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General Site Info => General Discussion => Topic started by: 75 C20 on July 10, 2008, 08:31:34 pm

Title: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: 75 C20 on July 10, 2008, 08:31:34 pm
My dog- 8 month old Australian Shepard has took to chewing wiring harnesses. Does anybody have a good way- something to put on it or something ??? to keep him from finding wires and chewing the heck outta them. The other day he chewed off mine on my 79 right by the bumper and did the same thing to my parents s10 and my brothers WT pickup and im getting tired of splicing wires....
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: werewolfx13 on July 10, 2008, 09:00:59 pm
cayenne pepper paste. Wear gloves when making and applying it. 1/2 cup of pepper, 1/4 cup water..If you want it to stay for a few days through rain and such, mix in a little petroleum jelly and use a little less water.

Other solution, spy on him..if he starts chewing on some wires, run out, catch him, show the chewed spots to him and start yelling and screaming and sounding very big, bad, and angry, and give him a solid smack on the head. If he does it again, repeat..after 2-3 times, if he still does it, you've got either a dumb dog, or a dog with a dominance problem..

Final solution that I can offer is a huge pain in the bum..cut a LOT of pieces of 1/2" or 3/4" metal conduit 3/4" long, and feed them over the wires in each direction before you splice, let them drop over your splice and tape it all up. Or, if you can find it, some 3/4" greenfield works nicely as well..
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: 75 C20 on July 10, 2008, 09:12:50 pm

show the chewed spots to him and start yelling and screaming and sounding very big, bad, and angry, and give him a solid smack on the head.

yeah- :P don't think for a minute that he doesnt get it when i find out about it- but i feel i can only do so much cuz i never catch him in the act so all i can do is take him over to it and get mad- i think he understands a lil bit
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: VileZambonie on July 10, 2008, 09:53:50 pm
I'm confused. Your dog opens the hood, takes the wires out of the split loom and chews the wires? He's my hero!
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: Lt.Del on July 11, 2008, 05:30:12 am
The squirrels around here have attacked my truck twice now.  They made me so mad, I trapped 32 of them in my back yard over the course of a month or so and took them to the other side of town.
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: frogman68 on July 11, 2008, 06:04:12 am
Teach how to fix what he breaks he wont do it again :)
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: 75 C20 on July 11, 2008, 01:09:46 pm
I'm confused. Your dog opens the hood, ? He's my hero!

well he does about 2/3 of that-he can take the wires out of the split loom and chew the wires. i dont eant him to kno theres wires underneat the hood- hes doing enough damage under the truck bed. >:(
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: VileZambonie on July 11, 2008, 01:22:13 pm
Just keep the wires secured in the loom good and keep him away, or get him a new chew toy. He's at that age where chewing is all they can do to make their new teeth feel better. Don't pepper anything, that's just cruel.

Try securing the harness good with these
(http://www.wiringproducts.com/contents/media/l_clamps.jpg)
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: Bitzer! on July 11, 2008, 02:48:57 pm

best deterent is if you catch him in the act use a high powered water pistol (from a distance) and shoot his sausage roll. He'll soon get fed up
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: choptop on July 11, 2008, 08:35:55 pm

best deterent is if you catch him in the act use a high powered water pistol (from a distance) and shoot his sausage roll. He'll soon get fed up

Sorry, not much help, but Bitzer! I have been laughing for the last 5 minutes over your comment.LOL "sausage roll" hahahahahaha
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: Bitzer! on July 12, 2008, 04:59:54 pm

Glad one of my terms made ya chuckle. Sometimes its easier to use that especially when kids are about!!
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: werewolfx13 on July 13, 2008, 08:07:43 pm
The idea of the pepper is as a deterrent..its a POTENT smell that should encourage him to look elsewhere for something to chew on..how is that even remotely cruel?
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: VileZambonie on July 13, 2008, 08:12:58 pm
Becuase if the dog gets it in his mouth or his eye it will burn and make him become sick. You as his guardian allowing that to happen is cruel... Hey your kid cries unless you put a pssifier in his mouth. Lace it with pepper and see if he still wants that pacifier. Same thing. There are much better ways of handling the situation and anyone who intentionally inflicts pain onto a dog better not come within nose breaking distance of me.  >:(
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: werewolfx13 on July 13, 2008, 08:48:04 pm
Thats an ***AWFULLY*** big if...EVERY dog I've ever seen, including the 3 I've had in my life, could smell pepper from several feet away, and would avoid that area til it had faded out/washed away. Even my husky, who had burned her sense of smell out when she was a pup, could smell red pepper from several feet away and would avoid the area..I say again, how is that even REMOTELY intentionally inflicting pain?
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: VileZambonie on July 13, 2008, 08:53:34 pm
Are you clueless? If you even potentially allow an animal or human or anything to come into contact with something that could potentially harm them fully knowing what it could do you are irresponsible and foolish. You are assuming an 8 month old dog knows better to stay away because it's pepper. You've had 3 dogs yet would allow them to be in harms way...pretty sad
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: choptop on July 13, 2008, 08:59:05 pm
Dogs tastes are different than ours. Pepper doesn't seem to affect them the way it does us. That is unless you use a habenero or similar pepper. That is cruel. Believe it or not, black pepper is a deterent, and doesn't do anything other than make them dislike it. Red peppers are an irritant, and won't do any more for the situation.I had a bulldog that ate jalepeno's out of the garden, and didn't seem to mind them, but he didn't like the chili peppers. If black pepper is used, it is only a small amount, and I do mean small. If it is going to work, a little is enough.Try using just vasaline first. Their senses are more sensitive than ours. I agree with Vile, there is no need ever to do major harm to any pet. If it comes to that, find him a new home.
   Most people don't realize that the insulation on wiring consists of peanut oils and this is what attracts the varmits to them. You either want to mask the odor ( of which you and I can't smell) or the tast. Simple coating the area with vasiline or dish soap and letting it dry, has worked in the past for me. They don't like the greasy taste, the smell is masked, and they learn not that they don't like that anymore. Keep the vasaline in modreration, as thin film is enough. It won't hurt them in miniscule amounts, and is far better than having a stomach full of wire. The insulation will pass.
     Also, keep them plenty of rawhide chews around. I went through alot of them, just to keep my dog from chewing wires. Yes, the first one will probably be eaten fast, but as long as they have one of those, they are less likely to chew wires. And they are alot cheaper than rewiring the truck, or a vet trip. Key thing is not to get violent with them. As you stated, once you found out what happened, it was to late to do much about it. They have already forgotten what they did, and just see you as a person who hurts them. If you can catch him, and swat with a newspaper ( lots of noise, no pain) and a good scolding is usually sfficient. Be patient, the type of dog you have is very intelligent, if you damage his learning ability now, he will respond to training out of fear, not respect. Dogs who respond out of fear, or the same ones who turn on people or attack kids. I have raised several pit bulldogs, the first ones parent where fighters, I rescued him as a put from the psycho owners. Not one was ever agressive to me or anyone else. My 3 year old cousin used to climb all over him , and he acted like he loved it. If my cousin hurt him, he'd get up, move away, and then go right back to playing with him. It's not the dogs that are troublr, it's the owners training. Remember, earn his respect, they are like people in alot more ways than we think. Sorry so long, but this is a critcal point in his learning future.
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: werewolfx13 on July 13, 2008, 09:07:27 pm
None of my dogs have had a chewing problem, because I've supplied them with an ample number of chew toys, and they've preferred those..but yes, if I had been buying chew toys for them of various types and they were ignoring them and chewing the wires instead, I would use it as a repellent. Whether the dog knows its pepper or not is irrelevant, it knows it smells strong and unpleasant..My german shepherd I have now avoids my spearmint patch because she doesn't like the strong smell. She loves the minty chew bones, and has been known to raid the leaves when I've laid them out to dry, so she doesn't dislike mint..its obvious that the POTENCY of the smell is a deterrent.

As a side note, my shepherd loves old black pepper..especially the stuff that sits in an open shaker for a few years..cayenne pepper she doesn't like, and she won't come near anything with a STRONG smell that even triggers our senses as being strong.
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: VileZambonie on July 13, 2008, 09:12:32 pm
Pepper can obviously be a painful experience for a dog. Just use common sense.
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: choptop on July 13, 2008, 09:33:24 pm
Pepper can obviously be a painful experience for a dog. Just use common sense.
+1 A dog is a life, and life should not be painful.Even if he has to be tied up away from the source. It is far better you having to cause him pain ( which I don't believe you want) and him causing himself pain by ingesting the wires. Either way is not fun for either party. Tie him up,or relocate the truck, and give him plenty of rawhides to chew on. After a while, you can let'em loose, and he'll be used to chewing the rawhides, and like them alot better. Like I said, you want him trained out of respect, because he wants to, not fear because he has to. I trained horses when I was younger, and all it took was one time when the owner got impatient and lashed out at the horse, and we were set back several months of training. Patience and care is what it is gonna take. You respect him, and he'll respect you.Good luck
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: cracker0169 on July 16, 2008, 05:00:11 pm
When my lab was a puppy, he had a bad problem of chewing wires too. He unplugged things from walls and chewed the plugs and wires. Rawhide bones are about the only things that "slowed" his chewing habits. He is 2 1/2 now and is about out of the chewing (knock on wood). I would beat (used loosely of course) him and it didnt work.

They just get bored. They need some type of a hobby. Try knitting or internet sufing. Since I taught my dog that, he has made me 2 sweaters and a throw(sweaters were missing buttons where he chewed them off though... needed a snack I guess)
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: DnStClr on July 16, 2008, 11:30:21 pm
I just buried my dog today. 17 yr old hugger and kisser. What a great little guy he was. I'd give anything to have him back to chew on a couple of wires so I could yell at him and get a kiss as a reward for my yelling....
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: VileZambonie on July 17, 2008, 05:13:37 am
Sorry to hear about your dog Don. I would die if anything happened to mine.
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: choptop on July 17, 2008, 07:19:48 am
Sorry to hear about your dog Don. I would die if anything happened to mine.

+1, had my yellow lab aloost 18 years, got her when I was 7. It is really rough to loose a best friend like that. Hang in there
Title: Re: Dog Chewing wires....
Post by: Lt.Del on July 17, 2008, 02:36:25 pm
Sorry Don.  They are a member of the family.  My Golden Retriever is my son's older brother.  The dog was 2 years old when my son was born. I figure my son would be about 10 or 12 years old when my dog (hm, his dog) goes.  That will be a sad time.

Not every dog has their own website, huh?  Bailey's Website (http://www.delbridge.net/bailey)