Dog training -

Teaching your dog

not to chew

Chewing is something that comes naturally to

every dog. Every dog

feels the instinctual need to sharpen its teeth

and hone his biting

skills. Chewing on the right things, like specially

designed chew toys

for instance, can even help the dog clean his teeth

and remove plaque.

Chewing is something that comes naturally to

every dog. Every dog

feels the instinctual need to sharpen its teeth

and hone his biting

skills. Chewing on the right things, like specially

designed chew toys

for instance, can even help the dog clean his teeth

and remove plaque.

When working with a new puppy, it is advisable to

keep the puppy in a

small, puppy proofed room for at least a few weeks.

This is important

not only to prevent chewing but to properly house

train the puppy as

well.

Older dogs should also be confined to a small area at

first. Doing this

allows the dog to slowly acquaint him or herself

to the smells and

sights of the new household.

When you set up this small, confined area, be

sure to provide the

puppy or dog with a few good quality chew toys

to keep him

entertained while you are not able to supervise

him. Of course the

dog should also be provided with a warm place to

sleep and plenty of

fresh clean water.

As the dog is slowly moved to larger and larger

portions of the home,

there may be more opportunities to chew

inappropriate items. As the

dog is given freer access to the home, it is

important to keep any

items that the dog or puppy should not chew,

things like throw rugs,

shoes, etc. up off of the floor. If you forget to

move something and

come home to find that the dog has chewed it,

resist the urge to

punish or yell at the dog. Instead, distract the

dog with one of its

favorite toys and remove the inappropriate item

from its mouth.

As the dog is slowly moved to larger and larger

portions of the home,

there may be more opportunities to chew

inappropriate items. As the

dog is given freer access to the home, it is

important to keep any

items that the dog or puppy should not chew,

things like throw rugs,

shoes, etc. up off of the floor. If you forget to

move something and

come home to find that the dog has chewed it,

resist the urge to

punish or yell at the dog. Instead, distract the

dog with one of its

favorite toys and remove the inappropriate item

from its mouth.

Teaching the dog what is appropriate to chew is

very important, not

only for the safety of your expensive furniture

and rugs, but for the

safety of the dog as well. Many dogs have chewed

through dangerous

items like extension cords and the like. This of

course can injure the

dog severely or even spark a fire.

Most dogs learn what to chew and what not to chew

fairly quickly, but

others are obviously going to be faster learners

than others. Some

dogs chew because they are bored, so providing

the dog with lots of

toys and solo activities is very important. It is

also a good idea to

schedule several play times every day, with one

taking place right

before you leave every day. If the dog is thoroughly

tired after his or

her play session, chances are he or she will sleep the

day away.

Other dogs chew to exhibit separation anxiety.

Many dogs become

very nervous when their owners leave, and some

dogs become

concerned each time that the owner may never

come back. This

stress can cause the dog to exhibit all manners

of destructive

behavior, including chewing soiling the house. If

separation anxiety is

the root of the problem, the reasons for it must be

addressed, and the

dog assured that you will return.

This is best done by scheduling several trips in

and out of the home

every day, and staggering the times of those trips in

and out. At first

the trips can be only a few minutes, with the

length slowly being

extended as the dog’s separation anxiety issues

improve.

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