# How young is too young for e-Collar



## txhunterusmc (Oct 2, 2013)

Just got my first pup that I will train as my gun dog. He seems to be picking things up very quickly, but almost constantly tries to chew on everything. I've had dogs my entire life, but none of them have ever tried to chew on things as much as this one does. I have a couple of questions about trying to be proactive in stopping this behavior.

1. Should he have a Nylabone in order to have something "correct" for chewing or will that just reinforce his instinct to chew?
2. What age is appropriate to begin using an e-collar to prevent unwanted behavior? Tri-Tronics discusses using one for this purpose, but doesn't mention at what age.

He is an 8 week old lab and is doing great. I don't want y'all to think that I don't understand that chewing is a natural thing to do - I definitely understand. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to stop it from becoming a long-term issue.

Thanks for any advice!


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## Jeannie Greenlee (Apr 15, 2009)

Get him something he CAN chew on and redirect him to that when you catch him chewing on something he shouldn't. 
Have you used an e-collar before? You need to teach a behavior and when your dog knows it then you use an e-collar to reinforce it. Don't teach with an e-collar. Your dog will likely be very confused!


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## HNTFSH (Feb 7, 2009)

FWIW - a collar isn't for chewing issues. 

There are however some pups that have inherent mouth issues beyond the 'norm'. At 8 weeks you couldn't have had the dog long enough (I hope) to know. But if the dog proves to have a serious mouth/chew issues beyond 'normal' - manage it with haste.


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## CRNAret (Oct 3, 2012)

Don't even consider using a collar for this.
Supervise diligently and if you can't, keep him in a crate. Give him something he can chew on like a carrot or wet a piece of washcloth, put it in the freezer and let him chew on it after it is frozen.


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## 2tall (Oct 11, 2006)

If your pup is to be a gun dog or test/trial hopeful, save that ecollar for his retriever training. That is a very different method than just stopping behaviors. Lab puppies chew. A lot! Their mouth is there world. Be patient and yeah, trade a toy for whatever valuables he's latching on to. That will work for a little while!


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## txhunterusmc (Oct 2, 2013)

Thanks for all of the input. We just got him last weekend (10/12), so I don't know if this is an ongoing problem or not. We have been giving him a puppy nylabone or small rope toy to chew on every time he attempts to chew on something/one of us, but I wanted to make sure that was the correct route to go. I had always heard that e-collars should only be used to reinforce known commands, so that's why I was confused when the Tri-Tronics book said to use it to prevent unwanted behavior. 

Sounds like we'll be sticking with toys for now and see if there is any progress. Has anyone else experienced this with a young pup and seen it naturally go away or do you need to constantly tell them "no" every time they try to chew on something? I'm just worried that I'm spending too much time telling him "no" every time he's out of the crate.


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## HNTFSH (Feb 7, 2009)

txhunterusmc said:


> I'm just worried that I'm spending too much time telling him "no" every time he's out of the crate.


Divert and distract with something more acceptable and you won't say no as much. ;-) 80% of managing a pup is psychology - good and bad behaviors.


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## Ray Kirkpatrick (Sep 24, 2010)

Chewing is natural. it is not a bad habit.. 
Give him something to keep him busy. Nyla Bone is good. Rawhide is not. You want him chewing, not injesting. (Very sensitive gut). Busy to him is chewing. 
Keep him on a lead at all times. In & out of house. That way you control what he has access to. Get a pack of Bandaids from the PX and enjoy the pup.

Ray K


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## dpate (Mar 16, 2011)

You don't want to be telling him no all of the time. He does need to learn the meaning of "no" but more importantly he needs to learn what he should be doing and and everything should be fun at this point. That means setting up the situation so that he doesn't get in trouble and more imporantly so that he is successful in everything he does. Puppy-proof the house - put away things that he shouldn't chew on and make sure there is something acceptable for him to chew. On the retrieving side it's the same thing. Set your pup up for success. You don't have control over what pup decides to do at this point but you do have control over the environment he is in. So minimize the possibility that he is going to mess up. 

As for the ecollar, unless you are using the Bill Hillmann method (which starts very early but used in different way) most programs don't start until obedience is sound and reinforced with a leash (teach positively, reinforce with leash, lay over e collar). Most of the time this seems to be around the 6 month mark but can vary on the pup's maturity and training.


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## catfish_joe (Sep 16, 2013)

txhunterusmc said:


> Thanks for all of the input. We just got him last weekend (10/12), so I don't know if this is an ongoing problem or not. We have been giving him a puppy nylabone or small rope toy to chew on every time he attempts to chew on something/one of us, but I wanted to make sure that was the correct route to go. I had always heard that e-collars should only be used to reinforce known commands, so that's why I was confused when the Tri-Tronics book said to use it to prevent unwanted behavior.
> 
> Sounds like we'll be sticking with toys for now and see if there is any progress. Has anyone else experienced this with a young pup and seen it naturally go away or do you need to constantly tell them "no" every time they try to chew on something? I'm just worried that I'm spending too much time telling him "no" every time he's out of the crate.


You're not the only one, my pup did the exact same thing. Replace whatever he's not supposed to chew on with something he's allowed to have. It will gradually go away (took mine about 6 months). Be patient and don't get frustrated.


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## Bridget Bodine (Mar 4, 2008)

do not use the collar for bad behaviors (chewing, digging , trash)


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## Mary Lynn Metras (Jul 6, 2010)

Buy rawhide chews made in USA and soup bones from your grocery store. Don't use E collar for this! Good luck!


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## HNTFSH (Feb 7, 2009)

Mary Lynn Metras said:


> Buy rawhide chews made in USA and soup bones from your grocery store. Don't use E collar for this! Good luck!


Curious why raw hides? I know they're tasty but most advise against.


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## Howard N (Jan 3, 2003)

I think rawhides are fine for young pups. They chew them but aren't strong enough yet to chew them up very fast. Big dogs have the jaw power to tear rawhides up and ingest some large pieces. I've seen some rather big pieces go in and come out of dogs so I don't want to risk the chance of an intestinal blockage with a big dog.

I prefer the larger ones because, I believe, they are tougher harder for the pup to tear apart. Plus, the pups seem to like them.


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## Mary Lynn Metras (Jul 6, 2010)

Howard N said:


> I think rawhides are fine for young pups. They chew them but aren't strong enough yet to chew them up very fast. Big dogs have the jaw power to tear rawhides up and ingest some large pieces. I've seen some rather big pieces go in and come out of dogs so I don't want to risk the chance of an intestinal blockage with a big dog.
> 
> I prefer the larger ones because, I believe, they are tougher harder for the pup to tear apart. Plus, the pups seem to like them.


That is when I use the big soup bones. I understand the concern.


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## FieldLab (Aug 5, 2011)

Do chessys pups chew less ?


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## Todd Caswell (Jun 24, 2008)

Deer or elk antlers, they love them and I believe they are the safest chew...


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## John Condon (Mar 27, 2013)

X2, on antler, sheds......supervise or crate has worked for me


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## Tigershark (Jun 20, 2011)

I have a 2.5 year old BLM and he chewed everything but grew out of it by around a year old. He had plenty of chew toys etc but he preferred our deck, the gas grill, my enclosed trailer the expensive things. H is an indoor dog and never chewed anything up inside outside of his rope toys but he really enjoyed the many things in the backyard, the wooden cedar swing, eating through a trampoline I could name more but I think that's what pups do. It was a stage for us thank goodness he outgrew it. I'm glad he was an outdoor chewer as a pup. For all the damage he did outside he never touched anything inside. He is hands down the best indoor dog we have ever had.


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## ChessieMom (Aug 28, 2013)

@FieldLab - In my experience ( 9 mos. old Chessie Male) Chessie's don't chew less! We crate trained our Chessie, so it was controllable, but the time before he finished teething, and sometimes now, was spent constantly supervising him, because he chewed everything. Shoes, toys, cardboard boxes, blankets, 2 corners of my kitchen cabinet drawer, my dinette bench corners in the kitchen...my wooden outdoor bench, etc. and that was with Constant supervision...he was quick and sometimes very quiet, lol. He also liked to bite and gnaw on all of us in the family. That was a huge amount of work to teach him not to do that. 


OP - It's a dog thing. Dog's chew. It's like another sense for them, kind of like a human baby, one of their first senses, really is putting an item in their mouth and feeling it. Dog's need to put things in their mouth, feel it, really figure it out, because they're smelling it and tasting it at the same time. This is something you want to encourage in a retriever. He needs to want to put things in his mouth, because that's his job. One thing we did to combat all this, was to teach the "gentle" command ASAP, and also rolling his bottom lip over his teeth and pressing down on his teeth with his own gums when he bit us. "Yelping" at him did nothing...I think it excited him more. Once he figured out the "gentle" command, and that he got treats and praise for being gentle, he WANTED to be gentle. 

My advice, 

1. Crate the dog if you're not able to be in the same room with him and paying attention to him. 
2. Give him acceptable things to chew on. 
3. Teach him the "Drop" command, so you can get the things he shouldn't have in his mouth out. 
4. Teach him the "gentle" command so he doesn't bite you.
5. Make sure he gets enough exercise.
6. Make sure he gets enough mental stimulation. Work obedience in the morning, several times throughout the day and evening. Just a few minutes a session will help. Also, toys where he has to figure something out will help.
7. Don't use the e-collar on anything he doesn't already know the command to. For instance, I have used e-collar pressure when our chessie refused to "drop" a baby diaper he had stolen, and had barricaded himself in a corner of my dinette set where I couldn't reach him. He knew the command well by then, and was refusing to obey because he thought he could get away with it. He was also well over 6 mos. old by then, not a little puppy anymore and diapers are very dangerous if ingested...they can swell and cause intestinal blockage.
8. Feel free to give correction when he chews on something he shouldn't, but don't go overboard. A firm "No!" and taking the item away and offering an appropriate item is actually really effective.


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## HunterX51 (Oct 16, 2013)

Lab pups chew all the time. If you are trying to teach him to bring something back instead of laying down to chew on it, start at a much shorter distance. Throw it a couple feet and take it as soon as he picks it up so he starts learning that the game is to run out to get the toy and the human gets it. That way there isn't any time for chewing. But if your just trying to get him to stop gnawing on everything in the room, replacement toys help a ton with that. And as always, when they are pups, keep their fetch toys and chew toys separate until they know the game well.


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## txhunterusmc (Oct 2, 2013)

Thanks again for all of the advice. We have been very careful about keeping fetch toys and chew toys separate, and he is actually getting better about wanting to chew on his toys rather than other things. The good news is, he never chews on his retrieves - even at about 25 yards in a field. He takes off as soon as the bumper hits the ground and comes back at full speed with no stops.


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## Northwood Retrievers (Sep 11, 2013)

We use soup bones from the grocer for outside chewing and deer or elk antlers for inside. The antlers are great because they last forever and don't make a mess


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## jeffro3967 (Sep 12, 2013)

I just brought home my new pup last weekend as well and was having the same problem. I went and bought the puppy sized kong toy that you can insert treats into the end and I now give her that whenever she starts getting a little too curious. It keeps her occupied for quite a while and keeps me from having to correct her constantly. Good luck with your new pal.


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## chad thompson (Oct 1, 2013)

Would strongly recommend & advise you not to encourage this behavior at all. These are rough months we all go through. Way to soon for an e collar, once a dog is collar conditioned you can reenforce that chewing is not acceptable behavior, but again not till the dog has been properly collar conditioned. I like the advise of have complete control of the pups environment. Pups kept in a dog run or crated up is easier to control their environment when you can't pay 100% attention to them. Stay strong, before you know it that "Pup" will be by your side holding a duck in it's mouth, not mouthing it or rolling it in it's mouth & you'll be thankful you weathered the storm when they were a little rascal that had noting but needles for teeth!!


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## CharlieC (Jul 26, 2012)

And a rough time it is. My three month old ylm has been a chewer and biter since we brought him home. He will chew anything he can get and he is not above taking things off of the living room table or the kitchen table if he is not under supervision all of the time. Seems like he has really liked my big toe for a quick bite But, he is getting better, I think. He also started out bringing his bumpers back to me and giving them up without any problem. Now he wants to keep them and carry them around by the rope, something else to work on now. I had forgot how much aggravation a puppy could be, but I know in the long run, he will be worth it all.


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## Brettehl (Oct 21, 2013)

Most puppies have chewing problems, I've learned to distract them from their chewing by giving them something to chew on that is good for them like a toy or a bone.


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## windycanyon (Dec 21, 2007)

Look into training classes in your area. A good puppy kindergarten class will help you and the pup get thru this first year. Funny thing, but I never think of the first 3-4 mos as being a problem for chewing... it's once they hit about 5-10 mos that you need to prepare for!


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## Brent Davis (Nov 5, 2012)

We always use pig ears or cow knuckles. Something that will break down when consumed. Also no dog bed in the crate until the chewing stops. Otherwise you just waste you money in dog beds and end up with a cotton filled crate. Haha


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## txhunterusmc (Oct 2, 2013)

windycanyon said:


> Look into training classes in your area. A good puppy kindergarten class will help you and the pup get thru this first year. Funny thing, but I never think of the first 3-4 mos as being a problem for chewing... it's once they hit about 5-10 mos that you need to prepare for!


This TERRIFIES me. You're the second person who has said chewing started to get much worse around 5 mos. He literally needs to be chewing on something 95% of the time he's awake right now, so I can't imagine it increasing!


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## Breck (Jul 1, 2003)

Do what says in post #20.
Use "tooth pinch" lip pressed against upper canine tooth. Teach dog "No" and "no bite". 
When dog puts anything in mouth it shouldn't, tooth pinch, No, take it, give pup something he is allowed to have quickly, "good dog". Rinse and repeat. Some dogs will need to be crated when left alone for a good many months before they can be trusted alone without chewing stuff. 
I do tooth pinch on my puppies during weeks 8 thru 10 or 12 and has worked great. Pups are trustworthy rather quickly.
Use tooth pinch for biting you too hard as well. Some will put pups paw into pups mouth and squeeze mouth just firm enough to got a whine. 
Ive never had one item of "mine" ever chewed using this method. 
Try it.


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