If it won't damage or stain your furniture you can try rubbing tabasco sauce on the legs and edges and your dog won't like it. He'll get the idea to stop gnawing that way. Or, try training him via New Monks of Skeet book. Best training guide out there.

I have a reformed chewer living with me. He was not to be left in a crate and the first few months were rough. He ate a leather ottoman, numerous books and some pillows. He no longer gets on the couches so the pillow chewing stopped and he's pretty content at home so most of the furniture is safe. He did randomly one day chew the corner of a coffee table that was acting as an entertainment center. I turned the offended corner towards the wall and he did it again. Some wood putty, sanding and spray paint fixed the corners up quite nicely. It has since been replaced with a clear acrylic coffee table from CB2 which I wanted for a long time anyway and didn't feel guilty about because of the chewed corners.

When he was first learning not to chew though I was successful in getting him to stop by using the bitter apple spray. To this day (several years later) I will be thumbing through a book and find that my hands are a little bitter.

It really is part of the cost of ownership. I'm not saying it's acceptable, but dog owners have to account for these things. I'm sure you do. I have three and thankfully none of them chew, but one of them did up until recently.

When he was a pup my Chihuahua destroyed a wool rug or two (worth about $1000 total) so now we have Flor tiles so they can be replaced individually. Haven't had to though, so I guess they're not as fun to destroy. Wool rugs seem to be his only vice, so I consider myself lucky.

The first year I had my dog I thought she was specifically put on this earth to make me lose my mind. As she's gotten older she's mellowed out a little bit but I thought for awhile there she'd be the death of me. She ate our back deck, the molding around the doors, the stairs, dug up the underground phone line, chewed the cable wire, and eventually chewed through her wire fence and made an escape plan. Fortunately our neighbor saw her do the fence and was able to catch her. She tells me now that she's completely over that sort of childish behavior, but every once in awhile she'll do something nutty. Not quite like that though.

I have a custom-made sofa that my cats have used as a scratching post, much to my chagrin. I have tried double stick tape, saran wrap, and aluminum foil to get them to stop with no success. At some point, I will need to have a slipcover made. Until then, the water gun reigns supreme.

When we 1st got Rufus, we had a no couch policy, but as he wormed his way into our hearts, he also got the couch. While he hasn't destroyed it, it is definitely wearing down at a much faster pace then I would care for. He makes the perfect snuggle companion, I just make peace with the couch. The bed however is a strong hold! 1 year and counting without letting those puppy dog eyes up to sleep with us.

I have 3 beagles and while my husband works from home - when they do misbehave - i tell myself its probably because they are bored. I started off with 1 - and he chewed through the cable for the tv and pulled out the plug, then when I got the 2nd one, together they figured out how to open the fridge, and the 3rd one, well, she loved the insoles of shoes.

I have never crated any of them. Before I got married and was living with the first 2 - they had a midday walker, but aside from the fridge they were pretty well behaved. The third one seems to add the mischief.

We now have a childproof lock on our fridge. I also try to leave them treat dispensing toys around the apt - but not every day - or their weight will pile on.

I find that they like their routines - and it is only when that is upset that they play up and misbehave.

Treat dispensing toys, a laid back attitude to furnishings, a good routine with walking and playing and a good vaccuum are my only advice to dog owners..

Good luck - Kojo looks adorable

This will undoubtedly be an extremely unpopular opinion, but I don't really think it's fair to own a dog when you go to work all day. I love dogs. I would love to have a dog. But I go to work. I have had to accept that I am not really in a position to be a committed and responsible dog owner. And by that I mean meeting THE DOG'S needs. A midday walker addresses the dog's need to relieve itself, but doesn't really meet the dog's need for exercise and companionship. And training a dog properly takes a LOT of time and attention.

@wingchee, my biggest fear is that my dog will some day figure out how to open the fridge! But I kept telling myself that it wasn't possible... until I just read your comment. YIKES!

Having grown up with dogs, I've come to accept that my property becomes the dog's property when invited into my life. Usually, they grow out of the worst habits by about age two with proper training, but everyday wear (floors and bedding) is something I plan my life around. Being a dog owner is a lifestyle choice, and a lot of first time dog owners I've met don't seem to be prepared for the change. Do a little bit of research, and consider how your lifestyle would have to change to provide for theirs, and decide THEN if you're ready to make that commitment. Not later, when you're dropping them off a the local shelter.
As for letting pets on the furniture and the bed, that's a choice for each owner, but I've never worked up willpower to keep them from snuggling up to me. If I wasn't ready and willing to reciprocate that kind of love and companionship, I would have stuck with tropical fish.

When my Grandmother moved into a nursing home, we had to empty out her three story house and sell it. In the basement I found a very large, oval mirror, with an elaborately carved and gilded frame. I remembered it hanging in my Great-Grandmother's home above her mantel, and there's no telling how many Smith family homes it had been in before that. I claimed it for my own, but because it was so heavy I had a hard time hanging it in my paper thin walls, so I stood it up in a corner of my bedroom and kept an eye on it.

My cats were particularly saucy one morning, and in chasing each other, they knocked the mirror down to the floor where it promptly shattered and the frame cracked. I was so upset that I cried for quite a long time, until my boyfriend was finally able to cheer me up.

The good part, though, is that it's finally light enough to have a spot on the wall (the empty frame, that is), and I saved the larger chunks of glass to someday remake into a mosaic countertop or something of that nature.

There's a photo here if you're interested: http://jeezejulia.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/the-danger-of-family-heirlooms/

I have a friend who had the best home & personal style. Then she got a dog...It chewed & peed it's way through antique furniture, down comforters, hand bags, coats & shoes, rugs, an entire sofa, door frames, hard wood floors, anything.
She's now moved to a more dog friendly place. Vinyl flooring w/ cheap rugs, she kept the chewed up furniture; and she has to warn everyone entering the house to lock up their coats & bags in the spare room if they don't want them destroyed.

We've nicknamed it the 100K dog.
What good came of it? She knows the people at Ikea by heart because she has to buy a new coffee table almost every month.

@obleak1 --

You're not the only one.
I grew up w/ dogs, yet I look back in amazement at what we put up with as far as their destructive tendencies.

I look at dogs which are kept at home by folks who work outside the home and I now realize how selfish and irresponsible it is: Dogs are social/pack animals and their people are their leaders - without their people around, they naturally become lonely, unhappy and destructive. Think about it: How would any of us enjoy being locked up inside or chained outside for 9, 10 or more hours a day, 5 days a week with nobody to talk to or play with?

Sometimes I think "Oh, I should get a dog/cat/etc" - but I remember the destruction and unhappiness their confinement caused both them and myself: I just won't do it.

I've already said and I must repeat: I do have quite few friends and acquaintances that have dogs and the majority do not work at home. I've never but rally NEVER heard of anyone keeping a dog in a cage. Nor even to bring the animal to the vet!
...and I lived in quite few countries.
and I'm not even an animal rights advocate...

I can't even begin to understand why someone would want to close an animal in a small cage. Than please don't buy dogs.

One of my dogs developed a fondness for .... my window frame. My LR has one of those huge windows (roughly, it's about 3 metres wide and 2 metres tall). When I bought the house, the window was the original window from when the house was built (in 1960's). Very drafty, single pane glass, etc. I had it replaced to the tune of $2,200.
When I got the dog, she was 4. She did eat her way through her share of shoes and other stuff, but she seemed to have outgrow that phase ("seemed" being the operative word here). When she got 6, she developed separation anxiety and starting chewing the window frame (which, conveniently, starts some 10" off the floor. I always think how pleased she must be, having something to offer itself to her while she is reclining ....
I repaired the frame numerous times (with woodfiller and a sanding block), even parts where she ripped out huge chunks. I had to resort to muzzling her when I am gone. Eventually, she seemed to be fine and she has not touched anything for 6 months. About a month ago, she resumed the demolition of the frame again. Aaaargh .....

Our cats have scratched up speakers, rugs, although not as much as some other cats. Sadly some people declaw, which is ludicrous, if you don't want an animal that claws the furniture, don't buy a cat. It should not be trained out of them like with dogs.

Crating dogs is okay so long as it's when they're being transported or for emergencies. Dogs have a denning instinct and you can train them to willingly go in there for a nap and just close the door. Never for more than 45 minutes or so, though.

I have a job and a dog. I go home at noon to play for a while and let him out. When he was a puppy, there was always someone at home, so he was never truly alone. As he's gotten older, I've been able to leave him alone for longer stretches. Dogs often sleep 12-16 hours a day, so he gets his sleep on when I'm at work, and we play/train/cuddle when I get home. While I agree that all creatures (canine, feline, human, etc.) need company, you don't have to entertain your pet constantly. After ~6 months, the dog should be starting to show some signs of independence and ability to self-entertain. I still forgo some events, shows, parties, etc., if I'll be away from home too long (more because I miss the dog, than him missing me, I think!)

I also have a job and a dog. always have. And my dogs have NEVER been psychos (save some small puppy mischief they grew out of). I now have two dogs, both Labs. I would NEVER tell someone who has a job not to have a dog. Seriously- how many dogs would be around? MAYBE 1/8 of the ones out there now?? I mean, if you work 16 hour days, then I agree- a dog should not need to be alone so much. But if you work a standard 8 hours, I see no reason why not to have a dog- they're good for your health, sanity, companionship, meeting people, getting exercise, etc. In turn, you give a dog a home where you love it. That's just nuts to say "if you work dont have a dog." Who DOESNT work?! Stay at home moms (which I now am), unemployed (in that case, you maybe can't afford vet care, food, etc for a dog anyways), retired...
I think if you are a responsible dog owner, there aren't any pack issues. that being said, I do have two great dogs who keep each other company if I get stuck away from home for very long.
I can't imagine people who work from home not having dogs. How lonely would MILLIONS of single working folks be?!

My "coffee table" is an 1880-ish antique metal trunk with wood bands (warning: some animals like to chew old leather, so watch for leather bands/handles if yours is a leather chewer). I wanted something that my large, muscular, naughty kitty wouldn't be able to destroy. It's worked perfectly for almost 6 years.

My cat has, however, wrecked two chairs and a loveseat (possibly because the previous owners also had animals?). He's done some damage on my current sofa, though I chose one with a more textured fabric so it wouldn't show as much! (I now spritz it with full-strength white vinegar when he tries to scratch it. Not only does vinegar remove pet odors, he hates the smell and goes for his scratching post instead.)

As someone who works with dogs on a day to day basis, here's my take on things.

About the destructiveness..that's usually a phase that they grow out of. I've found that you need to wait until the dogs are around 2.5 before they are trustworthy enough to leave unattended at home for long periods. Again, every dog is different, and you might know one that matured faster, but in general, it does take some time before they outgrow the destructive phase. Also, training is key. Give the dog a job or something to do at home, or they will find something to do... (i.e. redecorate)!?

And to those who think owning a dog if you work outside the home is unfair/cruel - well, at least these dogs have a nice place to live, owners that care for them, and companionship, good food, and toys. There are just too many dogs out there without a home at all. I say it's better to have a home in a family where the dog is left home alone for 8 or 9 hours, then a no home at all!

Besides, who's to say the dogs don't enjoy their alone time? I know my dog seems to enjoy the fact that she no longer has to share her space with 5 other dogs (at the rescue facility). At our house, she has her own personal chef, masseuse, personal trainer, and a large king sized bed to sleep on (she has us trained well...haha). Not to mention all the toys, bones, and other things. As she's gotten older, I've found that she actually doesn't like the company of other dogs. She keeps to herself at the dog park. She'd rather have us humans fawn over her at home in her comfy space.

There are a lot of anti-crate posts, but in my experience crating can really help you work to train a dog. People are focused on crating as an absence of training, but it can be the opposite. Dogs are den animals and respect and keep their dens clean. Having a crate as a safe, clean place for your dog that the dog identifies as its space is really helpful.

Also, some dogs have severe separation anxiety or other issues. I adopted a little pug 5 years ago that had serious issues from abused, premature weening, lack of attention, etc. He would freak out and become very scared if left in my loft by himself. I felt horrible crate training him but it made such a difference and now he is rarely in the crate (usually only when traveling).

Also, for those people that say you shouldn't put a dog in a crate even to take it to the vet -- you are crazy. Having a loose dog in a car is a huge safety issue. Dogs should be restrained when in cars, if nothing else in respect to the safety of other drivers on the road.

that pic with the dog and the nails lying around is freaking me out a bit- particularly if the dog is a chewer!

I work full time and have two dogs and my roommate also works full time and has a dog. Let's just say, the days that I am at home, they sleep ALLLLL day. Lazy dogs. And they sleep ALLLL night.
The younger one was insane as a puppy! He earned the nickname El Diablo from my neighbor who watched him for a weekend.
So far, he's eaten: coffee table edges, baseboard, window sill, sofa cushion, sofa sides, three pairs of shoes, and I think that's it. Luckily he's 1 1/2 now and has calmed down a lot. Let's just say I about threw him off the balcony on many occasions! But, he's my boy and such a sweet dog!

Two of my dogs never chew, but the puppy chews on things all the time. She's in a crate while I'm at work, but at any other time she has a rawhide bone available to chew on.

She will always opt for the rawhide bone over furniture or shoes.

Doggy day care is a wonderful thing! Even if you only have him in there half-days, that means he's not sitting in a crate for half the day, which is far more humane. The expense is ultimately worth what it will cost you in furniture, and the emotional benefits for both of you will be priceless.

Boston Terriers are chewers, no matter what the age. I also have one, and while I was talking to a neighbor one day he got out of his crate somehow and chewed every corner of our 50 year old cabinets in the kitchen, and one of the baseboards. I have a friend who had (yes, had) a Boston who was left out of his crate and chewed an electrical chord and died. My vet told me to never let my dog have free roam during the day- Boston's are just too mischievous. Thank goodness it was just a table leg!

When my 17-year-old yorkie passed away, my 2-year-old yorkie had a really hard time adjusting and started being destructive. It was a sad time (for both of us). She actually shredded a book, ripped up some shoes etc. I learned quickly to keep things off the ground! Then, I bought her a Kong and every morning before I would leave for work I filled it with snacks. It is something my vet said would occupy her-and some of the treats are tricky to get out so it also would keep her mind active. Then when I get home I gave her extra attention and played for hours. My furniture is safe...so far!

I just saw some of the crate and work comments. I was easily able to housetrain my first 2 dogs on their own, even with an 8-hour work day.

With the puppy, however, she just wasn't catching on quickly. I really didn't want to crate train and I avoided it for months... but I kept doing research and everyone (experts and friends) recommended it as an easy way to train and that the dog doesn't mind it. It's actually better than other forms of training because it requires no punishment and it gives in to the dog's natural instincts.

Crate training with the puppy has been miraculous... she's not as destructive, she doesn't pee everywhere, and she's just a happier dog.

I can even go out at night sometimes and leave her out of the cage while I'm not there, and there are no messes to clean up! Hopefully in a few weeks we'll be able to eliminate the crate entirely. (The other 2 dogs have full reign of the house and backyard when I'm not home... I'd eventually like the same for the puppy)

I thought it was cruel until I tried it... dogs are den animals, and she seems perfectly happy in her crate while I'm at work. It also helps to keep her on a schedule, which dogs love.

And on a site note, crating has been wonderful for us. It helped tremendously with potty training and I'm shocked to see all of these anti-crate posts when vets and trainers suggest them. I work from home so my dog isn't in one all day, but lord knows I put my dog in one when I have to leave. He goes into his crate all day long on his own with the door open- to eat treats, to nap, just to hang out. Its his safe place. Dogs enjoy a cozy den of their own.

I also have a Boston Terrier - I adopted Rosie a year and a half ago. She's not a chewer, she's a licker. She licks her toes, her toys, the couch - especially the couch. Creating massive rings of saliva that the common observer would think was pee. I traded in my smaller, lighter-colored couch for a huge darker one and it doesn't show up as much (also helps to have switched her food, as licking apparently is allergy-related). Also, love being able to stretch out, so it's win-win!

When my labrador was a pup he had (an expensive) taste for trippen shoes. . . something about that German-made leather!Happily, he's now grown out of it. But he never stays indoors without people (workdays are the cat's 'alone time').

@ krl2876 the fridge opening thing - they figured out how to pull out the bottom drawer.

i marvel at their cleverness - but the cleanup was a pain.

cat pulled up carpet....which meant i got the cb2 c-table i'd been stalking online!! it now superbly covers up the un-carpeted portion!!

I'm home weekdays while my husband works. That's in large part why I got dogs. We put away their crates soon after their arrival since they seemed superfluous. My dogs and I are home together almost all the time. They cuddle and play with each other. They have access to our fenced garden whenever they ask, and unrestricted access to our entire home.

Even with abundant space, affection, attention, and group naps, the younger one sometimes goes away from me and chews the wrong things. Therefore, I think that another person's chewing dog isn't necessarily chewing because he's left alone during the day. Maybe dog owners can give up feeling guilty about this.

My two ferrets ruin lots of things, mostly objects rather than furniture. Delilah, the little one, plots the mischief, and Charlie (the hefty one) helps carry it out. So far they have dug holes in the box spring of my bed so they can sleep inside of it. They also completely ruined my room mate's bed by doing the same thing, then they hid all of his shoes inside of it. Luckily they are adorable so he didn't mind. They did the same thing to the bottom of my couch- I had to take the legs off and now it sits directly on the ground so they can't crawl into it.
I'm glad that's all they've done, I try to do what I can to learn their habits and prevent household damage. Now if i could just get them to use the litter box 100% of them time....

my ferrets steal things and hide them in my box spring all the time. They seem to put stuff wherever i can't reach it. It has made me become much neater :)

Now my dog on the other hand....... she shreds rugs. It's ridiculous. Bare wood floors for me!

diridi, I think to think the same, that crates are cruel. Than I learned that is not necessarily so. Greyhounds are "my" breed and they often suffer from separation anxiety - a theory has it that they accustomed to living with other greyhounds (at race tracks) or at an adoption group's kennell and solitude is not anything they are familiar with. Crate is often the only way how to prevent the dog from destryoing the entire house (believe me, I have read many stories and seen pictures). Dogs often consider the crate their special place (it is important to train the dog to associate the crate with "happy" times).
Many greyhound owners have 5 or 6 greyhounds and they live with crates indefinitely - there are even sites with instructions how to incorporate dog crates into the interior design (ok, I shudder at that idea).
Others mentioned the benefits of crating the dogs for a car ride - I only wish I could do it with my two, but my Matrix is too small for that. It would make my long distance trips much safer.

For those of you who are attributing to chewing to being stuck in a crate all day I offer the following anecdote. My parents had a yellow lab that chewed everything, especially ther electric cords of (unplugged) power tools. This dog had 7 acres of land to run around on, and other animals to keep him company (and chew on though he learned quickly the cats didn't like it)- no fences, no crate, absolute freedom. And still he chewed on everyting, until he was about 2 years old and then he just got bored with it.

Funny post, since my 2-year old pit bull just ate my couch Saturday night (I was reluctant to go out with my friends b/c I knew he was going to destroy something). But I take 100% responsiblity, since I had not walked him the 2+ miles a day that he needs. I can't wait until he's a little older and calms down a bit - since my 13-year old Staffordshire Terrier/Chow mix did the same thing when she was his age.

Also, my mom said to me, "When you have kids and pets, you can't have nice things." Although I completely disagree.

I meant to write that a dog that chews the wrong things isn't necessarily doing so because he's miserable about being home alone all day. Even if he is, from what more experienced dog owners than I write, there are ways to make a dog's, although not all dogs', life pleasant within those constraints.

2nd post, but more to say...

1) I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with PROPER crate training, for some dogs the crate becomes a gigantic security blanket. My pup is super hyper and starting to get wild with the crate training, and since I had the option, the kitchen is now his special place when I'm not home. His water, bed and toys are kept in the kitchen, and I put a baby gate across the doorway. Once he was able to move around (not that he does anything but sleep), his anxiety eased, and everyone was happier.
2) Chewing is just something dogs do. Between teething, boredom and yummy, tasty socks (and other things), it's just gonna happen.
3) Rescues are great for many reasons, a big one for some is the opportunity to find a new friend that's already housebroken and/or past the worst of the puppy stage.

When our dog was about a year old, she chewed up an out-of-print, fairly expensive collector's book of Irving Penn Platinum Prints. The only thing you can do when your dog destroys stuff is throw it out or make the best of it. So, what's left of the book is now art on my wall: For this Project, I'd Like to Thank Irving Penn and Our Book-Eating Dog Maggie

Good luck with the table. Your dog will probably grow out of it. Maggie occasionally gets into the bathroom trash can and rips up tissues, but otherwise hasn't chewed up anything in years.

Our 2 year old shepherd mix is an intermittant chewer and pillow destroyer and we have no room for a crate big enough to hold him. Lately I've started making him "treats" out of the recycle bin. Take an empty cereal box or milk carton, throw some dog food and a favorite toy in, tape it shut and leave it for him as I go to work. Then come home and vacuum up the bits of cardboard he's left for you. He gets his chewing/destroying fix and so far I haven't lost any more pillows from the sofa.

a Boston does not grow out of the chewing phase for a looooong time, sorry to inform you. a Boston Terrier is actually part rodent...didn't anyone tell you?? when i got my first Boston (Lucy), i was living in a rental where no pets were allowed. (oops!) she chewed furniture, shoes, clothing, kitchen cabinets, wood trim. you name it, she gnawed it. amazingly, i got my deposit back when i moved out. when i got my second Boston (Frank), he had the same issue, but not nearly as bad as my girl. Lucy continues to be destructive 9 years later, mainly with digging (scratching, clawing). she ruined a living room chair by digging out a huge hole in the back of it over the course of a couple of months. i totally gave up buying my Bostons any dog toys as they are completely obliterated in a matter of minutes. i might as well just throw cash at them to chew up. at 9 and almost 8, they have finally calmed down a bit, but i still don't trust them one bit while we aren't home. once they went crazy and pulled books off of a bookcase and shredded them...just for fun. since doing that, they are confined to the laundry room whenever we step foot out of the house. my dogs factor into my furniture decisions just as much as my kids do. i would love to have a leather couch, but i am afraid the dogs would ruin it in no time. so that's why we still have our vintage 1955 couch, because nothing can hurt that bad boy. i really do adore my dogs. and they adore me. i put up with their bad habits and affection for rolling around in stinky things. and they put up with my decision to have children, which effectively displaced them from their pedestals. good luck and chin up! Bostons have many fine attributes that surely outweigh the bad.

Weimaraners are terrible when it comes to destruction. Our Weim got the following items: books, a pair of new shoes, countless clothes he would get from the closet, a hard drive, a digital camera, and he ripped up linoleum as well as carpet in our home. I can thank this behavior due to separation anxiety. He's completely fine when we are around, but got to the bathroom and it's on like donkey kong!

Now that he's 3, he has calmed greatly. He still tear things up but it is usually paper or an empty bottle the boyfriend gives him. We think getting a playmate has helped him out a lot. Freya the corgi has been a little more mature in terms of being left out and not destroying things once she finally grasped the potty training idea. Together they fight and play and sleep while we are gone.

We had to crate train both dogs to potty train and for their own safety. Freya loved to chew cords when she was a pup. Cloud liked to destroy everything in site. The best part of crate training is should we go to a hotel again, we have some place to put them and not have to worry about damage to the room and they are happy to be in there! Try getting a dog who has never been in a crate to enjoy it when they become an adult.

My dog (a Corgi) has scratched my parents hand made, imported wooden couch plus their antique furniture as when his toy goes underneath he 'hi-5's' it in hope that either a)the furniture will magically return his furniture or b) we will realise and fetch it. I think its his version of 'please' personally as he has to hi-5 for treats.

He has also ripped up the lino in our kitchen., where he's contained whilst we're out, though he hasn't done that in a couple of months, he's now 2. It was a bit of a blow as we don't have a lot of spare cash to fix up our old house and the lino was relatively new and covers 3 rooms, the kitchen, launry and bathroom. Looks like I'll be paying out to fix the floor, though don't know what material is 'dog-proof' enough to escape and more attempts at demolition.

Bitter apple spray works but only on the stuff you actually spray so unless you spray every single thing that can be chewed on, it's not the best option. Training and spraying the things you know he likes to chew is the best option in my opinion.

My dog didn't really start chewing until he turned 1 year old and he's almost 2 now. He doesn't chew much anymore, but once in a while he'll just get the urge to destroy something or other. He's definitely getting better because he used to routinely destroy at least one thing every time we left the house and it's been months since he actually destroyed something now. My other dog chewed for years and destroyed 3 sets of bath mats and 2 sets of kitchen mats but eventually stopped after some serious training. I think it just depends on the dog and how much they actually like chewing and also how much you discipline them. Leaving them with toys seems to help too, assuming that they like the toy you leave.

I never ever recommend medicating dogs because it's just not natural and it leaves all kinds of toxins in their bodies which can really hurt them over time.

I know this is a post about dogs chewing, but cats chew too! At least one of my cats does. She has a love for anything wool or cashmere. I am really careful to never leave socks or sweater sitting out, but she can get into the drawers if they are open even a smidge. She chewed holes in a new cashmere wrap before I even had a chance to wear it. Most recently she chewed five holes in a cashmere shrug that I wear all the time. We haven't been able to get the bottom of "why" she chews. Since it is only one type of fabric and nothing else, I think she just really likes the smell/taste!

re: crates: Read the books by The Monks of new Skete, world famous breeders and trainers of German Shepards, and proponants of crate training.

re: pets and working. (Or pet ownership in general... ) Pets are a huge responsibility, both financially and psychologically. (Our cat recently had to have teeth cleaning which for cats requires anesthesia -- almost $500.) Do not GET a pet if you aren't up to the task. People who work can certainly have pets, just pick pets that can cope with a work schedule, and make whatever provisions are needed for the pets health (mental and physical) and well being.

re: making accomodations for pets. We have a house rabbit. (Used to have two, but one died.) After learning the hard way that wooden furniture such as dining chairs made from anything like pine would be gnawed to bits, we bought R&B Jake chairs (metal legs) and a dining table with a metal base. The rabbits seem to leave hardwood like oak alone, so far. We also got an expensive wooden gate for the archway to the home library which is also the route to the stairs to the upper floor. No rabbits allowed beyond that point, since our computers (cables are like tasty vines!) and other dangers are there.

For the cats, home decor must permit napping in odd places. Counters and tabletops can't hold little toy-like items or they will end up hidden under the sofa or down a heating register!

@SherryBin NH, Just curious--can rabbits climb stairs?

@Musicmama - is your cat part siamese or himilayan? Chewing / sucking on wool or plastic is genetic in those breeds. Our cat (part persian or bombay, we're not sure which) licks the carpet constantly. We have to give him laxotone and vaccuum lots.

when (rarely) my pug chews, he gets a little smack on the nose/mouth area, and the nyla bone is placed in front of him -- 'chew this, not that'. it's not like i'm beating him or even hitting him hard (seriously a little tap on the mouth is all it takes for him), and it seems to be working since when i first got him he chewed on EVERYTHING and now he does not.

that being said, i am kind of surprised at how many people seemingly do not discipline their dogs on this board. 'chewing phases' arent supposed to be years and years long.