TO STOP YOUR DOG CHEWING THINGS IT SHOULD NOT CHEW

DOGS CHEW FOR MANY REASONS…

Puppies

Puppies, just like human babies get itchy sore gums when their teeth are growing in. Chewing also helps to remove loose teeth (which can be very uncomfortable) so adult teeth can grow in. You can provide a few seconds of temporary relief by rubbing your puppy's' gums, this is also a great way to build puppy's trust in you! Make sure puppy has safe items of his own to chew.

Teenage and Adult Dogs

It is normal for a dog to chew - chewing is a dog's way of gaining and maintaining strength in its jaw - essential to survival! Depending on what they are chewing on, chewing can also help keep a dog's teeth healthy and clean.

An anxious dog may chew to expend some of it's anxious energy. To resolve this type of chewing you must understand, address and cure the root of the anxiety.

A dog may chew as an outlet to expend unspent energy. Make sure your dog gets enough exercise on a daily basis. Unspent energy can lead to frustration, anxiety and reactivity, aggressive behavior.

Remember that we do not always learn or choose to do as we are asked to do the first time either! Dogs are intelligent, they have a mind, will and personality of their own - just as humans do. Shift your expectations to understand that they are independent, intelligent and very sensitive beings who require coaching and mentoring by a leader, not a dominator. And by the way, dogs do not like hypocrisy any more than humans do...so if you yell, get angry, get frustrated - you loose your audience.

Robbie chewing a stick on the trail

TO STOP YOUR DOG CHEWING THINGS IT SHOULD NOT CHEW

Punishing a dog for chewing on an object (irregardless of whether the dog is anxious, or just does not know any better) is akin to severely reprimanding a person who is trying to learn a new skill and does not get it quite right. Once burned twice shy...aggressive correction takes away a persons confidence to move forward and can cause psychological harm. It is exactly the same for a dog!

As guardians to our dogs it is our role to coach and mentor our dogs - to teach with patience and understanding - not with tension, frustration and anger. When we attempt to instruct a dog and we are not calm, confident, firm and fair we are setting the dog up for failure. Instead when we correct and follow-through with calm confidence we are providing the dog with the information it requires to make better choices.

So if your dog is chewing something you do not want it to chew...

One -  Make sure you are calm (without excess emotion),and ready to coach with fair, firm confidence. Don't be aggressive, don't raise your voice in anger.

Two - Lead...addressing from a distance is not leadership, calmly but with assurance get up and walk over to your dog.

Three - get your dogs attention, you can touch your dog firmly but quickly with your fingers - at its neck or waist, you can snap your fingers and say 'hey' firmly, but not with anger. Never touch or talk in anger as you then lead by the wrong example!

Four - Tell your dog what you want i.e. 'no, don't touch' and then say 'leave it' I have ten dogs - different breeds, from tiny to large - they all understand this type of direction...as do the dogs I work with for my clients.

Five - Tell your dog what you would like it to do instead i.e. 'go sit down' etc.

Six - Follow through...if your dog goes back to the object and starts to chew again - don't get angry, simply correct as per the steps above.

Seven - Depending on the circumstances, as a final step to this process, you may want to offer your dog something that is safe and acceptable for it to chew.

PROVIDE YOUR DOG WITH GOOD THINGS TO SATISFY ITS NEED TO CHEW

Providing your dog with the right things to chew ensures that this need is met in a safe and healthy way. Dogs that are in a balanced state of being are unlikely to chew other items such as your shoes or your hands if they have safe durable chew toys. 

My dogs enjoy chewing on soft, durable, and non-toxic squeaky toys as well as playing with soft teddy-bear type toys. Kongs are another very popular dog chew toy. Even the smaller parts on these toys cannot be chewed off - these are chew toys that the dogs can have unsupervised. However, if your dog is prone to ripping soft teddy bears, they should be supervised to ensure they don't eat the stuffing, plastic eyes/nose, or other parts of the teddy bear. 

For instance, Sarah's favorite toy is a "Piggy" squeaky. If I ask Sarah "where's your Piggy", she will go get this toy and bring it to me. If she has lost her piggy under one of the couches (when she tosses it in the air it often ends up rolling under), she will show me which couch and where along the length of the couch the Piggy is.

 

Raw meaty bones (RMB) are a dog's species appropriate chew. If you;re not ready to give your dog RMB start with 100% pure air dried, dehydrated or freeze dried meat or meaty bone chews.

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Article and graphics by Karen Rosenfeld