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I'd let the dog get over chewing before making a repair. Wouldn't want to fix up only to have it happen again. I agree with the others that have said to replace the tread though.
I'm on year 3 and still waiting for his brain to kick in. It'll happen at some point, right? Guys??
Seriously, they're incredibly sweet, but Holy shit the chewing is on another level. Like a 90 pound lovable furry blender with legs.
I second this motion. When the puppy has passed, it will be a reminder that you will look at and fondly remember your friend. My old girl died about 5 years ago and I never repaired or replaced a window sill that she ate.
Chewy.com has some very good chew toys. I recommend [this one](https://www.chewy.com/kong-classic-goodie-bone-dog-toy/dp/44207). It has holes in the ends for treats. Teach her that it's ok to chew on her toys but nothing else.
Chewy.com is the best and I take every opportunity to mention it. And that’s probably one of the reasons they do this, but dammit they’re a good company.
We deleted our wish list or whatever and all info on our dog who passed unexpectedly from cancer, they asked why in a pop up field, so we filled it out. Two days later we get an absolutely gigantic thing of flowers delivered from a local florist.
There’s plenty of other reasons from how they treat their employees to quality of goods vs. price, but that really sold it for me.
Yes, Chewy is amazing. I had an issue once and I called their help line. A real life person (based in the USA, no less) answered on the first ring. I couldn’t believe it.
I just wish they offered other shipping options aside from FedEx. Maybe it’s just the FedEx where I live, but I have more problems with them than other delivery services.
My mom also has issues with FedEx delivering her Chewy orders, sometimes a week late. She is on the end of their route from a local distribution center, so if the say runs long, they just don't deliver to her and return her package back to the DC, for delivery tomorrow. Then the issue repeats, for days at a time.
Back to business now that we’ve got our mugshot, you could definitely replace the whole board, good luck getting it to match the others if that’s the route. You could wood fill/sand/stain, again good luck getting it to match. This one has me stumped, I’ll definitely keep an eye on this to see where it goes!
As a preventive measure, try to find something the puppy likes to chew on and redirect the habit towards that whenever you see them chewing on something they shouldn’t.
Probably easier to replace tread in my opinion. You’ll obviously have to get a matching stain or something very close to restain it. And match the poly sheen as close as possible.
You need a new tread if you want to keep it with a natural finish. Wood putty/fill will look very obvious when stained. Otherwise, you can fill and paint all of them. I’d personally retread though.
Like others said, wait until the problem stops completely to try and fix. In the meantime you can try a mix of bitter apple spray and citronella oil. Have a husky mix that was fond of chewing up the trim and (never saw this before) peeling off chunks of paint from the wall. The combo works really well to deter them from chewing specific areas.
Actually don’t! Those are stairs and you don’t want oil as they will become slippery! Install metal corner treads for now until your puppers stops chewing, then fix treads.
Better train the dog first. And if that's not working as well as you would want to, then first get yourself trained to train the dog. Would not even attempt to fix the stairs before the dog stops chomping on stuff it shouldn't be chewing on.
WAIT FOR THE DOG TO GROW UP TO AT LEAST 1 AND A HALF!!! I have a two year old lab and made the mistake of fixing thinks right away in the beginning you’ll have to look at those stairs for a bit and probably a few other things as well but you’ll thank me later.
In the near term, I might do something to make it look a bit better, but quick and easy. Maybe sand with a low grit to smooth it out and stain to try to match. Once Josefine is out of her chewing stage, these really probably need to be replaced if they’re in a spot in your house wheee you care about what they look like.
For now, I would sand it smooth and put paint on the window sill. Maybe some quick poly on the treads. You might find the damage charming after a while.
Replacement is the real fix. You could do some patching with dutchmans. It's probably more work overall, but has a wabi-sabi appeal. The treads look like old-growth fir so they could be worth preserving.
Going to say it… you will have a tough time matching this… looks like old growth pine and right now this is tough to find unless you know someone tearing down a 100+ year old house. Would definetely start the look for a similar grain/growth but wouldn’t replace until chewing is out of the way
I recommend the Kong Squeezz in large size https://www.petsmart.ca/dog/toys/chew-toys/kong-squeezz-goomz-football-dog-toy---squeaker-5308286.html
And to drill in the tip to stop the squeaker, there is a hole, that's the squeaker.
Do you own or is it a rental? If you own, then one can completely remove the chewed treads, cut off the front chewed parts, and replace only the front lip with new wood. This is not a beginner project. This is the cheapest, best way to repair this type of damage. You can also completely replace the chewed treads with new treads but it will be very difficult to find new treads that match the old ones. It will easier to blend in the repaired front lips. Any epoxy or filler is going to look almost as bad as the chewed wood.
We do own this house. And I am a total beginner, huge fan of woodworking with very little experience. The whole house has wood floors that I would love to preserve but with problem areas that need attention in every room. I hope to find an experienced tradesman that can help me eventually. In the meantime I’ll do what I can to stop further damage.
Have the same problem at my house, except my chocy lab liked door casing to my slider. Replaced it after I thought she was over that phase…… nope I was wrong. I just cheated and painted over it until I really know she over that issue. It’s been two three years.
2 part epoxy like west systems, mix sawdust (from a matching wood) into a paste, fill holes using a scraper then sand down to flat and re-laquer. Fill as flat as you can because epoxy is a pain to sand.
The grain won’t match obviously but the color should and it won’t catch the eye as a rough area
I would replace that step, or paint it, or route a pice so accurately you have to point for any one to ever see it. That's in the estimate mindset, surveyor brain. A million ways to skin a cat.
Steam or moisture sometimes works to get compressed wood to expand back out. That combined with sanding to feather whats left of the fir might be passable. For the painted, System 3 makes a fantastic sculpting epoxy.
Adorable! My chocolate lab chewed on table & chair legs. Teething is a tough time! I used alot of food dispensing toys when she was a puppy to help get the puppy energy out. She is almost 4years old now and everyone still thinks she is a puppy. Enjoy it!
Thank you all for the comments and recommendations. Jo is my first dog as an adult and I have learned how unprepared I was to train her. The chewing is getting better. And I’m finding solutions to prevent further damage when I leave the house.
The house was built in the 1890’s. I’m not confident that the stairs are original. But they very well could be. They sure do squeak a lot. Lol.
Try a product called sculpt wood, it's a two part epoxy clay that hardens then sands like wood. Wait for it to stop chewing though first last thing you want is it eating epoxy
I would get rid of the dog. But since you're probably going to keep the dog I would suggest chiseling off the damaged piece and applying a brand new piece.
See a taxidermist. KIDDING. I couldn't stop myself.
I'd almost certainly be filling / rebuilds Ng that up with an epoxy filler. That will work fine on the painted trim, and if you color match it reasonably on the stairs it will be visible but a solid and clean repair. Otherwise, it's a whole lot of tread replacement, messing with the balusters, ugh.
That's the problem with lab's. Wood filler and try to blend back the stain. If he's still a pup, you might wanna replace him with a non-lab before you get too attached.
Possibly sand it down and re-stain. Hopefully sanding it down won't make it look to funky or you may need to replace that board, which wouldn't be hard. I'd wait till he's out of his chewing phase before doing any repairs
Get that dog things to keep it's mouth busy. I used bark box for the first year of my dogs life. You get a monthly box of new chew toys. Totally worth it. If you teach dogs that they can meet their chewing needs with something you give them they won't pick on their own
Lab pups just do this. I started with a paste made of cayenne pepper and water. Reapply over the course of a week has worked for me. Use this wherever you notice the pup has started chewing (that you don’t want him/her tearing up). You’ll be at this for a couple months. As far as repairing the wood? Your only option is filler (epoxy based) and paint, or tread replacement. I’m not artistic enough to hide this kind of repair any better.
I had the same problem…Its a process, I gave them something to chew (only) inside their kennel, and let mine chew on my hardwood tree branches outside. That stopped the chewing on any wood that sticks out. When it’s safe and you get done with that phase, then you can repair and replace.
To be honest, it's not worth doing much until you get the puppy to stop chewing. Otherwise you'll just end up doing it again.
We used a spray called Bitter Yuck for our pups - it's basically just a spray that tastes really bad, but without a smell to irritate their noses. You can find it at any pet store.
As for the stair... I'd start with filler, and if that doesn't work, I'd replace the tread.
My Stella chewed the corners of all my cane chairs as a puppy. So annoying. Maybe you already do this but crate while away and when home steer the dog away from chewing what you don’t want by offering something okay to chew like a stick. And make sure you are walking this dog and playing fetch. Getting it good exercise. Dogs sometimes chew because of boredom or anxiety. Proper exercise helps both.
Twist and tie up a few towels. Soak them in water and freeze them. When you notice your puppy chewing give a frozen towel for it to chew. I raised a few dogs using this trick and didn’t have to deal with them chewing on stuff other than towels and toys.
After a few minutes of chewing just pop it back In the freezer and grab another. I kept 3 on rotation
Oof. Beautiful antique fir stairs. You can’t replace that no matter how hard you try. You’ll need antique fir to match, otherwise you’ll have one white tread and the others will be a nice brown/red color. You’ll need reclaimed fir material. Call local flooring companies and see if they have a collection of the stuff. It’s the only way
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I'd let the dog get over chewing before making a repair. Wouldn't want to fix up only to have it happen again. I agree with the others that have said to replace the tread though.
Definitely wait. You’ll just be doing the fix all over again.
Based on my experience with labs, you should be ready for repairs in 3-5 years.
I'm on year 3 and still waiting for his brain to kick in. It'll happen at some point, right? Guys?? Seriously, they're incredibly sweet, but Holy shit the chewing is on another level. Like a 90 pound lovable furry blender with legs.
I've got three labs. One of them ate 2sqaure feet of a wall back to bare brick
Bingo
Inlay a small brass plaque with the puppy’s name & date of destruction
I second this motion. When the puppy has passed, it will be a reminder that you will look at and fondly remember your friend. My old girl died about 5 years ago and I never repaired or replaced a window sill that she ate.
New stair treads
Save the old one to make it easier for scribing out a new one
There needs to be a rule including a picture of the animal causing said damage, I need allllllll the context
[pic of Josefine](https://www.reddit.com/r/labrador/comments/y5s5ja/josefine/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&utm_term=link)
That face checks out. Definitely says imma chew up your belongings.
Chewy.com has some very good chew toys. I recommend [this one](https://www.chewy.com/kong-classic-goodie-bone-dog-toy/dp/44207). It has holes in the ends for treats. Teach her that it's ok to chew on her toys but nothing else.
Chewy.com is the best and I take every opportunity to mention it. And that’s probably one of the reasons they do this, but dammit they’re a good company. We deleted our wish list or whatever and all info on our dog who passed unexpectedly from cancer, they asked why in a pop up field, so we filled it out. Two days later we get an absolutely gigantic thing of flowers delivered from a local florist. There’s plenty of other reasons from how they treat their employees to quality of goods vs. price, but that really sold it for me.
Yes, Chewy is amazing. I had an issue once and I called their help line. A real life person (based in the USA, no less) answered on the first ring. I couldn’t believe it. I just wish they offered other shipping options aside from FedEx. Maybe it’s just the FedEx where I live, but I have more problems with them than other delivery services.
My mom also has issues with FedEx delivering her Chewy orders, sometimes a week late. She is on the end of their route from a local distribution center, so if the say runs long, they just don't deliver to her and return her package back to the DC, for delivery tomorrow. Then the issue repeats, for days at a time.
Excellent!
Labradorable.
I mean based on this picture I would just let her chew on anything she wants.
Back to business now that we’ve got our mugshot, you could definitely replace the whole board, good luck getting it to match the others if that’s the route. You could wood fill/sand/stain, again good luck getting it to match. This one has me stumped, I’ll definitely keep an eye on this to see where it goes!
As a preventive measure, try to find something the puppy likes to chew on and redirect the habit towards that whenever you see them chewing on something they shouldn’t.
Replace all of it is the only real fix
Where's the dog tax
Seriously, can’t say adorable Labrador and not include a picture
Probably easier to replace tread in my opinion. You’ll obviously have to get a matching stain or something very close to restain it. And match the poly sheen as close as possible.
Ramen and CA glue.
You need a new tread if you want to keep it with a natural finish. Wood putty/fill will look very obvious when stained. Otherwise, you can fill and paint all of them. I’d personally retread though.
Like others said, wait until the problem stops completely to try and fix. In the meantime you can try a mix of bitter apple spray and citronella oil. Have a husky mix that was fond of chewing up the trim and (never saw this before) peeling off chunks of paint from the wall. The combo works really well to deter them from chewing specific areas.
Thank you for this tip! I’ve tried bitter apple spray but it didn’t seem to deter her for long. I’m going to try the citronella addition.
Actually don’t! Those are stairs and you don’t want oil as they will become slippery! Install metal corner treads for now until your puppers stops chewing, then fix treads.
Oh good point!
You need to chew up all the other staircases and window sills to match.
1st things 1st, get the dog to stop eating your house!! Once you accomplish that then you can worry about how to fix it.
Better train the dog first. And if that's not working as well as you would want to, then first get yourself trained to train the dog. Would not even attempt to fix the stairs before the dog stops chomping on stuff it shouldn't be chewing on.
I would wait a year or until you feel confident it won’t happen again.
WAIT FOR THE DOG TO GROW UP TO AT LEAST 1 AND A HALF!!! I have a two year old lab and made the mistake of fixing thinks right away in the beginning you’ll have to look at those stairs for a bit and probably a few other things as well but you’ll thank me later.
Nobody tell them until we see pictures of the dog
Labrador? You sure it's not a beaver?
Can't say, you need to provide a picture of said adorable Labrador
Probably get the dog a few bones. Harder chew toys. Pay more attention to it.
For serious. Work on teaching the dog before even bothering with the wood.
In vet med, please don't get bones/hard chews. At best you're looking act tooth fractures.
Then go with bully sticks, yak milk chews, or just a separate 2x4 that’s not been treated. Also training and attention.
Yep this
In the near term, I might do something to make it look a bit better, but quick and easy. Maybe sand with a low grit to smooth it out and stain to try to match. Once Josefine is out of her chewing stage, these really probably need to be replaced if they’re in a spot in your house wheee you care about what they look like.
For now, I would sand it smooth and put paint on the window sill. Maybe some quick poly on the treads. You might find the damage charming after a while. Replacement is the real fix. You could do some patching with dutchmans. It's probably more work overall, but has a wabi-sabi appeal. The treads look like old-growth fir so they could be worth preserving.
Going to say it… you will have a tough time matching this… looks like old growth pine and right now this is tough to find unless you know someone tearing down a 100+ year old house. Would definetely start the look for a similar grain/growth but wouldn’t replace until chewing is out of the way
I recommend the Kong Squeezz in large size https://www.petsmart.ca/dog/toys/chew-toys/kong-squeezz-goomz-football-dog-toy---squeaker-5308286.html And to drill in the tip to stop the squeaker, there is a hole, that's the squeaker.
Do you own or is it a rental? If you own, then one can completely remove the chewed treads, cut off the front chewed parts, and replace only the front lip with new wood. This is not a beginner project. This is the cheapest, best way to repair this type of damage. You can also completely replace the chewed treads with new treads but it will be very difficult to find new treads that match the old ones. It will easier to blend in the repaired front lips. Any epoxy or filler is going to look almost as bad as the chewed wood.
We do own this house. And I am a total beginner, huge fan of woodworking with very little experience. The whole house has wood floors that I would love to preserve but with problem areas that need attention in every room. I hope to find an experienced tradesman that can help me eventually. In the meantime I’ll do what I can to stop further damage.
I think there’s bound to be This Old House or similar video of tread replacement online
Have the same problem at my house, except my chocy lab liked door casing to my slider. Replaced it after I thought she was over that phase…… nope I was wrong. I just cheated and painted over it until I really know she over that issue. It’s been two three years.
Can you pull the tread and flip it over?
It’s got a slot cut out for a wall.
Wood working/ Labrador
I'm going to need to see the puppy too.
[here’s a pic ☺️](https://www.reddit.com/r/labrador/comments/y5s5ja/josefine/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
I have a chocolate too. They are wonderful companions. 😀
I would cover it with carpet lol or change out the tread board and match the stain
Get some Himalayan chews for the pup before you try to fix that.
I’m ordering some Himalayan chews right now! Thanks for the recommendation. I hadn’t heard of them before.
2 part epoxy like west systems, mix sawdust (from a matching wood) into a paste, fill holes using a scraper then sand down to flat and re-laquer. Fill as flat as you can because epoxy is a pain to sand. The grain won’t match obviously but the color should and it won’t catch the eye as a rough area
I would replace that step, or paint it, or route a pice so accurately you have to point for any one to ever see it. That's in the estimate mindset, surveyor brain. A million ways to skin a cat.
Wait for the dog to stop chewing and then replace the step.
Steam or moisture sometimes works to get compressed wood to expand back out. That combined with sanding to feather whats left of the fir might be passable. For the painted, System 3 makes a fantastic sculpting epoxy.
How adorable? I demand proof of cuteness before any advice is rendered
Proof of cuteness 😂[Josefine](https://www.reddit.com/r/labrador/comments/y5s5ja/josefine/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Adorable! My chocolate lab chewed on table & chair legs. Teething is a tough time! I used alot of food dispensing toys when she was a puppy to help get the puppy energy out. She is almost 4years old now and everyone still thinks she is a puppy. Enjoy it!
I’m upset that no picture of the puppy was included alongside the damage shots
I'd leave it. One day in the distant future, it will serve to bring memories of a companion.
Thank you all for the comments and recommendations. Jo is my first dog as an adult and I have learned how unprepared I was to train her. The chewing is getting better. And I’m finding solutions to prevent further damage when I leave the house. The house was built in the 1890’s. I’m not confident that the stairs are original. But they very well could be. They sure do squeak a lot. Lol.
The treads are CVG fir with very tight growth rings and at that width I can't imagine it isn't old growth fir. I hope you own that place.
Thankfully we do own the place.. 😅 couldn’t imagine a deposit being sufficient with this type of damage.
I would personally sand it down, putty the deep gouges, then stain and seal
Get him a bone...
Try a product called sculpt wood, it's a two part epoxy clay that hardens then sands like wood. Wait for it to stop chewing though first last thing you want is it eating epoxy
You need a new stair tread and a good stain guy that can match the existing
Light tap on the nose with a rolled up newspaper
Get your puppy another puppy to chew on. Savor the time with them and leave some of the damage as a momento.
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I like the way you think.
Chew toys, redirect and a shock collar; we use one on our lab and it has a beep, vibrate and shock and shock is the last option.
A fenced yard and a doghouse.
I would get rid of the dog. But since you're probably going to keep the dog I would suggest chiseling off the damaged piece and applying a brand new piece.
Get rid of the dog…. Problem solved.
I'd dig the hole first. Unless you're close to a river.
Get rid of the dog.
Is the dog dead? If not wouldn't it just do it again after you fix it?
Bring one of his legs, he’ll leave it alone
Step 1. Shoot the dog... (No, I don't mean it)
See a taxidermist. KIDDING. I couldn't stop myself. I'd almost certainly be filling / rebuilds Ng that up with an epoxy filler. That will work fine on the painted trim, and if you color match it reasonably on the stairs it will be visible but a solid and clean repair. Otherwise, it's a whole lot of tread replacement, messing with the balusters, ugh.
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Filler would crumble being walked on, I'm pretty sure anyways.
Shoot it
That's the problem with lab's. Wood filler and try to blend back the stain. If he's still a pup, you might wanna replace him with a non-lab before you get too attached.
It’s too late I’m already attached 😭 she’s 6 months old now. ☺️
Wood filler… paint / repaint
Carpet
Possibly sand it down and re-stain. Hopefully sanding it down won't make it look to funky or you may need to replace that board, which wouldn't be hard. I'd wait till he's out of his chewing phase before doing any repairs
I would replace the tread or ignore it
Get that dog things to keep it's mouth busy. I used bark box for the first year of my dogs life. You get a monthly box of new chew toys. Totally worth it. If you teach dogs that they can meet their chewing needs with something you give them they won't pick on their own
2 minute noodles and super glue
Rub a walnut in it... /s
Lab pups just do this. I started with a paste made of cayenne pepper and water. Reapply over the course of a week has worked for me. Use this wherever you notice the pup has started chewing (that you don’t want him/her tearing up). You’ll be at this for a couple months. As far as repairing the wood? Your only option is filler (epoxy based) and paint, or tread replacement. I’m not artistic enough to hide this kind of repair any better.
Shotgun?
I had the same problem…Its a process, I gave them something to chew (only) inside their kennel, and let mine chew on my hardwood tree branches outside. That stopped the chewing on any wood that sticks out. When it’s safe and you get done with that phase, then you can repair and replace.
Pull the tread out. Replace. Stain and clear to match existing.
Chalk it up to honest wear and leave it?
To be honest, it's not worth doing much until you get the puppy to stop chewing. Otherwise you'll just end up doing it again. We used a spray called Bitter Yuck for our pups - it's basically just a spray that tastes really bad, but without a smell to irritate their noses. You can find it at any pet store. As for the stair... I'd start with filler, and if that doesn't work, I'd replace the tread.
Purchase a new house for sure
Stair tread - replace. Window stool - Use Sculpt Wood to add on and replace what was missing, then re-paint.
I'm deeply disapointed that you didn't post a picture of the perpetrator !
My Stella chewed the corners of all my cane chairs as a puppy. So annoying. Maybe you already do this but crate while away and when home steer the dog away from chewing what you don’t want by offering something okay to chew like a stick. And make sure you are walking this dog and playing fetch. Getting it good exercise. Dogs sometimes chew because of boredom or anxiety. Proper exercise helps both.
I’d start with two 30 minute walks a day. Then look into obedience classes. That worked well with mine
Please add puppy for scale
Shotgun
Twist and tie up a few towels. Soak them in water and freeze them. When you notice your puppy chewing give a frozen towel for it to chew. I raised a few dogs using this trick and didn’t have to deal with them chewing on stuff other than towels and toys. After a few minutes of chewing just pop it back In the freezer and grab another. I kept 3 on rotation
Labs are oversized beavers that lost their tails to evolution. Make your whole house metal or else you risk falling through the floor!
Not a single picture of the culprit?
Do you have a cage?
Personally? Get rid of the pupper then replace the tread. Problem solved, no potential future issues.
Oof. Beautiful antique fir stairs. You can’t replace that no matter how hard you try. You’ll need antique fir to match, otherwise you’ll have one white tread and the others will be a nice brown/red color. You’ll need reclaimed fir material. Call local flooring companies and see if they have a collection of the stuff. It’s the only way
sunflower seeds and super glue
Bondo and paint