# How destructive is your poodle.....



## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I've *never* had a problem with my spoos chewing on things they shouldn't, the kitten yes. My dogs are allowed on the furniture, and Vegas will literally throw himself across them, no scratches or holes yet.


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

In my experience, you definitely will be able to let your pup have the run of the house eventually. But for the first year you will probably have to confine him/her to where you are so you can keep an eye on the choice of chewing (substituting an acceptable chewable for the not acceptable ones as required), or crate the pup when you're gone for short periods of time. We have leather furniture too, and I see that a dog chewed a tiny corner of the bottom of the couch but probably that was when one of my kids was supervising...they are not as vigilant as me. I remember when I was brushing Indy at around 3 months old, and she had to constantly chew! She chewed her toy, then the brush, then my hand, then her own leg, and inbetween any toys I substituted. The need to chew is constant!!!! But they get over it. So I guess the short answer is, you can still have nice things, but while the dog is young you will need to protect them


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## tokipoke (Sep 3, 2011)

Leroy was never destructive as a puppy, but then again, I never left him alone. But EVEN then, he just slept most of the time. The only things he "destroyed" were some toilet paper he fished out of the bathroom trashcan (which is now put away in cabinets), and the nozzle to my HV dryer - but this was when I was on vacation for a week (a friend housesat). He's actually going through the "destructive" phase at a year old - he likes to gut his toys now. I'm really interested to read people sharing their puppy stories because Leroy was a breeze as a pup. I'm sure this will be different if I decide to get another puppy, I can't have too much luck lol.


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

Lexi is almost 11 months old and hasn't eaten anything major. She chewed up the broom on a snowman doorstop and chewed to pieces some artificial lemons and limes. I had pulled a bowl they were in out of a closet and forgot it on the floor. It was kind of fair game. She snagged the loop of a rug she liked to lay on and once the first loop started to fluff it was fair game. Hubby fell asleep and when he woke up she was sitting in a really big pile of beige and green carpet loops. That being said, she isn't just left to wonder without being looked after. We have leather furniture in the upstairs living room and our two otoman's are pretty scratched, because they are dark it doesn't show too bad.  I have conditioned them and it helped. What I found out after the fact is I keep her nails cut very short. I take her in between grooming to have them cut because they do seem to grow fast. No more scratched furniture. I also keep a dark throw on the couch because she likes to lay there. She is put in her crate when we aren't home. Just like a toddler, she isn't left to her own.


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## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

The only things Beau has ever destroyed are paper products (covered trashcans are a must), pens and pencils, and a pair of sunglasses. He's not much of a chewer, and I can't imagine him gnawing on the furniture. He's had the run of the house since he was a year old, and is welcome on the furniture. 

*Who TP'd our house!? Beau, do you know anything about this?*









*Showing us just how smart poodles can be*


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## momofthree (Apr 9, 2011)

Wow, the replies so far are very encouraging! Thanks everyone! 

Could it be that poodles as a breed (regardless of size) are just not as destructive as some of the other breeds? 

That pic of Beau with the shredded up toilet paper gave me the warm fuzzies!  That was my Gracie's favorite thing to do when she was out of my sight for a while! And yes, I learned the value of trash cans with lids, because she liked to get into those, too!


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## Siskojan (Mar 13, 2011)

We lost a small piece off the corner of a cabinet and one small drawer knob and the edge of a carpet fringe. Disposable paper products are still a huge attraction but he has long since left books alone. I think he did for a pair of Larry's eyeglasses as well (luckily an old pair) We had to use the X-pen to block off the bookcases for quite a while. He loved the taste of bitter apple, but tiger balm not so much! Outside he was a major digger for a while but got over it soon enough.


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## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

My situation may be a bit different since Katie was 5 1/2 months when she joined us, but she's never damaged anything of ours. The only "issues" we've had so far are wet paws (our yard is a mud pit) and a little slobber on the floor from her eating dinner out of her Bob-a-Lot.

That said, she didn't have access to all the rooms in the house for about the first 6 weeks, and even now I keep a close eye on her. If she's in another room, I check on her frequently. She's still crated while we're out and during the night and I do my best to keep temptations to a minimum - no open trash cans in the kitchen or dinner placed at nose-level. 

Before getting Katie, I had heard so many horror stories about destructive dogs that I was almost considering getting a hamster or a goldfish. I think, though, that Katie's good behavior is part of her innate temperament. In almost any situation, she's amazingly calm and tolerant (except of other dogs, but we're working on that). She could be the poster child for reputable breeders.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

I had this concern too. I have lots of antiques and worried they might get damaged. I solved this by getting an older standarad. I always get adult dogs and to this day I have never had anything damaged. 

A friend put her lab in the garage for the night because of his barking. He chewed into the kitchen !


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## wickednag (Nov 30, 2011)

LEUllman said:


> The only things Beau has ever destroyed are paper products (covered trashcans are a must), pens and pencils, and a pair of sunglasses. He's not much of a chewer, and I can't imagine him gnawing on the furniture. He's had the run of the house since he was a year old, and is welcome on the furniture.
> 
> *Who TP'd our house!? Beau, do you know anything about this?*
> 
> ...


All I could do was smile!!! Thanks for a morning grin


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## Poodle Head (Sep 12, 2011)

My spoo is almost 9 months now and we've had her since she was 8 weeks. She has never really "destroyed" anything. She pulled some thread off the bottom of the couch and a small spot on the rug. She is more of a thief than anything. We can't leave things on tables/counters because she just puts her snout up and takes what she wants... we are working on it. I will say with the couch and the rug, she was very sneaky in her chewing. Both times she was laying nicely on the floor with a toy that I thought she was chewing. Meanwhile, she was pulling out the threads of the rug and couch. When I finally caught her, she quickly grabbed the toy and looked at me like "what? I was just chewing my toy, mom" It's so hard not to laugh when you are trying to dicipline sometimes....


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## sandooch (Jan 20, 2011)

Well, let's see...as a puppy Gigi almost got electricuted by chewing on my husbands laptop cord that he forgot to hang up higher (he felt awful and still apologizes to me for that). She yelped like I've never heard her yelp before. Thank God she was okay, and she has never even come close to a cord again since then.

On to other things...As a puppy, she chewed on the knobby parts of my dining room table and silverserver legs. Spraying bitter apple spray on them did nothing but make it more appetizing for her. I ended up tying shredding t-shirt strips around them and she stopped. After she was about 8-9 months old I took off the strips and she hasn't chewed on them since.

The things we have to watch out for are what is accidentally dropped on the floor or left on the coffee table. I have fished out screws, Snapple bottle caps, my husband's mouthgaurd, plaster from when we were redoing our bathroom, a penny and numerous other small objects from her mouth. 

One other scare was when she ate my daughter's dark chocolate she had left on the coffee table. It was only about an ounce, but it scared me nonetheless. I called the vet and he told me that she should be fine because it was mixed with white chocolate, which is harmless. She was okay (again, thank God).

Other things like shoes and socks have to be put away or they, too, become chew toys. 

Oh, and she broke the front of my daughter's cell new cell phone. That was a biggy.

Other than that, she's been a doll. LOL Seriously, though, she doesn't touch the Christmas tree, ornaments, decorations or gifts. That shocks me!


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## frankgrimes (Nov 28, 2011)

Ralph is not destructive, but we have not given him the opportunity to be yet! He is always supervised and when we are out he is at daycare or in his crate. He isn't too interested in checking out furniture, he will occasionally try to lick the couch but most likely because there are chip crumbs or something there. I've yet to see him try to nibble on the couch or any other furniture. The only item we actually removed from the house (stored in the basement for now) was a white shag area rug. We thought it would be too tempting for him to nibble on and or potty on (just like white grass, right?) Hahaha, once he is a little older we will bring it back out again.


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

Wow, it seems like my dogs are more destructive than any of yours! I'm beginning to wonder...their grandpa IS Piedmont's Talk Of The Devil... just kidding! They were terrible chewers for the first 6 months but now that they have their adult teeth it's gotten a lot better. Oh! Except on Sunday we left them in their crate for an hour, and SOMEONE had left his laptop on top of the crate. The dogs chewed through the quilted crate cover above their heads, dragged the laptop adaptor and phone cord into the crate through the little hole in the crate cover and chewed both to bits. And that was after a two-hour run and fetch session outside! So, there are still some issues to work through but as I tell my kids, it's our own fault if we leave our things lying around and they get chewed up.


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

p.s. wickednag, that picture is PRICELESS!


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## Marcie (Aug 2, 2011)

LEUllman said:


> The only things Beau has ever destroyed are paper products (covered trashcans are a must), pens and pencils, and a pair of sunglasses. He's not much of a chewer, and I can't imagine him gnawing on the furniture. He's had the run of the house since he was a year old, and is welcome on the furniture.
> 
> *Who TP'd our house!? Beau, do you know anything about this?*
> 
> ...


OMG! That is the cutest thing I have ever seen! He just has to be put on a commercial! What an expression! You just want to laugh and hug him!


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Our daughter's Standard, Chalumeau, has always been our "chewer" in the family. When she was a puppy, she chewed through the silk-wrapped cord of grandmother's antique crystal lamp (I wanted to get it replaced with another silk wrapped cord, but apparently no one in my little town could do it - so my grandmother's lamp, from the 40's has a white plastic cord on it! :doh She also chewed the laptop cord... That was when she was little... since then she's helped herself to countless paperback books, magazines and a $50 JC Penny giftcard that my brother-in-law gave us.

None of these incidents were Meau's fault - I blame the humans in the house (usually Meau's "mom", my daughter Katy - who doesn't always take precautions - the books have been hers and she's the one that left Meau "loose" when the gift card was on the end table...)

I can't recall any other major things that any of the other dogs (poodles or not) have chewed, damaged or destroyed. We also have a leather sofa and a leather recliner and the dogs have done nothing to them (the back claws of the cats, however, are a different story - minor, superficial scratches all, though - no holes or rips!) 

Any one of my animals is worth WAAAAY more than ALL of my furniture/carpets/etc. put together. That stuff is just STUFF and can be replaced if necessary - and before someone complains that it costs $$ to replace stuff... well, yes it does!! But this is something I was well aware of before adding the first pet to my home decades ago! Because I know and accept the risks - I am never, ever angry at the pets for anything they do!! If any of my pets damage anything, it's because *I* or my human family members were negligent in making sure it couldn't happen.

My dogs are all crate trained as puppies - they are taught what are appropriate chew toys (at 3 years old, Meau hasn't quite caught on to that part! :lol All of the animals are allowed on any reasonable piece of furniture they wish to sit on (I draw the line at the kitchen table & the dogs - the cats will lie in the sunbeam there occasionally)

My pets are members of my family - we keep them and our belongings as safe as possible without stressing over any of it... While we are out of the house or unable to be in the same room as Meau - she and one (or more) of the other dogs get to hang out in a large penned area of my living room - I have a nice lightweight ex-pen that I stretch straight out and confine a corner of the room - that's where all the best dog beds are and the girls are happy to lounge there until we're available to be with them again.

ps... JC Penny was able to recover the information on the gift card and I could still use it!! Lucky!!


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## happybooker1 (Dec 6, 2011)

*I can't see Remi chewing up much at all!!*

His mouth is about as big as my thumb--LOL!! I know ALL about destructive dogs though!! One, a Texas Blue Lacy, wasn't safe out in the house while I walked to the mailbox. And he was almost TWO!! He chewed a hole in my foyer wall, door jambs, window sills, flip-flops, any paper he could get his teeth into, counter-surfed like a fiend, dog beds, etc., etc. HE was the dog I caught once on TOP OF THE STOVE, licking grease out of a pan. All four feet on the stove. 

But if I heard suspicious chewing noises, all I had to say was "Ranger what have you got? Let me see" and he'd trot right over and let me remove whatever it was out of his mouth. In spite of it, we loved him!! We just couldn't trust him alone.


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

Mine never destroyed anything, but I managed VERY carefully when he was a pup. He was never unsupervised until about 6 months old, and every time he thought about putting his mouth on something I didn't want him to, I redirected to a legal chew or toy. He does love to chew and to eviscerate anything with filling, so I make sure he has opportunities to chew, and he is allowed to chew/eviscerate stuffed toys and his beds. Those are his, and he is very good about making the distinction between his bed and my sofa, thankfully :smile:.

Best thing is to never let the dog practice the behaviour you don't want! Better to never start a habit than have to break one. That means close supervision until the dog is trustworthy.


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## Panda (Jan 7, 2010)

Panda never chewed anything that wasn't his. His toys he destroys really quickly but I can leave anything out be it a jumper or important documents and he won't touch them. As a pup if he even attempted to mouth anything that wasn't his (only every remember one occasion) I would recommend clapping your hands loudly and saying AH!


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## minipoodlelover (Jul 25, 2011)

This thread is GREAT and very funny, too! What is it with poodles and paper products? I've had to temporarily remove the toilet paper from all my holders!


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## Kmom (Nov 18, 2011)

Kobe is five months and has not been destructive at all. Now that he walks on a leash, can do "real" walks, and play with dog friends, he stays very calm indoors. Exercise is the key. 

We have a black leather couch and haven't seen more than a few little scratches. No plans to put a cover over it. We also keep an eye on him at all times and he is crated when alone or at night.


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## momofthree (Apr 9, 2011)

I know!! It's been cute to read ( and see pics) of what everyone's fur babies get into! Scary about the lab eating it's way through the garage and into the kitchen!!! :afraid: maybe that's a lab thing? It doesn't sound like anybody's poodle does much worse than dismember squeaky toys and shred paper, which I can handle all day!!

Interesting that two of you said that the bitter apple spray wasn't a deterrent. Is there anything else out on the market for dogs that is totally safe and maybe more effective? 

I totally hear what many of you are saying about the most important thing being very vigilant supervision during the first year or so. I do that anyway with my boys, so I think that will come naturally at this stage in my life! If things get too quiet, And I can't see everyone, I know it's time to investigate!!!

Oh, and just to make sure I was clear, when I asked about giving full run of the house, I meant when we are not home....like if we went to dinner or shopping or something for 3 or 4 hours. Do you give your Spoos free access to the house, or do you have to restrict access to certain areas to make sure they don't get into stuff? I could give my Gracie free run while I was at work, and it was fine. She just perched herself on top of the couch and would nap/ look out the window....but she was an old girl when I got her, and just angelic :angel: 

Sorry to get so long winded! I'm enjoying reading your experiences!


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

Wow, I have had 3 poodles in my life, current guy included, and none of them did any damage to anything. I must have been lucky.


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## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

My tpoos and mpoos never did anything, good as gold. :angel: 

My spoos not so much.....I have to crate them when I (we) leave. :alien2:


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

I don't know why, but Bonzai has never been very interested in the furniture. I've invited her onto the bed with me exactly twice. The first time she curled into a tiny little "don't see me!" ball at the foot of the bed. The second time she stood all stiff and confused til slooooooooooowwwllyy laying down in the least relaxed pose I've ever seen. She eventually closed her eyes but remained alert and the second I started to fall asleep she jumped off the bed and curled up on her soft blankie at the side of the bed.

When she's being really rambunctious with my parent's dog Zorro, she'll occasionally leap onto the couch after him (he goes up there to escape). One look from me and she's off the couch. I prefer the floor myself, so she never gets lonely down there.

When I first got her I was reluctant to crate her at first. I gave her this huge yellow floppy duck I bought at Walgreens during Easter and she slept on that for the first month or two until I finally bought a wire crate and put the duck inside. She eventually lost her duck after a mysterious poop episode, but she still loves that kennel and puts herself to bed every night.


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

Oh! as for damages... she nipped through 2 computer keyboard cords before I wised up and bought a wireless keyboard. She also ate the pinkest, gaudiest, most glittery leash I'd ever seen. The first time she did it she ate through the handle and my boyfriend repaired it with a big hot pink leather flower with a gem in the center. Two weeks later she chewed through the entire thing, right in half. She's NEVER done this to the cheapie black slip-leads we use at work, ONLY the super pink glittery one. My boss says her reaction is proof that she has better taste in accessories than I do. mer.


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## dcyk (Nov 30, 2011)

Chewy Chewy Chewy my lil fella keeps chewing and chewing, some things he knows not to when we give a No command, some he still goes ahead and have his time, like my fingers and a tray under his crate.

Everytime i clean something with tissue, i would have to look out for him, he will zoom in from the side, and whack off a piece of tissue. Then i would have to dig it out of his mouth again.

Cloth, i have a towel over his wired crate and he loves to stand and nibble and pull the threads out. :alberteinstein: But all's said, i don't allow him in my room, so when my wife or me is in our room getting ready for work, he will go to the door and sit there quietly waiting for us to come out. Sometimes whining for me


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

Quote:

Oh, and just to make sure I was clear, when I asked about giving full run of the house, I meant when we are not home....like if we went to dinner or shopping or something for 3 or 4 hours. Do you give your Spoos free access to the house, or do you have to restrict access to certain areas to make sure they don't get into stuff? I could give my Gracie free run while I was at work, and it was fine. She just perched herself on top of the couch and would nap/ look out the window....but she was an old girl when I got her, and just angelic :angel
Lexi is always put in her crate when we leave the house for any amount of time. It is just safer for her and really she is pretty busy when we are home so that is prime nap time for her.


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## tokipoke (Sep 3, 2011)

momofthree said:


> Oh, and just to make sure I was clear, when I asked about giving full run of the house, I meant when we are not home....like if we went to dinner or shopping or something for 3 or 4 hours. Do you give your Spoos free access to the house, or do you have to restrict access to certain areas to make sure they don't get into stuff? I could give my Gracie free run while I was at work, and it was fine. She just perched herself on top of the couch and would nap/ look out the window....but she was an old girl when I got her, and just angelic :angel:


I posted my experience with letting Leroy have run of the house.... not so good times lol. http://www.poodleforum.com/5-poodle-talk/16611-trials-tribulations-freedom.html

I will probably crate him for a while longer.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

My dogs have always graduated to being trustworthy and free in the house when they are about 18 month-2 years old. Puppies will chew on the wooden legs of furniture. Bonnie did that, but since I always knew what she was up to I was able to yell at her each time. After a few attempts at a nibble on the coffee table and being yelled at, she hasn't done it since. It is the first 8/9 months that are work when training them. Bonnie has licked my husbands leather recliner, but not taken to chewing it. We scold her if she licks it, so she rarely does now. She did chew on the edges of throw pillows when younger. I make sure there are things that are okay for her to chew within reach. 

When they are little you have to treat them like a 12-18 month old child except you must have lots of chewing toys lying around. You would never let that child out of your sight and you shouldn't let a puppy out of your sight in the house, either. It's rough, but they are so darned cute it isn't that hard to do. 

My dogs have been trustworthy loose in the house by themselves when mature. Bonnie is still crated (11 months old) whenver we go somewhere. The whippet is allowed to stay out in the house.


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## mozarticus (Dec 22, 2011)

i was worried about this to but mozart has had the opportunity to eat shoes and valuables but i found by giving him lots of skqeaky toys shoes and everything else were spared :act-up:


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## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

I still crate and confine doggies when I leave, so I can be as sure as possible that they are safe and protected while I am gone.


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## Poodle Lover (Mar 24, 2008)

Compared to the previous dogs I've had, my poodles are literally angels. The only thing Romeo ever chews are his raw bones. This dog never ever ever chewed anything in our house, not even as a puppy. He was just amazing. Brandy and Bugs like to decorate the house with shredded paper products. Just to compare my previous dogs, the English Setter and the Shepherd were a nightmare. They destroyed furniture, shoes, remote controls, cordless phones, cell phones and whatever got in their way. They've taught us that a place for everything and everything in its place is a must. lol


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## Tucker57 (Nov 20, 2010)

I have to weigh in on this one!

My golden (now 8) was a big sock thief - stole, chewed and swallowed lots and, fortunately, never ended up at the vet. I started leaving him out of his crate but confined to the bedroom at about 6 months, and everything was fine for a while. Then, one day, I came home to find that he had chewed through the side of an upholstered chair. Back in the crate for a few more months! He's fine now, though.

The German Shepherd I had for a while chewed on some wood molding and the arm of my Stickley chair....my kids were amazed I didn't kill her, but it didn't bother me as much as I would have thought it would

My 18 month old standard Shamus was a perfect angel until.......

.....enter Stella who, at 8 weeks, would try to bite the walls. She would scrape her teeth on the wall just enough to break through the paint. At that point, Shamus got interested, too. Now I have holes in several of my walls down through the plaster to the wood lathe. I put packing tape over the a couple of the smaller spots, which seem to have slowed them down, but my house looks ridiculous!

Don't even talk about the TP, napkins and tissues! Stella is a fiend for all of them!

In the end, though, it can all be fixed when they get older. I've become much more philosophical in my old age!


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## Panda (Jan 7, 2010)

Oh, for a deterrent, instead of bitter apple someone told me to use tobasco. We never needed to as panda isnt a chewer but they wont chew that more than once.


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## Ladyscarletthawk (Dec 6, 2011)

My girls are kenneled when Im not home, or Im not able to supervise them.. I feel it is in their best interest as well as mine. Eve tears up TP and Fergie will run around the house.. I guess looking for me... works herself up and will have an accident. I demand that the girls stay in the same room as I am, so I can supervise. I simple ahh ahh does the trick when they try to leave the room and are also taught to lay in their beds as well. They can play if they like so long as they stay in the room but they normally choose to go lay in their beds or next to me. They see me as their pack leader and I try to be fair, and give them plenty love.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

To answer a question asked earlier: I have had many dogs in my life and my standard poodles have been the least destructive of all of them. Even my whippet chewed stuff up as a puppy. Poodles are horrified at the thought of doing something their owner wouldn't like. At least, the ones I have had are like that. They may try it, but a small scolding usually stops the behavior. They learn quickly. 

Also, get a puppy with a soft mouth if you wish to have one that isn't a big chewer. You can tell that by how firmly they hold onto a toy with tug of war. Keep them exercised, too. A bored dog is more likely to be destructive. 

I had a boxer who destroyed an entire couch. I had an Australian Shephard that dug holes so huge in the backyard they could have been wading pools. Nothing my poodles have done has even come close. They have all loved to gut stuffed toys, though. I now buy toys without stuffing.


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## dcyk (Nov 30, 2011)

Mack doesn't release in a tug of war, he would rather put his feet down and slide on the floor with me pulling him round and round than let go...hahahah


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## momofthree (Apr 9, 2011)

*Thanks! *



outwest said:


> To answer a question asked earlier: I have had many dogs in my life and my standard poodles have been the least destructive of all of them. Even my whippet chewed stuff up as a puppy. Poodles are horrified at the thought of doing something their owner wouldn't like. At least, the ones I have had are like that. They may try it, but a small scolding usually stops the behavior. They learn quickly.
> 
> Also, get a puppy with a soft mouth if you wish to have one that isn't a big chewer. You can tell that by how firmly they hold onto a toy with tug of war. Keep them exercised, too. A bored dog is more likely to be destructive.
> 
> I had a boxer who destroyed an entire couch. I had an Australian Shephard that dug holes so huge in the backyard they could have been wading pools. Nothing my poodles have done has even come close. They have all loved to gut stuffed toys, though. I now buy toys without stuffing.


Outwest, reading this just made me feel even more sure of my decision to get a poodle! I really don't believe any other breed compares :adore:


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## Anntig (Jun 9, 2010)

Interesting thread. My Shadow and mums Lula are from the same litter and it's been interesting watching them grow up together with completely different personalities, Shadow is mostly very good, with the exception of tissues he does not steal things or chew anything he knows is not his, even when teething he was content with the abundance of toys we provided.
Lula on the other hand is a trollop, she can not be left five minutes without getting into something and if there's nothing better she'll chew the carpet. anything that's within reach of her crate will get eaten, she even destroyed mums queen duvet when the divider between her crate and the foot of the bed slipped one day, we came in to find her proudly sitting on a massive pile of fluff and shredded fabric, with the final quater of the duvet sticking out the side of the crate.


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## Ladyscarletthawk (Dec 6, 2011)

outwest said:


> To answer a question asked earlier: I have had many dogs in my life and my standard poodles have been the least destructive of all of them. Even my whippet chewed stuff up as a puppy. Poodles are horrified at the thought of doing something their owner wouldn't like. At least, the ones I have had are like that. They may try it, but a small scolding usually stops the behavior. They learn quickly.
> 
> Also, get a puppy with a soft mouth if you wish to have one that isn't a big chewer. You can tell that by how firmly they hold onto a toy with tug of war. Keep them exercised, too. A bored dog is more likely to be destructive.
> 
> I had a boxer who destroyed an entire couch. I had an Australian Shephard that dug holes so huge in the backyard they could have been wading pools. Nothing my poodles have done has even come close. They have all loved to gut stuffed toys, though. I now buy toys without stuffing.


Gotta agree with you there! Most of the time a good no stops the behavior. For serious offenses a good scruff shake and they learn they really overstepped their bounds. 

For example, our trash can is a bit smaller than the bag and instead of wasting a bag we take it out of the can and set it down to fill in with few more things. You know, cleaning out the fridge or take-out trash at the end of the week. Eve's never bothered with the bag, but one day Fergie having finished her dinner decided to investigate. Well I hear rustling in the kitchen, and I catch her red handed... Her head in the bag. I scruff her(not off the ground), give her a good shake while I growl no! To this day she never bothers the trash bags.. she's not afraid but she knows she is not to mess with it. She merrily will run past it and even eat her dinner contently even if the bag is a few feet away she pays it no mind.

And yes Fergie has a soft mouth.. she never chews on anything! Not even knucle bones, etc. If she cant eat it she doesnt bother. Neither dog tears up their squeaker stuffed toys but they love squeaking the heck out of them!


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## first poodle (Jan 12, 2010)

With Ginger it's always been paper - paper anything, yesterday it was a book my daughter lent me. And she eats it, doesn't just shred it. She is very ashamed when we point it out to her but it happens when we are out and as hard as we try to put everything away every once in awhile she finds something. She tries very hard to move the desk chair in the computer room to get at the waste basket under the desk, it usually has a least a post-it to snack on!!


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

My pit that I had before these two poodles used to chew the plastic hands and feet off my sons' action figures whenever she could find one lying around, those were her favorites. But she never wrecked anything big; one time she ate an entire box of candy canes and another time, I had been thinking, gee I think her teeth need scaling. But I never had to get them done because she shredded a packet of sand paper (extra fine grit), and then her teeth were pearly white


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