Hi All.
We have a lovely 16 month old black lab,who as you all know with labs can be very excitable,we currently have 3 gates around the house including a stair gate,these work great for a while untill Zak(our dog) somehow manages to chew away at the handle untill he finds it easy to open the gate all by himself.We purchased these gates from argos at £35 a time and obviously we dont want to keep on buying new gates every few months
Has anyone had similar problems or know of a solution please?

little monkey :)
Have you got the dog gates or child gates?  The dog gates are a lot higher so should be more difficult to open, I got mine from Pet Planet online.

I got the dog gates,but he is quite tall when he stands on his back legs
I will take a look at Pet Planet,but i think i need something that he is not able to chew at,just like he chews at everything he can get his hands/paws on

Oh dear, if they are the dog gates I don't think you are going to get anything higher then, but the fastening might be different so worth having a look.

Cant find anything on Pet planet,but thanks for your help

I got mine from Argos, There isn't really anything to chew on them?

Also got ours from Argos,and Zak has managed to chew the handle (the blue type one) away on all the gates we purchased

I have an idea that may or may not work, could you not get some plumbers piping, cut a slit along one side or cut a piece out of one side and put it over the top of the handle or along the length of the top of the gate, would make it a bit more of a faff opening it but at least it would protect the handles.  He could chew that but it's only a couple of pounds for a 2 meter length so you could replace as and when needed :-)

You obviously have a very bright, or very persistent, boy

Is it possible to get something that prevents them from chewing?  I'm imagining something like the stuff you paint on fingernails that supposedly makes them taste horrible.  I say 'supposedly' as it never worked for my daughter - the urge to chew was too strong! :)

Alternatively can you give him something more interesting to do/chew like a Kong?

A final resort would be to get a different fixing, one that can be replaced if needs be. 

Oh he has lots of toys and a kong to play and chew with,its when one of us ventures upstairs he feels the need to follow us,hence he starts chewing on the handle.His latest gag is to open the gate,then take whatever may be at the bottom of the stairs,ie shoes and then toddles off to have a good chew on them,wife not happy
Your suggestion to find a gate with a different fixing is the way i would like to go,but where could i find a gate that may work,surely someone else had this same problem?

Yep, my lurcher has mastered opening the baby gate with his mouth but lucky for me he REALLY doesn't like the bitter no chew spray from pets at home, so after spraying a bit of that on the opener he gave up for a while. He then worked out that he could shove his head under the small gap at  the bottom and lift the gate off its hinges, so we had to move the gate down so there was no gap. Not much help for you I know but you have my sympathy its a pain when they know they can do what they like! :)

I've got stair gates so my cavailier cant get up the stairs etc, but i didnt want the pressure type etc because had problems with them with our walls not being very supportive so i went for the one that works like a roller blind so when not in use rolls away and cant be seen

> Your suggestion to find a gate with a different fixing is the way i would like to go,but where could i find a gate that may work,surely someone else had this same problem?

To save money I'd imagine you'd best be creative with some diy alternatives!  Plumbers pipe, as already mentioned might work as would a luggage strap.  Whilst you look for something else to stop the gate from opening, can you hang a blanket over the whole gate for now?  Presumably you're not upstairs for hours...

It sounds like what you really need is a very reliable 'leave it' command, couple with a relaxed stay.  Have you been to training classes with him?  If you're teaching it from scratch you can start with your hand over a piece of food, say 'leave it' and each time he stops nudging, or looks at you, you can click and reward with a treat from the other hand.  If he knows this one but has 'forgotten' you can try sitting half way up the stairs whilst you reinforce it, each time he goes to mouth the gate stay a firm 'leave it' and as soon as he backs off click and chuck a treat down to him.  Patience and perseverance is the key.

If he is expected to wait whilst you are upstairs for a while, keep some treats handy and each time you catch him being calm and sensible, praise and lob a treat down to him.  If it's really difficult for him to be parted from you the issue isn't so much the chewing but his core anxiety.  What is he like if you shut him another room whilst you go out or upstairs?

Some very good suggestions there,i thank you,luggage strap he would chew,blanket he would run off with and im crap at diy,so thats 3 ideas gone,lol
He does seem anxious when left alone and this could be the reason for the chewing and perhaps more training is the way to go
Ideally i was hoping that somewhere out there there is a stair gate that is Dog/Lab/Zak proof??

this is the one I have: http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=303&pf_id=2078

Not sure if it has the same fastening as yours but is quite difficult for some people to open, so hopefully should be difficult for your dog :)

> Some very good suggestions there,i thank you,luggage strap he would chew,blanket he would run off with and im crap at diy,so thats 3 ideas gone,lol

what about booby trapping it so he gets a fright and won't do it again.  does he get upstairs at any time or is it off limits?

I remember over the years hearing people on here say they have boobytrapped the kitchen worktops with baking trays and tea towels etc so they fall down and make a big noise to stop the dog counter surfing.  could you do something similar with the stair gate.  I suppose it would depend if he is a nervous dog usually and if this would be a deterrent or totally put the fear into him.

Why not look in your local paper under the baby section for a second hand baby gate at least if you have to change it, it will not be so expensive. Just had a thought how about smearing the handle with something he dosen't like the taste of obviously making sure it will not harm him.

> Ideally i was hoping that somewhere out there there is a stair gate that is Dog/Lab/Zak proof??

I have a stairgate to keep the dog in/out of the kitchen, it has no plastic handles. I think I got it from a car-boot sale years ago, it's a very basic 'baby gate', the gate part has to be lifted up to swing open,  the bottom of the gate has prongs that slot into the metal frame that runs along the bottom (if you can understand my rubbish description!).  Completely chew-proof (well, it's had a mastiff chewing on it without causing it any damage :) ).

Car boot sales/charity shops are definately worth a shot.

> Also got ours from Argos,and Zak has managed to chew the handle (the blue type one)

It's the child gates that have the blue handle. The pet gates don't have a handle at all. They have a very small lever that sticks out from the door frame only about 1 1/2"

My is totally metal and is a standard baby gate from argos made by Lindam I think. You sort of lift it a bit to slot it in and out of the dip in the frame that keeps it in place, unless he chews through the metal he should be ok.
I agree that the roller blind sort are good to prevent opening, my sister has on and I can operate it have to get my 10year old nephew to open and shut every time I am there. He thinks its funny but then knows his Aunt is a bit odd !

Our Lindam dog gate has a blue handle

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8704346/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CGarden+and+DIY%7C12107492/c_2/2%7Ccat_12107492%7CPetcare%7C12107611.htm

We haven't had a dog chew it  but have managed to break it - I phoned Lindam and got a replacement for about £7 :-)

Will have a look at the ones without the handle though as although the dogs aren't a problem, my elderly mother struggles with it, lol! :-D

A different make of dog gate may be better.

I found this one excellent.

http://www.babysecurity.co.uk/p/394038/bettacare-pet-safety-gate-with-lockable-cat-flap-safety-sale.html

The handle on the Lindam one broke twice.  This is much better.

Here is the one without the cat flap, so cheaper, and is actually the one I have. http://www.babysecurity.co.uk/p/394035/bettacare-child-pet-safety-gate---104cm-high-75-83cm-wide.html

> Here is the one without the cat flap, so cheaper, and is actually the one I have. [url=http://www.babysecurity.co.uk/p/394035/bettacare-child-pet-safety-gate---104cm-high-75-83cm-wide.html" rel=nofollow]http://www.babysecurity.co.uk/p/394035/bettacare-child-pet-safety-gate---104cm-high-75-83cm-wide.html[/url]

I'm looking for a new gate as the handle on my Lindam one has broken and wondered how the one in the link fits on to walls?

Same as the lindam one.  It has the cups to hold the pressure things, or you just use the pressure on it's own.

As the one in the kitchen door is permanent I have had the cups screwed on for extra security, as with five 20kg dogs jumping up it is safer.

Than handle on thsi one won't break :D

Brilliant thank you! :-)

Very impressed!!

I ordered the gate on Sunday afternoon and it arrived at lunchtime so I decided to put it up on my own as I did the old one on my own. It wasn't quite as easy as the last one as I needed one extension piece and it only left me with around a cm at either side between the gate and the wall so it was quite awkward! I tried it without the extension but didn't feel it was secure enough if both dogs jumped at it at the same time. I do like the handle and 'locking' mechanism, much more substantial than the Lindam gate!