Stop Dog Chewing Through Behavior Training

Dogs chew, especially puppies. Don't be frustrated - I'll help you stop them.

For a dog, chewing on things is a normal and healthy activity. Most dog toys revolve around chewing - but you don't want them chewing on your shoes, on bottles of cleaning products, or your electronics!

If it fits in their mouth, it's fair game for chewing. That is, up until you set the proper boundaries through my favorite three words: basic obedience training.

Why is Your Dog Chewing on Things?

• He has nothing better to do, or is lonely or stressed out.
• He's developing separation anxiety.
• He's teething.
• Because you'll give him attention to stop him chewing on certain things.
• To make the time go by faster before you get home.

How Serious is the Chewing Problem?

Keep in mind that this isn't just a matter of annoyance or loss of property for you. Allowing your dog to continue chewing on whatever he wants to, can be a risk for the dog. Humans keep poisons all over the house - cigarettes, cleaning products, etc. He could swallow something and choke. In short, if your dog is chewing on the wrong things, it's important to redirect this habit to the right things.

The Best Method:
Stop Dog Chewing Before it Starts

Starting early in your puppy's life, you should be protecting your dog from his own simple mistakes. Here are the main steps to make your home a safe place to sink a dog's teeth into:

1. Puppy-proof your home to remove dangerous objects from eye level.
2. Make sure you have toys that your dog can chew on - flavored toys will let your dog train himself to favor the things you give him instead of finding his own toys.
3. Use puppy crate training methods so that you can confine your dog when you can't supervise him. Put chew toys, food, water and bedding wherever he's confined to alleviate boredom, and thoroughly puppy-proof that space.
4. Give your dog lots of exercise so that he doesn't build up anxiety that needs to be dealt with.

How To Stop Dog Chewing Problems

Of course, there are no price tags in the dog world - so no dog is going to know what's priceless, and what's a $4 chew toy, without training. Here are some methods to handle different dog chewing habits:

1. Wooden and cloth objects that your dog chooses to chew on a regular basis can be varnished or misted with something that they hate. That will deter them from specific objects, and if they don't choose a new, inappropriate target, then you're good to go.
2. Have you established yourself as the dog's alpha and taught them basic obedience skills? If so, you'll have command words and phrases at your disposal to stop dog chewing habits with a simple word. (The most important thing to know: You have to issue the corrective command within the first few seconds of the bad behavior, or they won't know what you're talking about.) With that, the dog will look at you for instructions - pass him his toy. Then, praise him for the correct behavior of chewing on the toy.
3. Along with issuing "no!" as a command when they're already chewing on the wrong things, you can observe your dog and notice when they're about to start chewing. Train your dog another useful command: "leave it!"

Basic obedience training is the key to stop dog chewing habits and redirect those habits on the right objects. Meanwhile, the chewing habit is a frequent opportunity to start a training session. Dogs want to obey their leader, so just be consistent and kind, and do things in a way that make sense to a dog. They'll stop their chewing problems in no-time.

Go back to dog training advice or the specific section on dog behavior training.