. They did learn to sleep most of the time we were not there, but it took a while.
We have since moved and we have Amber, Anya and Jensen. He will eat or destroy anything, and has to be left crated because he can reach things that I can't, and he doesn't care what he eats, clothing, plastics, wood, potatoes, and he doesn't stop if he has his own things to chew. He used to howl the house down too, but we got a citronella collar for him and he soon learned not to do that anymore.
Anya loves to chew, but she is very good and will chew her things mostly. Amber is almost 10 and she will still steal / destroy things, but her aim is extra food.
I suppose I'm saying that in my experience, each weim is different. The hard part is finding what works .............
Nina
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Post by fialCo on Jul 24, 2006 8:17:04 GMT 1
Hey,
my pup ( almost 12 week) is always crated, while I'm away, so she doesn't even eat her bed! Most of the time, when I am at home, she walks around, watches everything, but she doesn't touch anything. Sometimes, she grabs a shoelace, but stops, when I say NO.
Weird, she doesn't eat her bed as mots of pups do. Also weird, that when I took her, she was quiet and nice, we slept, she did either. On and on she began howl and peep louder and louder, she even barks now in the night!!!
This is worst. I live in a flat, so I'm afraid, neighbours would call a police someday:( And I have tried everything, I don;t know what to do about that...
Also she doesn;t chew her food! She just swallows it!!! Chicken wings and necks, dry food, what;s wrong? Maybe she doesn't like to chew at all?? She has a lot of various bones, toys...Weird pup:)
Migle
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Post by ozworkinweis on Jul 24, 2006 14:15:52 GMT 1
Hey, Also she doesn;t chew her food! She just swallows it!!! Chicken wings and necks, dry food, what;s wrong? Maybe she doesn't like to chew at all?? She has a lot of various bones, toys...Weird pup:) Migle my 3yr old storm loves to gulp her food down like its her last meal, where as my other two weis eat normal pace. I actually put large rocks in with her food to slow her down. She even swallowed a whole mouse that she caught once, didn't even stop to chew. |
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Post by Alkemist on Jul 25, 2006 10:16:37 GMT 1
I once heard that the way to slow a fast eater is to have a larger bowl, with a smaller bowl turned upside down inside the larger one. Place the food around the edges of the upside down bowl.
Don't know if it works though.......
Nina
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indy
Puppy
Indy - Pasquinel's Ahanu
Posts: 132
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Post by indy on Jul 25, 2006 13:05:14 GMT 1
When you say crated.. I really hope you don't meen that you have you'r weims in small boxes for several hours?? Like a bunny-rabbit or something???
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Post by fialCo on Jul 27, 2006 18:07:15 GMT 1
indy, jeee , no! She has a big light house, sometimes I cover it with a big towel, so that she could feel cosy. The size is 1.5mx1mx80cm:)
Of course, when she gets bigger and wiser, I would leave her alone at home, but not crated:) Don't worry, I am not cruel!
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Post by Wetdog on Jul 27, 2006 19:23:23 GMT 1
Mine like to go sleep in the bathtub. Enka(Weim) and Dixie(German Shepherd) will even squish up together so they can both get into the tub on occassion. Usually they take turns. I'd have liked to take the crate out of the bedroom, but if I did, Riga(German Shepherd) would probably have a heart attack that I took away HER bed! She loves it in her crate and heads straight for it anytime she feels insecure or just ready for a nap. The door on that crate hasn't been closed in ages.
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