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Your Dog Training Newsletter
Tuesday 2.46 Dear Fellow dog lover, It's Sharda Baker here, welcoming you to our latest D.I.Y. Dog Training Newsletter. We hope you find it both helpful and interesting.
A common problem facing many dog owners is managing the dog who is chewing everything in sight? I know I have been there! We thought we should provide some help here to those owners who have ever faced this issue. Chewing It is very common for dog puppies to chew when they are teething. The act of chewing helps their teeth break through the gums. Older dogs, generally chew if they are bored or anxious. If a dog is bored, it is because he or she (I will use the term "he" for this article if that is OK) 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. A dog may also chew if he has been left alone and not within the comfort of his own crate or private area, such as a confined room . 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 keeping your dog in a crate or separate room 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 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 may help himself to chew on anything he wants! Of course, the older dog that has never been in a crate before, may not take well to the crate. It is generally better for the puppy or the older dog who has been brought up with a crate. 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 (this is a form of 'time out'). If, on the other hand, you start to immediately 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 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!)
Preventing Chewing
There are some proactive steps you can take to help eliminate the act of chewing. These steps can be used by puppies and adult dogs.
Correcting Chewing It is your responsibility to initiate training to correct your dog’s chewing problem. Practice this training by placing some inappropriate objects on the floor, such as a book, a shoe, etc.
Once the dog starts chewing the chew toy or bone, praise him. Practice this training exercise several times a day with many different inappropriate objects. Hope you found that helpful. Will be back in a week or so with some further snippets for you.
warmly,
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