I have an 8 month old westie who's chewing is getting worse and its now causing a divide with OH. When I got him he only chewed his toys not other things. The past two months have been awful, he will put anything in his mouth that he can reach. He chewed the corner off a table my husband had made recently, and chewed a couple of jigsaw pieces which has inadvertantly got on the floor - that was the last straw for OH who couldnt finish his puzzle! All his chew toys are being ripped to pieces. He used to knaw on tripe bones for hours, now they are eated within minutes. I bought him some stuffed bones for Xmas and they worked well but the novelty has worn off now. I also tried the chewit spray but that hasnt deterred him. He is a generaly good, obedient dog but the chewing is causing a lot of problems. When he had his check up at the vets at 6 months old he had one baby tooth left - dont know if its still there or not. Will this ever stop?

Bits of jigsaw puzzles are nothing :D My younger dog chewed door frames, plasterwork, chair legs, corners of kitchen units, carpet tiles etc etc :) She had a crate which stopped a lot - but would chew whatever she could if left alone for more than a few seconds, usually when I popped to the loo. The main prevention was to play with her and do training - but obviously that wasn't possible all the time. She had plenty of things that she was allowed to chew, which she did sometimes, but other things seemed much more attractive. Fortunately, we had prepared for a chewy dog and she was kept confined to the kitchen (which we were prepared to sacrifice) unless someone could keep an eye on her ALL the time. She stopped chewing at 12 months and hasn't touched anything since. Each dog seems to vary enormously though :)

Daisy

Yes it will, be a little patient!!! i have lost 3 sofas in 12 months and you're OH thinks a jigsaw is dramatic!!!

Seriously the main problem i find is boredom levels change rapidly, with age the level increases and they need more stimulation.
They may be happy with a stuffed kong one month but the next month it is of no interest, try and vary his toys and give him some extra stimulation (Plus more exercise), he is only 8months and still very much a baby.

Hi June
I would guess that puppy's is chewing because his jaw is uncomfortable.  His jaw is growing and his teeth may not have finished coming through.  Westies are not my breed so someone who knows more about them will be able to tell you how long this is likely to last, but it doesn't go on forever - though it might feel like it at the time!   You will have to watch him like a hawk while you are in and have you considered training him to stay in a cage / crate while you are out?  Properly used, they are wonderful and can avoid a lot of strife.  Apart from causing trouble between you and your OH, there is always the risk that he could chew something that does him some harm.  I know some people really dislike them, but you could try a large raw hide chew.

Try Vick's vapour rub on the furniture. If you have got a serious chewer (which at 8 months isn't abnormal) then the easiest way to prevent things like jigsaw pieces being chewed is to make the jigsaw inaccessible to the dog! Likewise other objects that are bound to be just too tempting but are easily put out of reach of a Westie.

His mouth will still be sore with 2nd teeth still coming in, have you thought about tying some old socks together and wetting them, and put them in the freeezer till they are frozen, they love this and it will cool down his gums, Once  all the teeth are in and his mouth is no longer sore the serious chewing should stop, you should see my lounge floor scattered with toys for mine, ive got a pup here and older ones (westies). Dont bother buying squeeky toys they will have the squeek out in minutes, well mine do anyway. Wait till he tries to get the mail coming through the letter box them your OH will have something to complain about!!!! at 8 months he is still very  much a baby. Another good thing for them to chew on are roast bones, dont give pigs ears or rawhides, they can choke any breed of dog especially when they go soft and gooey they can stick in the back of the throat I know this through it happening to one of mine a long time ago so they are banned from my house now.

Hi marguerite - we all have different opinions don't we?  I don't like cooked / roast bones because they tend to splinter and the shards can be very sharp.

Roast bones can also cause bad upset tummies too. My BC puppy has frozen raw chicken wings, pigs trotters, chicken thighs etc etc not only do they cool the gums but being forzen take longer to chew as well. Nothing wrong with a nice big raw knuckle bone(with lots of the marrow removed as this can cause upsey tummies in young dogs)

Hi moonmaiden, I like the idea of a frozen bone for a teething puppy - I'll remember that.  Would need to be a big one for a RR though.

Thanks for all your advice, He does get lots of play and training, he never chews when he is on his own perversely. He does have a crate which I used a lot when he was younger but now only uses it at night or when he wants to when he is on his own in the kitchen. I guess hearing your stories it does put it into perspective because he hasnt really wreaked anything except the table lovingly hand made by OH (it had to be that one!). The jigsaw also was out of reach but the odd bit had dropped on the floor. I have given him bones, the first time it kept him occupied all day, then he lost interest with the 2nd one! I shall try varying his toys, vasoline and frozen socks!!

If he never chews when he's on his own, it may be that your (or the OH's) reaction is *why* he's doing it....  Do you make sure he gets plenty of praise and reward for appropriate behaviour, even if it's just lying quietly?

LOLOL you would be surprised my butcher gave me a pile of pigs trotters & one was like half a leg of pork :D Rjj really enjoyed it & because of the sinews etc it took ages for him to crunch up As did the huge turkey legs & back he had a couple of weeks earlier(she had cooked the crown for a party we ran for the dog club & gave me the rest for Rjj)