Stop Dogs From Chewing – Three Simple Steps

Are you tired of your dog chewing and destroying things he is not supposed to chew? It is difficult to stop dogs from chewing completely because they are born with a natural instinct to chew. But it is possible to train dogs not to chew on things you don’t want them to chew. It will take some trial and error to discover what works for your dog because each dog is unique just like people. You do need to train your dogs chewing behaviors instead of hoping they will outgrow it.

The First Step: Dogs Chewing Is Not a Problem.

The problem is your dog does not know the difference between his stuff and your stuff. Chewing is healthy for dogs. Puppies need to chew to explore their new world, to discover new smells and textures. Puppies also need to chew starting around the age of four months to help them get rid of their baby teeth and get their new teeth to come in. Chewing also helps dogs to have stronger and healthier teeth. Chewing helps dogs get rid of excess energy when they are not getting enough exercise.

Chewing also causes a dogs system to release endorphins. You may have heard of a runner’s high, this is caused when a runner’s body releases endorphins. This works in dogs just as it does in humans, making them feel good and getting rid of stress. There are many other reasons, but you get the idea.

Second Step: Don’t Punish Your Dog for Chewing.

Punishing a dog for chewing something of yours is not going to help the situation, but will in fact make things worse. Unless you catch him in the act he has no idea why you’re punishing him. Your dog won’t chew the item in your presence but will continue to chew it when you’re not around. Punishing your dog will only cause him to fear you.

Think about the things you give him to chew on. For example you don’t want to give him an old shoe or flip-flop, because he won’t understand the difference between your old ones and your good ones. If you play tug-of-war with that old rag what you think he will do with a curtain blowing in the breeze. You also need to be careful about the things you leave lying around. Puppy proof or dog proof your home.

Step Three: Proper Dog Training.

Dogs and puppies want to please their owners, so the type of training that they respond well to is praise. When your dog or puppy picks up something they are not allowed to chew on use the command “drop that” or “no”. then offer him something he is allowed to chew on and praise him.

This is just some of the information you need to be successful at getting your dogs chewing under control. Each dog has their own personalities and behavior problems. So you will need to investigate additional techniques and training advice to have a well behaved dog.

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