The act of chewing appears to be a subject of individual preference among dogs: some have an natural desire to chew as an enjoyable natural action in itself, and many seem to have no motivation to chew whatever unless they’re forced to it out of sheer boredom.
The phrase “destructive chewing” may sound redundant, because – by its very nature! – all chewing is destructive. Your dog has strong jaws full of sharp, pointy teeth: almost anything she starts to chew on is probably going to show the consequences of it within of a minute. So just to clear up, when I use the phrase “destructive chewing”, I’m referring to inappropriate chewing: the sort of chewing that’s centred on your own possessions and household items, instead of on your dog’s own designated playthings and chews.
The three principal reasons why dogs chew:
1- Most dogs have a natural want to chew. It’s fun, it passes the time, and it’s a self-rewarding, self-reinforcing natural action (for instance, if she’s chewing on something that tastes good.)
2- Chewing provides a nervous, bored, or lonely dog with an outlet for her emotions. To an anxious dog, the repetitive act of chewing is soothing – it’s the doggie equivalent of comfort food.
3- Underexercised dogs frequently practice chewing as a means of burning up nervous energy and affording themselves something to do.
- How to prevent destructive chewing -
Dogs are perfectly able of learning not to chew your stuff – you only have to invest in a little effort first, that’s all.
1. Take control of the situation: manage your own possessions. Your first step should be to dog-proof your home. Even if you’ve the best-behaved hound in the world, there’s still no grounds to test her self-discipline – after all, dogs explore the world with their mouths.
Dog-proofing your household entails removing whatever you don’t want to wind up in her mouth, and making it inaccessible. Consider her size and agility whilst deciding whether something’s out of reach: could she leap? Could she climb, or jump onto something else to reach the wanted object? How tall is she when upright on her rear legs?
Common targets in the house include books, eyewear, clothing, shoes, refuse, and little crisp gadgets like cameras, cell phones, and remote controls.
It should go without stating that all food requires to be put firmly away: don’t leave snacks on low tables (or even countertops – you’d be amazed how athletic she could be once there’s food at stake!), put all food into containers or the pantry. Wash your unwashed plates clean of any food food waste before leaving them by the sink.
2. Forestall her from acquiring the delights of misappropriate chewing. The more times she manages to snatch a jawful of a disallowed substance – a chair-leg, a pillow, a running shoe – the more readily she will target those items in future. If you are able to forestall her from chewing your belongings in the first place, it’s a great deal easier for her to realise what you expect from her. Practically speaking, this means limiting her in a dog-proofed area until you’re convinced of her understanding of the household conventions.
3. Don’t set her up for failure through confusing the boundaries between her stuff (OK to chew) and your stuff (not OK to chew). Don’t proffer your dog discarded clothes, shoes, or towels to chew and play with: realistically, you can’t possibly expect her to be capable to distinguish the difference between your latest shoes and the one she’s got in her mouth that you handed her five minutes ago.
4. Supply her with lots of mouth-watering choices to your stuff. Whenever her surroundings is comparatively empty of attractive, appropriate chewing objects, you can scarcely blame her for targeting your possessions. Remember, most dogs need to chew; if she’s an adolescent (below three years) or a puppy (under one year), her needs will be yet more pronounced. Go out on a toy and chew shopping fling, and then give her two or three to play with at once. Rotating the available playthings every few days will keep things fresh and stimulating for her.
5. Spend lots of time in physical supervision. Yes, it might be less demanding for you to just keep her confined in her crate, run, or the yard – but that’s boring and horrible for her, and scarcely much fun for you either (if you wished-for a pet that you don’t require to interact with, you’d have acquired a goldfish, right?) She can not learn what you expect of her if she’s passing all her time enclosed in the dog-proof zone: she requires the chance to explore the limits of your expectations, so she can realise what’s appropriate and what’s not.
6. When you catch her chewing something improper, interrupt her by producing a loud noise: clap your hands or make an “Ah-ah-aaaah!” noise. Then, immediately give her a mouth-watering and dog-appropriate alternative (a rawhide bone or other chew toy); as soon as her jaws close round it, praise her extravagantly. There is no more beneficial way to get your dog to realise that chewing “her” toys equals praise from you, but everything else equals hassle.
- Keep up a productive attitude -
Most importantly, remember to keep your expectations realistic. You’re not perfect, and neither is your dog: there’s probably going to be at least one incident where a treasured item is destroyed by her curiosity.
Especially in the early phases of your relationship, she’s still learning the ropes: it’ll take awhile before she’s totally reliable (and even then, if she’s left alone by herself for too long or feels neglected, she may prefer your stuff over hers to occupy her time and jaws with.) Remember to afford her time to memorize the rules, and plenty of ‘you-time’ to help her learn quicker – and don’t forget to take precautions and keep things unreachable until she’s mastered 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. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning.
You can visit the Secrets to Dog Training site by clicking on the link below:
http://tinyurl.com/n76ywd
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