# Chewing up and Swallowing....



## leflerej (Jun 24, 2013)

So, I have been trying to read about other people's experiences and have not come across a solution quite yet. 

Otto loves to chew (as most V's do) and that is 100% okay for me, I love buying him toys even though I know they will get chewed up. 

However, blankets and tennis ball casings are my worst enemy right now. Otto is crate trained and I like to put a small blanket in with him to make him more comfortable. Ever since he was little (now 14 months) he has chewed sections off of his blanket and SWALLOWS it. I have NEVER caught him doing it and because of that I can't correct him, so I figure it is happening either during the day or at night when we are asleep. I think it is probably happening more during the day. 

He also likes to find the peeled off outside of tennis balls at the dog park and will chew those up and swallow them as well. Luckily, he has a nice fast metabolism and everything has been small enough to go right through him...

He chews, but these are the ONLY two things he will swallow. I would love to get him a nice crate bed or perhaps a "sleeping bag" but not if he is just going to chew it up and swallow it. 

Anyone have any advice? I have tried removing blankets all together and will introduce them a few days later, things will be fine for a few days then he is back at it. I never catch him so I don't know how to correct it...


----------



## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

Have you tried spraying the blanket with bitter apple? Dexter likes to chew on soft fabric too, but he always spits out the pieces. We put an old t-shirt in his crate with him (left over from crate training days) because otherwise he'll go after the corners of his stuffed bed. Every once in a while, the t-shirt gets left out of the crate and he discovers the fun of chewing and de-stuffing his bed. He'll only pull up the corners of the bed to chew, so we spray those every day for a week or so after he's been chewing on it and it seems to break the habit for the most part.


----------



## leflerej (Jun 24, 2013)

I didn't get the "bitter apple" brand, but i did try another brand that was supposed to be very similar and was recommended by the person at the shop. Did not have any luck, I swear I drenched that blanket ;D Perhaps bitter apple might work better? 

I also forgot to mention he has several other bones and chew toys in there with him at all times.


----------



## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Savannah slept on old bath towels while she was growing out of her chewing phase.


----------



## leflerej (Jun 24, 2013)

Yeah, I have moved onto old T-shirts for the time being. Some days it seems like half is missing, other days they go untouched. Hopefully something he grows out of. I would eventually like to get to the point where he can stay out of his crate during the day, but we still have some time before that will happen...


----------

