The Dog Blog

Have you ever come home to find that while you were gone, your puppy or dog has been busy chewing up your shoes, your remote control, pillows, perhaps a book you were enjoying, or God knows what? If this is happening in  your house, you will want to train him not to do that anymore.

If we think about it, it is pretty easy to understand why puppies and younger dogs can be so destructive. We should use ability to understand why a puppy is chewing to help control the damage.Just like a baby, the puppies are going through the teething process, and have a of discomfort in their teeth and gums till they outgrow this stage. Puppies and young dogs up to age 3 are definitely going to have more chewing urges than an older dog.

Dogs may just chew on something, even if they are older, just to be doing something. If your dog is bored and maybe feeling a little lonely, or perhaps just under exercised, chewing gives him something to do–just like some other dogs spend their free time digging up the yard to pass the time of day. Whatever the reason may be, it is a problem that you can solve.

Try out these tips for controlling your own puppy or dog’s chewing problems.

• The very easiest method is to dog-proof your house by keeping your pet outside in the enclosed yard-at least when you are away and can’t supervise what he’s getting into. If you would rather keep your dog inside the house, (or if he has a doggy door and can enter at will), you’ll need to be sure to keep desirable chewable items out of reach of your dog. Closing all the houses inner doors is a simple and common sense way to eliminate many of the temptations from your dog’s reach. For instance, keep your shoes and slippers in a closet with the door shut. Likewise keep your remote controls, books, cell phones, etc., out of reach by putting up on a higher shelf. Of course, be certain to keep all your foodstuff put away in the cabinets and out of reach. Obviously, if you have a big dog, you’ll need to be more careful where you leave stuff. Don’t forget, they can stand up to get at something tempting, so don’t leave anything you don’t want chewed on within easy reach.

• Give your pet a few alternative items to work out his chewing needs on.Get your pet some chew toys as a preferable alternative to your shoes. Among the various chew toys, I like the Kong best-it keeps my dogs occupied for a long time. A Kong is a chew toy kind of like an odd shaped ball  with an opening that allows you to put some peanut butter or another treat inside. Your pet will spend a lot of time trying to get  at the treat through the little hole in the Kong. Besides being a great chew toy, the Kong’s odd shape makes it bounce erratically, so it is a fun fetch toy, too. In addition to the Kong, provide him with some other chew toys, so he doesn’t get bored with just the one. If he’s chewing something like a chew toy, the chewing he’s doing is no longer a problem-instead it’s a fun way for him to spend some time.

• On the occasions when you catch your puppy chewing something he shouldn’t, stop him right away. One way to do this is to make a loud clapping sound with your hands and say “no” in a firm (but not angry) voice. This serves to get his attention. He’ll know he is doing something you don’t like. However, don’t punish your dog by hitting or yelling at him. The point is to correct him, not to scare him. Staying calm, you should go to the puppy or dog and trade him his Kong (or other chew toy) for whatever you want to save from his teeth. As he accepts the new toy in his mouth, give him lots of praise. He’ll start to get the idea that while some things are OK to chew on,  others aren’t. Your puppy has learned that praise feels good and treats taste good, so he’ll want to do things that earn him praise and a treat, rather than corrections. Just like us. Don’t punish your dog for something that happened previously-for example, he chewed up your shoe while you were at work. You should only correct your dog when you catch him in the actual act of doing something wrong. They don’t understand what you are saying of course, so punishing them hours after chewing up your shoes won’t make the right impression and will not help to stop you dog from chewing your shoes the next time he feels like it. By correcting him after he has already stopped the problem activity, you will only confuse your doggy, not help solve the problem.

I hope you found these tips useful in saving some of your household things from your puppy or dog’s busy mouth. For more advice and tips on training and problem solving for your dog please click here www.BehaveDoggy.com.

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