# Oral Fixation Issues



## Lillasar (Jan 14, 2010)

Does this describe the behaviour of anyone else's V? Or is it a common canine trait?

I swear that our V Graeme is orally fixated. He's drawn to the common mouthing behaviour but it goes beyond that. He will try to chew on the strangest of things for minutes at a time. He runs his mouth sideways along the carpet and wooden outdoor decking. He gnaws on wooden steps and outdoor furniture. Bones and sticks are a given but it seems like he's only happy when he's chewing on (and often destroying) something.

At one stage he had four varieties of treat ball/kongs but I came home one day to find they'd all disappeared - not buried but just gone. Someone suggested he threw them over the (six foot high!) fence while playing with them. Now we give him plastic bottles with treats in because they're a bit cheaper and harder to work out.

Anyway, just wondering if this is typical Vizsla behaviour? Is it typical of young dogs (Graeme is 13 months old)? Has anyone tried to remedy the fixation? I did try to put tabasco on the furniture legs (which he loved) and have now upgraded to Deep Heat - which seems to keep him away from them at least. It's a bit harder to Deep Heat your entire carpet though, not to mention smelly. Deep Heat is liniment for sports injuries by the way...


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

Rosie "nurses" on a blanket, has since she was a tiny puppy. She sucks on it and kneads on it rhythmically. That's more of a true oral fixation. But she also does a job on woodwork and furniture, if allowed. I wouldn't say it's constant, but it's not infrequent (cabinet knobs, wood floors, and wooden bookshelves). Also blankets, throws, upholstery. We call it "eating the house," and yes, it's pretty annoying.


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## Lisa (Feb 18, 2009)

Catan tries to suck or knead his blankets but then he gets carried away and rips them up. 
Catan has to have something in his mouth when he greets you at the door. When I get home from work he runs to the door all excited but then he'll run away and look for something to put in his mouth. He returns with his a toy (or whatever he can find) in his mouth and his but wiggling a mile a minute. If he doesn't have something in his mouth, in his excitement he'll start to put our hands in his mouth. He knows that's not allowed. I figure he gets the toy cause he knows it helps him control himself.


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