Puppy Damage and Home Insurance

[veronica57]

My adolescent pupply tore up the lino in my kitchen yesterday when I left her there for half an hour. Grrrr..... I know I will have to take her to training and it's me that needs trainign etc - but that's another issue/topic.
I have decided to claim from my insurance under accidental damage - haven't phoned yet because i started thinking about how much damage she has done to my house and am wondering about claiming for some of it (I have my home and contents insurance as a package with same firm and haven't claimed from them except for freezer loss in about 10 years). Anyway - this is just a few things...
- scratches and chewing from woodwork and paintwork and plaster and skirting board in the porch
- broken wires - computer to monitor, speakers, house alarm, fridge. (I have mended most of these, but very Heath Robinson), computer lead for laptop runined.
- chewed up carpet in hall
- also ruined carpets and rugs where she has pood/peed on them - despite my valiant attempts at cleaning them
- Various items of clothing ruined - mainly socks, knickersbras, but also woollen jumpers, especially where she jumps up and the wool comes loose
- Table leg chewed and chairs
- Duvet and eiderdown peed on so need cleaning or replaceing
- edges of books, folders, hundreds of pens,
etc
- charger for cordless grinding tool

It does sound a lot and it wasn't all at once - I've had her for six months. I want to get my kitchen lino replaced and would like the porch put right. Do you think it is worth claiming for these or anything else? Has anyone claimed for animal damage? I would be interested to hear from anyone (apart from advice on looking after my dog - I promise I will go to dog training - and I also assure you that I am not leaving her for hours, I only have to turn my back for few minutes and she's picked somethign up...) and what you think I should/shouldn't claim for. Thank you in advance

[penfold]

Check the t&c's on your insurance policy as I know when I was phoning around for quotes there was def a couple who stated they would not cover damage caused by pets :(

p.s.....have you tried this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GRANNICKS-BITTER-APPLE-SPRAY-TASTE-DETERRENT-236ml_W0QQitemZ190267692680QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_P et_Supplies_Dogs?hash=item190267692680&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1301|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A2|240%3A13 18
spray it on whatever the puppy is still chewing and it generally gets put off the idea quite quickly

[mutley muppet]

Sorry I can't advise about the insurance as I've never made a claim but I totally agree with Penfold about the Grannicks bitter apple spray.
It's fab stuff & I defy any dog to chew anything with Grannicks sprayed on. :N-Worthy:
Good luck!
MM x
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Grannicks-Bitter-Apple-spray-236ml-dog-taste-deterrent_W0QQitemZ260306921247QQihZ016QQcategoryZ 20751QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksi dZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

[meemo38]

I couldnt claim on our home insurance, i know this because i put a claim in on the pet insrance which did cover us, for lino in 2 rooms...kitchen and dining room, was done at different times but i put it down on the one claim, along with a claim for a buggy which had been taken out of the car and left in the dining room...our lab chewed the rubber wheels, i had to send in photos, and had to sign to say this wasnt covered on our house insurance, thats why i know it wasnt as we didnt have accidental cover.
We had laminate put back down to stop any more damage and just had to use a muzzle for a while, we didnt like it and prob used it no more than 4-5 times, she still chews on occassions now at 3 years od, but we have also caught the little 6 year old bichon chewing now and then, so she does get some help.....we just remove EVERYTHING from the room she sleeps in.
Have you thought about putting doggie in a crate???

[Tuckerpoo]

I claimed 8 tears ago with LV for my pup whi couldn't get the hang of housetraining and peed and pood on it. No problem with them. I guess it depends on your insurer. I am having probs with my new pup chewing everything as well. Apparently a Kong with food stuffed in it keeps them busy for a while:rolleyes: Gonna try the bitter thing before my whole shoe collection is destroyed:(

[Emmamed]

some insurances wont cover for pet damage or they allow 1 claim. i know some ppl have one of the cage thingys they put their dogs in, when they go out, could this be an option for you??

[pollyanna_11]

My adolescent pupply tore up the lino in my kitchen yesterday when I left her there for half an hour. Grrrr..... I know I will have to take her to training and it's me that needs trainign etc - but that's another issue/topic.
I have decided to claim from my insurance under accidental damage - haven't phoned yet because i started thinking about how much damage she has done to my house and am wondering about claiming for some of it (I have my home and contents insurance as a package with same firm and haven't claimed from them except for freezer loss in about 10 years). Anyway - this is just a few things...
- scratches and chewing from woodwork and paintwork and plaster and skirting board in the porch
- broken wires - computer to monitor, speakers, house alarm, fridge. (I have mended most of these, but very Heath Robinson), computer lead for laptop runined.
- chewed up carpet in hall
- also ruined carpets and rugs where she has pood/peed on them - despite my valiant attempts at cleaning them
- Various items of clothing ruined - mainly socks, knickersbras, but also woollen jumpers, especially where she jumps up and the wool comes loose
- Table leg chewed and chairs
- Duvet and eiderdown peed on so need cleaning or replaceing
- edges of books, folders, hundreds of pens,
etc
- charger for cordless grinding tool

It does sound a lot and it wasn't all at once - I've had her for six months. I want to get my kitchen lino replaced and would like the porch put right. Do you think it is worth claiming for these or anything else? Has anyone claimed for animal damage? I would be interested to hear from anyone (apart from advice on looking after my dog - I promise I will go to dog training - and I also assure you that I am not leaving her for hours, I only have to turn my back for few minutes and she's picked somethign up...) and what you think I should/shouldn't claim for. Thank you in advance

In the unlikely event that your insurance covers pet damage, (most insurers have this as a general exclusion for obvious reasons), you certainly couldn't claim retrospectively for all that damage. Most insurance policies again have a 30 day limit on reporting new claims, your excess would apply to each and every occurence of damage, AND your premium would go through the roof. Definately not advisable, one to live with as the joy of a puppy owner and I can speak from experience as the owner of a puppy that has eaten our kitchen table and some kitchen cupboards :rolleyes:

HTH

[Becles]

Sorry I can't help with the insurance, but the puppy needs training. I've had a few dogs over the years, and none have ever really caused much damage.

Do consider getting a crate if you are leaving the dog alone, but leave plenty of stuff for her to do in there. It's not cruel and it keeps the dog safe. In the worst case scenario, she could chew through electrical cables or eat something dangerous when you are out. I once had to make a SOS call to my Mam's neighbour at work, as I noticed her dog hanging in the venitian blind when I passed their house! Dog was fine thankfully.

If you do see her chewing something she shouldn't be, remove her from the item and say no firmly. Put the dog in the middle of the room and give her something you want her to chew (toy, sterilised bone etc) and praise the dog for chewing her own things. Repeat until the dog learns she is only allowed to chew her own stuff. If you do this every day, you should start to see some progress within a week or two.

They tend to chew out of boredom. Make sure the dog has plenty of toys and gets plenty of exercise. You can buy toys such as Kong's which you stuff with biscuits or pastes and it takes the dog ages to get the treat out. Have a look in Pets at Home as they have a massive range of toys.

[*debbie*]

We bought a Kong for our Staffie cross when he was a pup. They SAID it was indestructable. I can confirm they are not Dino-proof!! I think I ought to loan him out to dog toy companies as a destructor-challenge - anything that gets past him for a week is completely indestructable :D

Good luck with claiming / training/ having fun with your bundle of energy!

[veronica57]

thank you for your advice everyone!! I thought i would get more advice on dog training than the insurance - and I really appreciate you taking time to respond - it's great to receive responses on this site. I will try and respond to your ideas here.; I hadn't planned on claiming for everything - but maybe more than one thing - so think I might do the porch and the lino. I don't have a cage but when I am out, or doing something when i really need her out of the way, like hoovering and at bedtime, i put her in the porch, which, unlike a lot of porches, is part of the house. She does have a konk, and i do leave her with toys and chewies and the kong; the only wire in the room (porch) is the burglar alarm which she chewed through in the night, frightened the life out of herself as it went off cos the electric loss caused the battery to click in - and it is this little room that has a lot of scratchings, on walls and woodwork etc. I should have got a cage to begin with and maybe it isn't too late now. I'm needing to get a cage thing for the post as she eats that if I'm not in when postie comes. I will invest in the bitter apple stuff which sounds good. when she is with me she has loads of chewies and toys around and i do exchange these for whatever she has got hold of. I never have to pick anything off of the floor anymore!! I am on the computer now and always have to have my eye on her and here at the same time. I've just stopped her chewing the bottom of the shelf and the table legs - she has chewies too and it is at these times when I am (trying to!) look at pts, when the computer or the sound has suddenly gone off cos she has accidentally chewed through the wire - she had a hoof (which a recommend_ but had been chewing it near to the wire so it was an accident) and i had been complacent thinking she was doing really well as she was chewing the bone so voraciously!!I must have got up 5 times to check what she is chewing when writing this message now - putting my hand in her mouth to check what she's chewing. I will try the apple stuff. What's hard is i don't want to keep putting her away in her bed (the porch) but it's so hard to get on with anything - so I think getting the cage might be the best idea. Thanks again for your responses - they have made me recognise how stressful I am finding it and maybe the solution isn't that hard!!

[penfold]

Is she around 8mths old then?

I've never crate trained an older puppy so don't really know how she will take to it, but it may be worth a shot......look on ebay, you get them for really good prices or second hand in your local free ads. Start her off slowly, just in it for a 5/10 mins, loads of toys, some food, treats etc...you want to make it a place she LOVES to go!

However a crate still won't solve the problem of her chewing when she is actually with you though....that is just teenage puppy behaviour :nono:...she will 'get' it eventually, just persevere in the meantime, sounds like you are doing the right things. The bitter apple will help reinforce it as well....if she is chewing something she shouldn't she will either get pack leader (you :)) telling her off or it will taste foul..or both :eek:

Good luck!

At the moment I am tearing my hair out with a 5mth old puppy who is not picking up house training too quickly :rolleyes: so I know how frustrating it all can be :)

[closemead]

I've used a crate with all four of our dogs which we rescued at different stages/ages of puppyhood and they all loved it in fact all of them love it and you would often find all 4 in there. Put lots of toys, kongs stuffed with food and the cooked marrow bones with food inside are good and keep ours entertained for ages when we go out. As others have said they will grow out of it it can just take along time for some our Rotti was 2 when he stopped chewing but a crate takes the stress out of worrying what they will chew when your out.

[veronica57]

thank you for your responses - really appreciated and good to hear it's not just me (feeling like I'm failing as a pack leader). she is 6 months old so definitely going through adolescent phase - and she isn't consistent on the house training either. However, a success today - i was on the computer today and she kept putting the konk on my lap to get me to throw it for her - i ignored her cos i had to get on with my work. It all went quiet and i concentrated on working, which was great - I got up and looked around and there she was sitting in her bed in the porch (crate equivalent) and she left me to work for about an hour!! Fabulous - i went up to her a couple of times to give her positive feedback. Maybe she's starting to get it. whooopeee. I am looking into getting a crate.

[hidetheplastic]

We crate trained our puppy and he loved it. There are ways of doing it though so read a few internet guides to make sure you introduce it gradually and as a positive place for them to be.

When we took away our dog's crate he was 2.5 yrs, had never chewed and the following day he ate a sofa arm. Crates make them feel safe and secure.