Pit bull chews only daughter?s toys
Question: I have a 3-year-old daughter and a 1 ½-year-old pit bull mix. They get along great and are both very sweet and gentle with each other. I have heard that Pits can be notoriously difficult to break of the chewing habit, and so far that seems to be true. We give her ‘indestructible’ chew toys and she destroys them in minutes.
When she doesn’t have a chewy of her own, she chews up my daughter?s toys. I can’t find a pattern to it, like only stuffed animals, etc. She doesn’t discriminate; it could be a wood toy, a headband, a doll, a plastic toy, etc. The only common thread is that they belong to my daughter. Any idea why she is doing this? Is it resentment or affection? — Lois
Answer: Pit Bulls have incredible energy levels. They are destructive chewers and that is considered normal behavior for her breed and age. However, she may also be chewing due to separation anxiety. You can make the assessment by when the chewing occurs.
If she chews when she is separated from your daughter or when she isn’t home, she may be highly attached to her and is displaying separation anxiety. On the other hand, she could simply be bored, under-exercised and under-enriched. If this is the case, she would be exhibiting the chewing when you are home and when you are not home.
Finally, she could be attention-seeking. She may have learned inadvertently that you will chase her or at least pay attention to her when she has your daughter’s toys. Again, this type of chewing would only occur when you are home as it needs your attention to continue.
If your dog has separation anxiety, she will need a more complete treatment plan from a veterinary behaviorist, however if it is attention seeking or boredom, you should be able to change her behavior with the following suggestions.
1. Pick up your daughter’s toys. OK, stop laughing. I have a 3-year-old, too, and her stuff is everywhere, BUT 3-year-olds are old enough to put their own things away. Also, you can use a baby gate to keep your pit out of your daughter’s room when the dog can’t be monitored.
2. Exercise your dog! This is vitally important for a young Pit Bull. She needs to be tired. Be sure to exercise her when it is cool and bring lots of water.
3. Rotate her toys. Give her three to five new toys each day that have been out of rotation for a week.
4. Give her new substrates and styles of toys to keep her interest.
5. Don’t chase her when she has your daughter’s toy unless it will hurt her to keep it. Instead, work on teaching her to come and drop things when you tell her to do so.
Lisa Radosta DVM, Diplomate ACVB
Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
PO Box 210636
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421-0636
561-795-9398
www.flvetbehavior.com
Read more articles by Dr. Radosta | Ask her a question
Source: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/pawshere/2011/03/28/pit-bull-chews-only-daughters-toys/
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