Smoked Beefhide Query

[poochmad]

Yesterday we gave Henschke a smoked beefhide 'bone' to keep him from chewing things he shouldn't and we came home to a house that we haven't seen since he was a puppy. (Things ripped, remote control chewed, etc.)

The bone is quite sickly sweet and is said to be smoked. It was purchased from Pet Barn.

Is anyone familiar with these bones and do you know if they have a coating on the outside that reacts with dogs?

ETA: Judging by Henschke's behaviour, I'm thinking the answer is going to be a big fat 'yes'. LOL

Edited January 29, 2009 by poochmad

[Erny]

Yesterday we gave Henschke a smoked beefhide 'bone' to keep him from chewing things he shouldn't and we came home to a house that we haven't seen since he was a puppy. (Things ripped, remote control chewed, etc.)

The bone is quite sickly sweet and is said to be smoked. It was purchased from Pet Barn.

Is anyone familiar with these bones and do you know if they have a coating on the outside that reacts with dogs?

Are you suggesting/thinking that whatever it might be coated with has caused Henschke's behaviour?

How old is Henschke? (I know you've said in other posts but I can't recall.) You might find that it is age related and where he might be 'testing' boundaries. We work through these behaviours as pups and think they are 'gone'. But if you look closely enough as they approach those 'teenage' equivalent months, you'll often find them pushing (sometimes even just obscurely) and if you aren't consistent with your vigilance as you were when they are pups, the behaviour can pop right back in. Also, I believe they go through a secondary teething stage, like as if the teeth are 'settling' in. And that can promote the urge to chew, tear and rip.

Edited January 29, 2009 by Erny

[poochmad]

Yesterday we gave Henschke a smoked beefhide 'bone' to keep him from chewing things he shouldn't and we came home to a house that we haven't seen since he was a puppy. (Things ripped, remote control chewed, etc.)

The bone is quite sickly sweet and is said to be smoked. It was purchased from Pet Barn.

Is anyone familiar with these bones and do you know if they have a coating on the outside that reacts with dogs?

Are you suggesting/thinking that whatever it might be coated with has caused Henschke's behaviour?

How old is Henschke? (I know you've said in other posts but I can't recall.) You might find that it is age related and where he might be 'testing' boundaries. We work through these behaviours as pups and think they are 'gone'. But if you look closely enough as they approach those 'teenage' equivalent months, you'll often find them pushing (sometimes even just obscurely) and if you aren't consistent with your vigilance as you were when they are pups, the behaviour can pop right back in. Also, I believe they go through a secondary teething stage, like as if the teeth are 'settling' in. And that can promote the urge to chew, tear and rip.

He's 8 months as of yesterday.

I am aware of the secondary teething stage (learnt that from DOL) and it certainly was bang on the head when Henschke started chewing on walls as he had nothing to chew on, so we started giving him beef hides.

The one we gave him yesterday was not the normal hide we'd previously given.

We have not come home to a house like that since he was 7 months old - as soon as we did, it was recognised for what it was, gave him the hide to chew and the place has been free of 'mess' since that one day.

Considering the beef hide was new and we ended up with a house like that, we naturally placed the issue back on the hide.

So yes, we are thinking that whatever it's coated with might have contributed to his behaviour.

The last time he was like this (beside being a typical puppy), I had given him goodo and he went manic.

I should also mention that when I arrived home he was not his normal calm self, he was pretty manic...

[Quickasyoucan]

Yesterday we gave Henschke a smoked beefhide 'bone' to keep him from chewing things he shouldn't and we came home to a house that we haven't seen since he was a puppy. (Things ripped, remote control chewed, etc.)

The bone is quite sickly sweet and is said to be smoked. It was purchased from Pet Barn.

Is anyone familiar with these bones and do you know if they have a coating on the outside that reacts with dogs?

Are you suggesting/thinking that whatever it might be coated with has caused Henschke's behaviour?

How old is Henschke? (I know you've said in other posts but I can't recall.) You might find that it is age related and where he might be 'testing' boundaries. We work through these behaviours as pups and think they are 'gone'. But if you look closely enough as they approach those 'teenage' equivalent months, you'll often find them pushing (sometimes even just obscurely) and if you aren't consistent with your vigilance as you were when they are pups, the behaviour can pop right back in. Also, I believe they go through a secondary teething stage, like as if the teeth are 'settling' in. And that can promote the urge to chew, tear and rip.

He's 8 months as of yesterday.

I am aware of the secondary teething stage (learnt that from DOL) and it certainly was bang on the head when Henschke started chewing on walls as he had nothing to chew on, so we started giving him beef hides.

The one we gave him yesterday was not the normal hide we'd previously given.

We have not come home to a house like that since he was 7 months old - as soon as we did, it was recognised for what it was, gave him the hide to chew and the place has been free of 'mess' since that one day.

Considering the beef hide was new and we ended up with a house like that, we naturally placed the issue back on the hide.

So yes, we are thinking that whatever it's coated with might have contributed to his behaviour.

The last time he was like this (beside being a typical puppy), I had given him goodo and he went manic.

I should also mention that when I arrived home he was not his normal calm self, he was pretty manic...

I have stopped giving rawhide chews as most of them are made from imported products from places like China and Thailand even if it says made in Australia if you read the fine print it says from imported products. There is a thread on rawhide I started a while back. It is frustrating though as there is nothing really similar and Jake really doesn't like big bones and generally vomits if he does eat them, chicken necks or tips are crunched up in 2 seconds. I am still searching for a healthy alternative that you can really chew.

That said, Jake who is nearly 6 (years old and not months!) and hasn't chewed anything for nigh on 5 years, chewed up a table decoration of wire and glass beads last night while I was on the phone, attention seeking, but totally out of character. I was so worried that he might have swallowed some wire or a glass bead, but that is another story and he is looking pretty chirpy today. Sometimes I wonder if they just have a brain snap

ETA: maybe it had a lot of sugar in it, and Henschke had a fit of the destructive zoomies.

Edited January 29, 2009 by Quickasyoucan

[poochmad]

That said, Jake who is nearly 6 (years old and not months!) and hasn't chewed anything for nigh on 5 years, chewed up a table decoration of wire and glass beads last night while I was on the phone, attention seeking, but totally out of character. I was so worried that he might have swallowed some wire or a glass bead, but that is another story and he is looking pretty chirpy today. Sometimes I wonder if they just have a brain snap

ETA: maybe it had a lot of sugar in it, and Henschke had a fit of the destructive zoomies.

Oh dear...six years...

I'm thinking that myself regarding a sugar reaction...

I should also mention that we can't give him bones as the breed has soft teeth and hubby doesn't want to give him brisket bones as he eats them on the carpet...(he's an indoor/outdoor dog).

[sas]

Nylabones...

[poochmad]

Nylabones...

Aren't nylabones made out of artificial material? Henschke destroys and eats everything! Plastic, wood, stuffing from toys, etc.

[Dogs4Fun]

I wouldn't be feeding any of these types of treats with all the horror stories around at the moment.

If you can feed him brisket bones, these are probably much better for him. just lock him outside, in a crate or a washable room (laundry) while he eats it. if he is like most dogs, he won't really care where he is while he is working on a bone.

[puggy_puggy]

Those things are full of fat and you have no idea of the process and the chemicals that are used to dry them and then the preservatives that are used to coat them.

Why can't you leave him outside to eat soft bones like lambs bones? Puppy pen him if you have to. I think it's sad if dogs are never given bones.

Whole carrots are good to chew on.

[tyra20007]

That said, Jake who is nearly 6 (years old and not months!) and hasn't chewed anything for nigh on 5 years, chewed up a table decoration of wire and glass beads last night while I was on the phone, attention seeking, but totally out of character. I was so worried that he might have swallowed some wire or a glass bead, but that is another story and he is looking pretty chirpy today. Sometimes I wonder if they just have a brain snap

ETA: maybe it had a lot of sugar in it, and Henschke had a fit of the destructive zoomies.

Oh dear...six years...

I'm thinking that myself regarding a sugar reaction...

I should also mention that we can't give him bones as the breed has soft teeth and hubby doesn't want to give him brisket bones as he eats them on the carpet...(he's an indoor/outdoor dog).

I have an large old rug near the back door that both my dogs know as the "bone mat" and they are not allowed to have a good ols chew until they are on their mat.. It didn't take long to train them to eat bones just on the mat and with a gruff "UH AAH" they learned to stay and munch..

I personally would never feed any kind of raw hide or pigs ear as I hear they are full of preservatives. I am a strict BARF feeder and would also never give any of those dentabones or other processed bones or treats as I believe they are just rubbish and cannot compare to real natural bones.

The greatest bone you can get from your butchers for a fun chew that will last for ages is a Beef Chuck bone - it is knobbly and spinal bones are very difficult to chew, they have so many angles on them it is great for keeping all the teeth clean.. I have 2 Dobes and neither can chew them completely, I have also given them to a Bull Terrier and a Rottie and neither could consume them completely. If you "train" your butcher right you can get him to leave a little more meat on the bone so the dog gets some great non fatty meat and a good chew at the same time..

I hope this helps

[poochmad]

Are you suggesting/thinking that whatever it might be coated with has caused Henschke's behaviour?

How old is Henschke? (I know you've said in other posts but I can't recall.) You might find that it is age related and where he might be 'testing' boundaries. We work through these behaviours as pups and think they are 'gone'. But if you look closely enough as they approach those 'teenage' equivalent months, you'll often find them pushing (sometimes even just obscurely) and if you aren't consistent with your vigilance as you were when they are pups, the behaviour can pop right back in. Also, I believe they go through a secondary teething stage, like as if the teeth are 'settling' in. And that can promote the urge to chew, tear and rip.

Erny. You are 100% right. (As always. ) I tried a different tactic (a bone) and he did exactly the same thing...mind you he was destroying things upstairs as we left our bedroom door open thinking he couldn't get past the doggy gate...I put the gate down and sat on a step higher up and lo and behold the little bugger easily stepped through the grate and up and over he went!

Now we close the door on the bedroom and I figure if he goes over the baby gate (as I don't want to encourage him to go up and down stairs as he's still growing), then he will get bored of it as there's nothing exciting to do.

With regards to the pushing [boundaries] he has started doing things again that he'd stopped as a pup. For example, whenever our back is turned he grabs something, be it a pillow or a cushion or a sock, shoe, etc. Am I meant to be upping the ante to tell him off? And if so, what do you recommend, save spraying him with water as he likes water!

[Erny]

With regards to the pushing [boundaries] he has started doing things again that he'd stopped as a pup. For example, whenever our back is turned he grabs something, be it a pillow or a cushion or a sock, shoe, etc. Am I meant to be upping the ante to tell him off? And if so, what do you recommend, save spraying him with water as he likes water!

My highlights

Difficult to tell you exactly what to try as I don't know your dog. But definitely be consistent and insistent in having him observe the 'rules'. Be aware of whether it seems he is being reinforced by your attention for doing the wrong things.

Personally, I don't use the water spray "therapy" (so to speak) but that's not to say I haven't suggested its deployment to help others in certain situations. As to what you use depends on your dog. Whatever you do or use, it needs to be something the dog doesn't want or dislikes. For example my boy is showing he really dislikes my disapproval. I use "disapproval" judiciously, so I don't 'wear it out'. It's a very handy and simple thing to be able to use, so I use it carefully.

He knows I don't like him bringing bones into the house. He does 'try it on' a bit, but he knows I will tell him to take it outside (and I make him go .... no question). I don't use my hands on him for this (this could prove too much like "attention" if I did even if it was necessary). I give him "the look" (LOL) and he knows I mean it. He has a choice. Be outside with the bone or leave the bone outside and come back in. That much is up to him, but I do not permit him to bring the bone inside without some reprimand. In this case the reprimand is my tone of voice "outside with that bone!!!" or "get out!!" if he's pushing the point too far.

When he was a pup, he could see where things such as my shoes were but if he could get access it was only when I was right there to prevent it. For him a verbal coinciding with a hand to gently stop him was enough for him to learn I didn't want him to touch them. In the interim I kept a step stool there that stopped him. My slippers ..... well, they still sit up on a shelf instead of where my other shoes are as these are just toooooo tempting at this stage.

If he were to be insistant on grabbing things he should not though I'd be inclined to command him to something else. For example a stern "go to your mat!". A reasonable pause and then a "go and get Shrek" (or whatever other toy). In this way he is having to think and do. That he was on his mat first means he was doing nothing wrong so he's not rewarded by my next action, which is attention for going to get Shrek. That he went to get Shrek follows the NILIF (he had to go get him before I would give him full interaction).

Basically, just let him know you mean what you say and you insist on it. No two ways about it. Behind all that, have the knowledge that his teeth might be causing him a small amount of irritation and/or that he is bored, and work to provide him with an avenue where either of those two things (or both) can be satisfied, but in a manner that can't be perceived by him as a reinforcement for his earlier unwanted behaviour.