Monday, June 21, 2010

Why Dogs Chew Things and How to Teach Them What Is and What Is Not Allowed

Dogs love to chew. It's one of the things they do and you might as well get ready for it. Chewing helps puppies ease their pain during teething time and adult dogs ease stress/anxiety. It is our job as dog owners to teach our dogs what items are allowed to be chewed on and which ones are not.
Dogs have no way of knowing that shoes and other items are off limits unless WE teach them.

We want to allow the chewing behavior since it is a natural behavior that they will do, but we want to show them which items are theirs to chew.

Begin by picking up anything that you do not want chewed on: your shoes, pocketbook, clothing items, books, magazines, etc. When your dog pays attention to and begins to chew on an appropriate item, shower him with attention and praise! He will quickly learn that whenever he chews on THIS item, he gets everything he wants...the toy, AND attention from you! Chewing on the right toy is the best thing he could possibly do!

Chewing CAN be a positive thing, when you work WITH your dog, instead of trying to correct him for chewing things YOU left lying around in the first place!

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