Dog Training Basics

Posts Tagged ‘dog chewing’

The act of chewing seems to be a matter of individual preference among dogs: some have an innate desire to chew as a pleasurable activity in itself, and some seem to have no need to chew whatsoever unless they’re driven to it out of sheer boredom.

The phrase “destructive chewing” may sound redundant, because – by its very nature! – all chewing can tear things up. With a mouthfull of sharp, pointy teeth: just about everything will show the effects of her chewing. To be clear when I use the phrase “destructive chewing” I am referring to chewing your possessions and house items instead of hers.

The three main reasons why dogs chew:

– All dogs have a natural desire to chew. And really it’s fun and passes time a self-rewarding, self-reinforcing activity.)

Chewing is an outlet for a nervous bored or lonely dog. To a dog the repetitive act of chewing is soothing just like we eat comfort food.

If dogs are not exercised to burn up their excess energy they often turn to chewing to give themselves something to do.

– How to prevent destructive chewing -

Dogs can learn not to chew your things – you just need to work at it.

1. Take control and manage your own possessions. Your first step should be to dog-proof your home. Even if you have the best-behaved dog in the world, there’s still no reason to test her self-control – after all, dogs explore the world with their mouths.

Dog-proofing your home means taking whatever you don’t want to end up in her mouth, and making it unavailable. Consider how tall she is and her agility when deciding whether something’s out of reach:? Can she climb, or leap onto something else to reach the desired object? When standing on her back legs how tall is she?

Common targets in the home include books, eyewear, clothing, shoes, garbage, and small crunchy appliances like cameras, cell phones, and remote controls.

It should go without saying that all food needs to be put securely away: don’t leave snacks on low tables (or even countertops – you’d be surprised how acrobatic she can be when there’s food at stake!), put all food into containers or the pantry. Make sure you scrape out plates and rinse them before leaving them by the sink.

2. Prevent her from learning the joys of illegal chewing. The more times she manages to snatch a jaw full of a forbidden substance – a chair-leg, a pillow, a running shoe – the more readily she’ll target those items in future. If you can prevent her from chewing your stuff in the first place, it’s a lot easier for her to understand what you expect of her. Practically speaking, this means confining her in a dog-proofed area until you’re confident of her understanding of the house rules.

3. Don’t set her up for failure by blurring the boundaries between her stuff (OK to chew) and your stuff (not OK to chew). If she has gotten caught with household articles then don’t give her similiar castoffs to play with, there is no way she would know the difference.

4. Give her lots of different, good tasting alternatives to your things. If she doesn’t have anything to play with, you can hardly blame her for targeting your possessions. Just think, most dogs need to chew; especially if she’s an adolescent or a puppy. Pick up several toys and chews and give her more than one at a time. Rotating the available toys every few days will keep things novel and interesting for her.

5. Spend a lot of time in one on one supervision. Yes, it might be easier for you to just keep her penned up in her crate, run, or the yard – but that’s boring and horrible for her, and hardly much fun for you either (if you wanted a pet that you don’t need to interact with, you’d have got a goldfish, right?) She can’t learn what you expect of her if she’s spending all her time boxed up in the dog-proof zone: she needs the opportunity to explore the boundaries of your expectations, so she can understand what’s appropriate and what’s not.

6. Make a loud noise like clapping your hand or make an “Ah-ah-aaaah” when you catch her chewing something you don’t want her to chew!” noise. Then, immediately hand her a tasty and dog-appropriate alternative (a rawhide bone or other chew toy); as soon as her jaws close around it, praise her lavishly. There is no better way to get your dog to understand that chewing “her” toys equals praise from you, but everything else equals trouble.

– Keep a productive attitude-

If nothing else, keep your expectation realistic. Neither you or your dog are perfect and there will be a good chance she will tear up something you cherishe.

Particularly in the early stages of your relationship, she’s still learning the ropes: it’ll take awhile before she’s completely reliable (and even then, if she’s left by herself for too long or feels neglected, she may choose your stuff over hers to occupy her time and jaws with.) Remember to give her time to learn the rules, and plenty of ‘you-time’ to help her learn faster – and don’t forget to take precautions and keep things out of reach until she’s got the hang of the chewing rules!

For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like chewing), check out Secrets to Dog Training. A complete manual to fast-track your dog’s learning.

When you first bring home your sweet little puppy you never think that one day it could be a dog that is one mistake away from being sent off. It is not a single occurrence that creates aggressive dogs. Dogs are not born to automatically be mean or a threat to people. Abusiveness or poor ownership towards dogs usually leads to aggressive behavior. If you adopted your dog as an adult you will need to be particularly cautious and be sure that your dog has proper dog obedience training.

Showing your dog that you are the alpha and it is the beta is important to making housebreaking easy. Dog and puppy training are important for more things than just making sure that your dog no longer chews on your shoes. You must ensure that you do not let your dog turn into one of the multitude of aggressive dogs loose in the world. When a dog gets into dog biting or dog growling, a lot of terrible outcomes may occur. Neither one of those situations is a result from proper dog training.

The Terrible Aftermath Left From Aggressive Dogs

* May cause injuries to family, friends, or neighbors
* Emotional damage to youngsters
* Damaged personal property
* Previous situations that create lawsuits
* Being one of the many aggressive dogs that are put to sleep each year

If you truly love and care for your pet it is time that you step up and make sure that the animal you love so much does not join the ranks of aggressive dogs. You should seek outside help from a professional if you feel that you are unable to fix and control the problem on your own. With aggressive dogs, it can be wise to find a professional dog trainer who is specially trained in this area.

It’s advisable to do as much reading and research as you can on aggressive dogs. Learn that hitting a dog is not the way to train it. Violence only leads to violence, so be sure you aren’t contributing to the creation of aggressive dogs. The videos and books available might give you some success, however, in order to solve this problem, or preventing it from even starting, an expert can be invaluable.

Bringing In The Extra Help

It doesn’t matter if the trainer is free or if you have paid for their services, you must recognize that nothing is more important than understanding that you are responsible for your pet and its behavior. Owners are always held accountable for the actions of their aggressive dogs so make sure that you are never going to be faced with legal or moral consequences.

If you have a dog that has not yet experienced signs of becoming one of the many aggressive dogs out there then you have a little time. But if your dog shows any sign of aggressive play or destructiveness, you must not waste any time.

Now that you have brought your new dog home it is time to start the housebreaking. One that can only lead to confusion for the dog later on is giving your new dog a little time to get to know the family and the house before laying down the law. Truthfully, you cannot expect a dog who has been allowed to have full run of the house to suddenly accept new rules and adapt quickly to housebreaking.

It Is Never Too Late

If you have already allowed your dog to run free without rules you can still correct the situation. It is never too late to start dog training your puppy, unlike the common belief out there. Whether your puppy is young or old you can still include housebreaking into his/her daily routine. Whether your problem is dog chewing, dog biting or dog growling, you need to focus on the unwanted behavior that is your highest concern. After housebreaking them on the first behavior, then you can move on to the next.

In order to make sure that your pet never becomes one of those aggressive dogs you always hear about on the news, you have to start housebreaking as soon as possible. If the largest problem that you have at this time is potty training, then make that your first item to work on.

Tips for Housebreaking Your Dog

* Restrict food and water to the appropriate meal times
* In the event that you are utilizing pee pads, choose a single spot and make sure to place the pads only there
* You should praise your pet when it displays good behavior
* Don’t hit the dog if he misses the pee pad
* After fifteen or twenty minutes of giving the puppy something to eat or drink, it needs to be taken to the pee pad

A lot of people leave water and food out for their dog all day long. Puppies should not be expected to hold their bladder the way that older dogs can. Even if they really wanted to, younger puppies just are not able to hold their bladder until they become a bit older. This will cause more accidents in the house that are not the fault of the puppy. So leaving food and water out all of the time is counterproductive to your goals in housebreaking.

If the puppy goes to the bathroom in some other place in the house, the pee pad should be put there. At this stage, housebreaking is just acclimating the puppy to the pad with respect to going to the bathroom. Once your pet is used to this, you may progress the housebreaking by moving the ‘pee pad’ a small distance every day until it is eventually located where you want it.

Even though housebreaking can take a long time, it is very important. You certainly do not want your puppy or dog going to the bathroom everywhere. You also want to make the housebreaking process as easy as possible for your dog so it does not become discouraged. House puppy training is very important.  If you need help doing this, you should seek it. Just know that housebreaking takes time, no matter who is in charge of doing it.

Do you have a dog chewing problem ? A dog that loves to chew on anything he sees interesting and you can’t seem to figure out why he has this kind of passion? Did you ever come home from work and found your newest pair of shoes being chewed upon by your, cute, sweet and innocent, little dog? If this is a familiar scenario to you, I suggest that you continue to read on.

Chewing is one of the worst habits that any dog can pick up. In addition to being destructive to your property , a a dog chewing might get injured by breaking its teeth or swallowing harmful material. Furthermore, some dogs gnaw on themselves! This kind of unpleasant behavior may cause hair loss and even serious infections to areas of their bodies like their tails, legs, and feet. If you have a dog chewing problem , work to immediately correct the situation instead of dismissing the act as a typical dog behavior.

Chewing is a known behavior of puppies . However, their choices of what to chew on will be depend on you and how you train your dog. If you are welcoming a new puppy into your home, be sure to supply it with adequate toys to prevent your pooch from destroying your home, car, or wardrobe. Moreover, be sure to choose toys that would not be mistaken for those “out of bound” items. Many dog owners prefer to grant their pups with cast off shoes to somehow redirect its attention from the new pair they have just bought, but to their surprise the puppy would still chew up on their brand new pair instead. Look for bones and toys that are meant to be used as a chewing toy that will not splinter, break, or split and potentially cause a choking hazard. Also, provide your puppy with several different toys in various areas so that he does not become bored and opt to gnaw on your beloved items and furniture as an alternative.

Yes, there are simple steps that can help you prevent your dog from chewing up your possessions! For starters, the easiest way to stop this routine is to keep an eye on your dog. Dogs cannot chew up your house and home while you sit watching them. A huge part of dog ownership is VIGILANCE. Besides, think about keeping your dog to a room or area of your home until you can trust him to have free rein of your abode. In addition to vigilance, cleanliness is a large factor in what a dog has access to chew. Simply put, your dog cannot chew your shoes unless they were left accessible. If you find your dog chewing something, if possible, place it out of his reach. In all likelihood , the dog will continue chewing the same item until it is either removed or completely destroyed.

“But what about the larger things like furniture, doors, or appliances that will be hard to move”, you say? For these structures, apply a thin film of Bitter Apple. Like its name suggests, this solution is quite bitter and very unsavory for dogs. Available in a spray or cream, Bitter Apple will not damage the finish of your furniture and can easily be wiped away once the dog learns not the chew. Don’t be alarmed if your dog does ingest the material, it will not make him sick, as the contents of it are non-toxic.

Lastly, be the protector of your own things. Teach your dog commands like “leave it” and instruct him to cease and desist the gnawing of your items. Use a spray bottle or a shaker device rather than physical punishment, which can sometime cause dogs to become more destructive in protest. If your dog is chewing on himself more than your home, immediately visit your veterinarian. There are a lot of skin conditions, including parasitic infections that can cause a dog to chew on his own skin in order to find relief. Turn to a cooling spray that will provide relief as the area begins to heal. Also, use an antibiotic cream to prevent infection.

Do you have a problem with dog chewing? A dog that loves to chew on anything he sees interesting and you can’t seem to figure out why he has this kind of passion? Did you ever come home from work and found your newest pair of shoes being chewed upon by your, cute, sweet and innocent, little dog? I suggest that you continue to read on if this is a familiar scenario to you.

One of the worst habits that any dog can pick up is chewing. Besides it being destructive to your property, a dog that enjoys chewing might end up injuring itself by breaking its teeth or swallowing harmful material. Worse, some dogs chew on themselves! This kind of bad behavior may cause hair loss and even serious infections to areas of their bodies like their tails, legs, and feet. If you have a dog chewing problem , work to immediately correct the situation instead of dismissing the act as a typical dog behavior.

Chewing is a known behavior of puppies . However, their choices of what to chew on will be depend on you and how you train your dog. If you are welcoming a new puppy into your home, be sure to supply it with adequate toys to prevent your pooch from destroying your home, car, or wardrobe. Furthermore , keep in mind to pick toys that are not mistaken for those “out of bound” objects. To somehow redirect its attention from the new pair they have just bought, many dog owners prefer to grant their pups with cast off shoes but to their surprise the puppy would still chew up on their brand new pair instead. Look for chewing toys and bones that will not splinter, break, or split and potentially cause a choking hazard. So that your dog does not become bored and opt to chew on your beloved possessions and furniture as an alternative, give your puppy with several different toys in various areas.

Yes, there are simple steps that can help you prevent your dog from chewing up your possessions! For starters, the easiest way to stop this routine is to keep an eye on your dog. Dogs cannot chew up your house and home while you sit watching them. Vigilance is a huge part of dog ownership. Besides, think about keeping your dog to a room or area of your home until you can trust him to have free rein of your abode. In addition to vigilance, cleanliness is a large factor in what a dog has access to chew. Simply put, your dog cannot chew your shoes unless they were left accessible. If you find your dog chewing something, if possible, place it out of his reach. In all likelihood , the dog will continue chewing the same item until it is either removed or completely destroyed.

“But what about the larger things like furniture, doors, or appliances that will be hard to move”, you say? For these structures, apply a thin film of Bitter Apple. Like its name suggests, this solution is quite bitter and very unsavory for dogs. Available in a spray or cream, Bitter Apple will not damage the finish of your furniture and can easily be wiped away once the dog learns not the chew. Don’t be alarmed if your dog does ingest the material, it will not make him sick, as the contents of it are non-toxic.

Lastly, be the protector of your own things. Teach your dog commands like “leave it” and instruct him to cease and desist the gnawing of your items. Use a spray bottle or a shaker device rather than physical punishment, which can sometime cause dogs to become more destructive in protest. If your dog is chewing on himself more than your home, immediately visit your veterinarian. There are a lot of skin conditions, including parasitic infections that can cause a dog to chew on his own skin in order to find relief. Turn to a cooling spray that will provide relief as the area begins to heal. Also, use an antibiotic cream to prevent infection.