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Dog Training: How To Stop The Chewing Problem
Image by lenestrand85 from Pixabay
Do you dread coming home after leaving your dog in the house alone?
Luckily I have the tips you need to make sure destructive chewing never happens again, which is the best thing for you and your pooch.
Dog training, especially puppy training, is essential for both you and your new dog. There are loads of books and blogs to read, like this one, haha. Dog training schools are a very useful and popular way to get your dog on the right track. Dog schools are great for all aged dogs. For example, you have just bought a puppy, you have rehomed an adult dog from a rescue center, or maybe you have had your dog for years, and it has picked up a couple of bad habits.
Taking a dog to a professional is often an excellent idea for you, especially if you have never trained a dog before. It can take away the anxiety you might feel about if you are doing the thing right and if you are doing a good job. And a happy human makes a happy fur friend.
These dog schools are great for general training. However, training schools cannot give you everything you need, and you are going to have to do a bit of work yourself at home. The school can't replicate the conditions when destructive chewing occurs, usually when you leave the dog alone.
Why do dogs chew?
A puppy could be teething and chewing on the table leg your grandmother gave you helps the pup deal with the pain of those teeth breaking through their gums. We all know it helps to give a child a teething toy. So the puppy has just found its teething toy. It has no idea that the teething toy is your favorite book or a brand new socks.
Also, have you ever been around an infant? They are always putting things in their mouths, especially the things they shouldn't. They do this to test and explore. It's just the same for a puppy. They are learning about the world. It is up to you to help them explore it safely and know what they can chew on and what they can't.
Chewing isn't just confined to puppies, though, as all dogs may chew, and it could happen at any time. There are many reasons for this, and it will depend on the dog's personality. For example, it could just be bored, it has been left alone too long, maybe they get anxious when you go them, perhaps it has got scared, and it is a fear response, and weirdly perhaps they are doing it for attention.
So what can YOU do to stop your dog chewing?
Pet-friendly home
Before you bring a dog home, you must pet-proof your house. Do you have loads of trinkets on low shelves, do you have bookshelves at dog height, do you leave all your shoes on the kitchen floor, and do you go all the doors in the house open?
If you leave your favorite trainers on the kitchen floor, and you leave your dog all day in the kitchen while you are out. Then is it the dog's fault if you find those trainers in pieces all over the kitchen floor? You can't avoid all accidents, but you can make them less likely to happen.
If you don't want your dog to go upstairs or into the bathroom, then consider using baby gates for small dogs or make sure all doors are shut when you are out.
HERE ARE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHEW TOYS
EETOYS Dog Toy
Made with Safe Material – As with all nylon toys, DOGS WILL BE ABLE TO CHIP OFF SMALL PIECES AND MAKE TEETH MARKS TO THIS CHEW TOY, they may swallow chipped-off pieces and should pass safely. Proper supervision is recommended.
YoTelim Tough Dog Toys
【Natural Bamboo Material】Made with bamboo fibers, Eco-friendly food grade, a sustainable, renewable natural resource. Non-toxic, non-allergenic and safe for your dog
Nylabone Power Chew
TEXTURED RING SHAPE – Unique shape with enticing textures is easy to hold and satisfies dogs' natural urge to chew
MADE OF DURABLE NYLON – Long lasting dog chew toy
Toys
This may seem simple, but it is probably the most effective way to stop dog chewing furniture and other things they shouldn't. A range of toys is a great help. Get hard ones, rope ones, soft ones, squeaky ones. The wider the content is, the better. You can keep these in a pet toy box, and in the area of the house, the dog is allowed to play. Or you could keep a small selection of toys out at any one time, and keep rotating them, so they have new things to play with on a daily or weekly basis.
Positive reinforcement
If you catch your pooch chewing something, they shouldn't. Please give them a firm but not an aggressive command. Like "no" or "stop." So they stop chewing immediately and know that they have done wrong, but you shouldn't scare them. It is their home, too; they shouldn't be made to feel fear in their own home. It should be a safe place.
When they stop chewing, take them away from the area, offer them a toy to play with and chew, play with them a bit, and treat them. They need to be taught what they can chew and what they can't. Dogs are clever, though, so if they only get attention or treats from you when they chew something they shouldn't, then guess what? They are going to chew stuff they shouldn't.
So destructive chewing training should be a part of a happy, safe, and exciting life you are giving your dog.
Bad things do happen.
If you arrive home, and you walk in the door, and the armrest of your new couch has a dog mouth-sized hole in it. Remain calm, because your dog will run up to you and be excited to see you. DO NOT TELL THEM OFF OR PUNISH them. You have no idea why they did it, and when they did it. They could have done it hours ago, they may not realize they have done anything wrong, and they will not understand why you are telling them off. So you could end up making them more fearful and anxious, which could lead to more chewing.
Try to spot patterns of behavior and triggers. Are there certain situations that lead to chewing? What can you do to try to avoid these situations? However, some things just can't be avoided. If you have to go to work, and there is no one to leave them with, and you can't afford a dog walker. Then a possible help could be a taste deterrent like Bitter Apple. If your dog is always chewing the same table leg, then spray it with the bitter apple. It might be enough for them not to carry on chewing it. Then after a while, they may lose interest in chewing it all together.
Exercise
Sometimes the problem isn't what you are doing in the house; you are not doing outside. Are they getting an appropriate amount and type of exercise for their age and breed? This is very important and is why you should choose a dog on what they look like and how that breed suits your lifestyle and interests. If you do not like walking and want quiet time to watch the TV, do not get a Collie. They require a lot of physical and mental exercise. A greyhound doesn't necessarily want long dog walks. They might need a short walk but one where they have space to have a sprint around. Then they will spend most of the day asleep.
So keep the exercise specific to the breed generally, but do keep it interesting. Long walks, multiple short walks, slow sniff walks, dog parks, playpens, agility games, find and seek games, walking groups, and Doogie friend walks.
A happily tired dog is much less likely to chew.
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I think it is essential for people to understand that things can happen when you have a dog.
What you have to remember is they are part of your family, and you love them. Every dog lover, I know realizes this and wouldn't change their dog for the world. The love they give back to your far outweighs the odd mishap.
However, it is best for you and your dog to do sufficient training to limit these episodes.
But at the end of the day, I will take the love of my dog over a "perfect" chair leg or "perfect" dog hairless couch!
What is "perfect" is having a dog in your life.
