From the desk of Sharda Baker.



Thursday, July 07, 2011



Hi and welcome everyone!

This is Sharda again with some CHEWY and interesting dog training newsletter for you.

Another popular question that I receive about dog behavior is one that involves dogs chewing too much.

This can be disastrous and dangerous (think of electric wires and cables) especially if your dog doesn't outgrow this behavior.

But don't lose hope; this is simply another BAD dog behavior that CAN be corrected with dog training, the right information and determination.

Let's start shall we?

STOP DOG CHEWING

It is very COMMON dog behavior for puppies to chew when they are teething.

Your dog chews to help their teeth break through the gums.

Your older dog chews if they are bored or anxious. If a dog is bored, it is because he has built up so much energy, but has run out of ways to exert it. So he finds something interesting to chew.

The only problem is, is that he DOESN’T KNOW what is permissible to chew UNLESS you have taught him.

So the sooner you teach him, the less likely he will chew your household items.

Also, a dog chews if he has been LEFT ALONE and NOT within the comfort of his own crate.

This is known as a “spite chewer.”

He is upset that you have left him so he will start chewing as soon as you leave. By dog training and keeping your dog in a crate when you leave your house, you are not “punishing” him, rather you are keeping him in a safe and comfortable environment.

You can place lots of fun dog chew toys in the crate to keep him occupied while you are away. If you don’t keep him in a crate while you are gone and instead let him roam about, he will help himself to chew on anything he wants!


When you return home to find that your dog is in the act of chewing something he shouldn’t be, give a sharp “no,” but DO NOT YELL.

Take the object away and ignore him for FIVE TO TEN MINUTES.

If you start to play with him or feed him, he will think he is being rewarded for the chewing. If you DON’T catch your dog in the act of chewing, don’t scold your dog, but instead IGNORE HIM. Some dog trainers recommend that you pick up the destroyed object and look at it angrily.

However, you don’t want your dog to misinterpret that as you are upset with him (even though you are!)

HOW TO STOP DOG CHEWING

There are some proactive steps you can take to help eliminate dog chewing. These steps can be used by puppies and adult dogs.

Puppy-proof – You need to puppy-proof your home. Even if your dog is older, you still need to take precautions to make potentially-destructive objects out of your dog’s reach.

Provide Toys – Make sure your dog has a plentiful selection of chew toys available to him at all times.

Provide Sounds – Instead of turning off the television or radio when you leave the house, turn them on. The extra background noise will help your dog feel more at ease.

Increase Exercise – Providing your dog with frequent exercise will help him burn off excess energy that he could otherwise use towards items in your home.


CORRECT CHEWING

It is your responsibility to initiate dog training to correct your dog’s chewing problem.

Practice dog training by placing some inappropriate objects on the floor, such as a book, a shoe, etc.

As he approaches the inappropriate object, give the “leave it” command. Take the object away and replace it with a chew toy or bone. Once the dog starts chewing the chew toy or bone, praise him. Practice this dog training exercise several times a day with many different inappropriate objects.

That’s a wrap for this issue of our newsletter.

Just continue to be calm, patient and consistent. I'm sure that you can be successful in eliminating this nasty dog behavior.

Remember that if dog chewing or other behavior issues continue to be a problem, you can always learn more from good quality dog training resources.

I hope that you have learned something from this newsletter.

All the best and take care

Warmly,