Coton de Tulear Dog Chewing Problem

by Kathy
(Plymouth, MA)

We just got our Coton de Tulear at 15 weeks old. He has started to show signs of chewing. I caught him chewing the edge of the carpet. How do I nip this behavior in the bud and stop my dog from chewing?

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Aug 18, 2019
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CoCo, Super Jaws 10 months
by: Debbie L.

I adore CoCo, my little male coton.. he's the epitome of health and joie de vivre and seems to be thriving living with me (retired) and my 8-yr old female lab/rotte, Gracie.
Although he is amazingly intelligent and responsive, I had an awful time house-training him. (He is my 8th dog, and the slowest to pick it up.) But, about age 9 months, he started chewing the baseboards...! He has tons of toys, I'm almost always home, and he always has Gracie with him. In the last week, he started chewing on the lower trim of a bedroom dresser of an heirloom quality set, and I'm not sure if it can even be repaired. It's like he's a beaver! I always scold him "no" and give him an appropriat chewing toy. (He loves those water buffalo horns, and they are the only lasting chew toys so far. He splintered a deer antler in a matter of minutes, and I took the remains back for a refund.) I am at my wits end and praying that he will outgrow this, but for now, I have re-assembled his kennel, and when I go out, my little darling is in it, like it or not; I cannot allow him to destroy the house.
If I had known what I know now, I would probably have gotten another female poodle pup, so easily trainable, and just as intelligent and responsive. I'll never give up on my sweet CoCo, but I just disappointed that he is giving me so much challenge in my golden years, and I hate to confine him to the kennel, even though its only 2 - 4 hours a day, and not every day. No one will be happier that me when (or if) he outgrows this "beaver" stage.

May 11, 2012
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Chewing Continued
by: Anonymous

Our Coton, Lexi, is going to be six months old next week. All of her adult teeth are now in. She has jaws of steel and goes through all of her toys and rips the soft ones apart and pulls out the stuffing and the hard one she destroys too. The vet said no rawhide or nylon bones. She has destroyed two kongs already and I don't know what to get her. We have spent over $100 on toys and most of them have been thrown away. Last evening we bought her a new toy for heavy chewers and she pulled pieces off from it in 5 minutes. I am taking it bak today. HELP!

Jul 06, 2011
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CHEWING
by: KATHY FROM PA

WHEN I GOT TRISCUIT AT 7 MONTHS, I ALSO PURCHASED A CHEW BONE, PURPLE AND YELLOW,KIND OF A SOFT NYLAR TYPE . SHE CHEWED ON THAT FROM DAY ONE UNTIL IT WAS ALMOST GONE. IT LASTED ABOUT 4 MONTHS. SHE WAS TRYING TO CHEW THE RUG, AND OTHER THINGS, BUT WHEN I REDIRECTED HER TO HER BONE, SHE CHEWED THAT. NOW THAT SHE IS 2, SHE STILL CHEWS ON THAT SPECIAL BONE, AND THAT IS IT.
JUST REDIRECT YOUR PUP, AND BE FIRM ABOUT IT.
GOOD LUCK...I JUST LOVE THIS BREED!!!!!
KATHY FROM PA

Jul 04, 2011
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Chewing yuck!
by: Dee

Calm and assertive, tell him no! THen give him an alternatative option to chew. (I am not fond of rawhide, as they can cause blockages & not digestable. Also many companies that make rawhide for dogs use chemical preservatives in processing. - although that is a personal choice). I have used stuffed marrow bones, dental chews and chew toys thus far and we have been lucky. On occastion, he will go for a flip flop or sneaker but we say no, give him an alternative, and he stops. consistency is key! Good Luck!

Jul 03, 2011
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chewing
by: Iris Miller

I have always given Tuffy the rawhide small knotted bone wrapped around chicken,He always spends a lot of time first trying to get to the chin in the middle, then he chews the ends and unties the knot with his teeth,This takes a long time and keeps him very busy. He also likes to rip apart the cardboard roll from toilet paper and paper towels,His game, he steals ir, I chase him, he wins, he gets to rip it up and then I win and throw it in the garbage.
He bounces his kong toy off my foot when he can't get the rest of his treat out, or if he wants more treats in the kong. I put the chunks of freeze dried liver in it.

Jul 03, 2011
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Beware of Boredom and Frustration
by: Anonymous

Safe chew toys are essential. Kong toys filled with peanut butter or treats are great. My Coton's favorte things to chew are antlers. I have trouble finding them locally, but I've been order to order them on Amazon.com.

To keep her from chewing on electrical cords, I tied nylon ropes to heavy chairs so that she could chew or tug on those. A knot at the end of the rope keeps her busy.

Even with plenty of toys available, she will act out inappropriately if she is frustrated or bored. She requires lots of attention and at least 1/2 hour of exercise or play each day. Just like toddlers, it is good to try to wear them out.

Jul 03, 2011
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Chewer
by: Anonymous

I agree with Deborah, our Rudy loves to chew, hands, wallets, whatever...so we got him some rawhide chew toys. Whenever he starts chewing on a "no", we give him a chew toy....he also likes the squeaky toys....especially when we're watching tv......he's learning.....good luck!

Jul 03, 2011
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chewer!
by: Anonymous

Hi, I also have a coton who is an insatiable chewer. He chewed holes in my carpet, chewed a phone cord, and notoriously chews up his toys. It wasn't until he was 2 1/2 years old that I could let him be free (and on the carpet) when I was gone. When he was little and started chewing something he shouldn't, I replaced it with something he should-a nylabone. He loves nylabones! I also used that bitter ick spray on my furniture-it doesn't work 100% but it helped. Just make sure to always keep an eye on your coton when he is this young so that he does not accidently chew something he shouldn't. Good luck and don't give up!

Jul 03, 2011
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How to stop dog chewing
by: Eben

I had 2 Coton de Tulear puppies at the same time - one was a chewer and one wasn't. The chewer chewed the craziest things - he especially liked expensive items like ipods, blackberries, and even chewed up a wallet with money in it. We had to become very careful not to leave anything around where he could get his tiny little surprisingly destructive teeth.

As far as things that you can't remove like carpet - they make products you can spray on furniture and carpet to keep pets off. Or you can keep him in a crate or gated area until he's trained. But training is the key - he has to be shown what is appropriate to chew and what isn't.

All dogs, including your Coton, will grow out of this stage, but it's definitely worth the effort to train him to use more appropriate items to chew (chew toys, dog bones, etc).

Good Luck

Jul 03, 2011
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Chewing Puppy Stage Training...
by: Deborah

I believe this is quite common. When this occurred w/with my two males...I was firm w/"NO" and replaced w/a toy that was chewable and theirs. Consistency is most important, in my view. A puppy will learn and wants to please...but you have to be consistent and they do, indeed, need to chew for the development of teeth. There is a great variety of puppy chews to select from at the pet stores.

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