Need Help with a behavior issue with my chow

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cinziao
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Need Help with a behavior issue with my chow

Post by cinziao »

My Chow is about a year and a half old… Recently she began chewing up things in my house ONLY AT NIGHT!
We take everything off the floor now before bed and last night she chewed my daughter American girl doll and a pair of glasses that were on the kitchen table. I am still scratching my head as to how she got it. She paces most of the night!!!! She also started pooping in the house at night… not every night but once a week. We got her last december and none of this happened until the 3 or 4 months ago!
She has bones and chew toys everywhere.

Heres the thing during the day she chews nothing at all, we can leave anything out… even a trash bag… she touches nothing. Only while we sleep. She was never crated and I really feel bad doing that. I will if i have to!
As for activity… she went for a 3 mile walk in the A.M yesterday… then at noon went to dog park for 45 minutes.. afternoon had a doggie play date where her and a neighbors puppy ran for a hour… then two short walks 1/2 mile. That is her activity most days, She gets plenty of Attention and excersize!!!! She is never alone for more than an hour or two. I JUST DON"T GET IT!!!!!
Any advice will be SO APPRECIATED!!!!!
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chow4life
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Re: Need Help with a behavior issue with my chow

Post by chow4life »

It sounds like she definitely is getting the exercise she needs. I'm sorry I don't have much to offer about the tearing things up at night. Boredom??? Matilda roams the house at night also, but she doesn't tear stuff up. She is mostly keeping watch of the house.The pooping issue the only thing that comes to mind is my Matilda did this once when she was at the beginning of a urinary tract infection. Wish I could have been of more help but hopefully others will post with other ideas.
Rory's Dad
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Re: Need Help with a behavior issue with my chow

Post by Rory's Dad »

Check your schedule...she is not alone for more than a couple hours...does that include nighttime? Could be a combination of separation anxiety and boredom. Is she completely excluded once the family heads off to bed?

I don't think crating her at this point is a great option. It would reduce the residual damage, but probably won't cure any underlying cause. She would probably just scratch and gnaw on the crate.

I have a chewer in my almost year old female. She is definitely looking for attention. I have watched her take normal play time (she is the rare chow that enjoys playing with a ball, and will make anything a chew toy). She will purposely push a ball under a chair or into a corner so someone has to come get it for her.

If she is separated from the family at night, consider bringing her into the area. We have an upstairs bedroom arrangement, and my male comes upstairs at night. We put a baby gate across the stairway for safety (he's not so good on the polished wood stairs). He finds his spot without fail in my daughters room protecting her from whatever night horrors might happen to appear. Mostly he crawls under the edge of her bed.

Just a thought.
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maikinda
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Re: Need Help with a behavior issue with my chow

Post by maikinda »

I would contain her in the room with me, loose if she behaves, in a crate if not. There has to be something bothering her so keep watching and try to find out what it is. Until then I would contain her because there is no way of know how much trouble she could get into. She could even hurt herself.

Laura
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cinziao
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Re: Need Help with a behavior issue with my chow

Post by cinziao »

Thanks! I think I will try to gate her upstairs. We never separate her from us… (unless my daughter has a play date over that isn't respectful to dogs then i gate her in foyer) she Begins her night sleeping on our bed, jumps off around 1 and then roams. I've had chewers in the past but they always did it day as well so I could easily correct them. She tends to chew mostly my daughters things (maybe because that is what is mostly scattered around) but she absolutely loves my daughter. she is very protective of her. When we have a sitter and our daughter goes to bed with the door shut I am told she lies across the closed door and will growl if my sitter comes near the stairs. I really want to avoid crating if I can. She has never been crated.

As for being sick, unfortunately she has an auto immune disorder...She is on Atopica. I wonder if that makes her hyper.
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