Hi! I have an almost 9 month taco terrier (chihuahua x terrier) who has started to become a serial cable killer. She has chewed three iPhone chargers, Christmas lights (that were plugged in??? How is she alive???) and even an extension cable (for those unfamiliar, the cables on those are really thick). All of these items have been tucked away/hidden since the first charger got eaten. She never does this in front of us - she did when she was little once but I took it off of her and told her no, and after only two or three times she stopped. The only recommendation we have had is to crate her, which I don’t want to do for the whole day. My mum’s argument is if she chews a live wire it could really harm her, which is obviously correct but still.
How do we stop this behaviour, especially when we don’t see it? Or at least are there any kind of chew-proof cable covers for the time being? If there’s a quick fix, I’d like the know. The training can come later when there’s no risk of electrocuting herself Also, sorry it’s a little rambled lol!
@coolbair Spray them down with air duster, the kind u use on electronics they sell it at Walmart but you have to get the one in the blue can because it has a bittering agent in it that is supposed to deter people from huffing it but it also deters pets from chewing on cables and anything else that cannot get wet and it works better than any bitter yuck or anything else you can get from pet store I've tried this and it works.
@coolbair You have to keep spraying it every couple days and if she doesn't chew it she won't learn that it's gross, and you don't want her chewing it (especially live). You really need to restrict her access to the cords/cables better when you can't supervise her. Use xpens, baby gates, and if neeed a box shoved in front of the cables to restrict her access if you don't want to use a crate. Our boy did this and we shoved the cords behind stuff where he couldn't get at it and crated him when we were gone for more than a few minutes until he was old enough to restrain himself. Make sure your dog has plenty of chew toys and is always redirected to chew those toys when she tries to chew on something else. The good news is that this kind of chewing is puppy/adolescent behavior and she should grow out of chewing nearly everything as she grows older. You have to protect her and teach her what to chew (toys) until then.
@bethany123itsmeeeee The cables were hidden. She somehow managed to get behind the bed to pull them out lol. She also has plenty of toys but, like any good little kid, she wants to play with literally anything else
@coolbair How sensitive is your taco? If she is pretty sensitive, i would do an immersion training. Leave multiple cords out, show them to her, not offer them, if she reaches for them, tell her very firmly, no, that's not yours. Then maybe drop one next to her, same thing. My taco dog is so sensitive this works really quick. We have had the conversation about kleenex, undies, cords, glasses, anything that smells like me or that l use daily, cords being one. She really dislikes being scolded gently. Other than that, i would put cords away and keep her away from the tree and ornaments.
@melody523_ Mine doesn’t care. She’s an ‘any attention is good attention’ kind of dog. I can say anything to her in any tone of voice and she wags her tail at me lol! Scolding does nothing, she isn’t food motivated, and she has about two brain cells to her name. It’s taken her almost 9 months to get ‘sit’
Also, sorry it’s a little rambled lol!