How to stop a dog from chewing

If you have a dog chewing problem, you’re probably tearing your hair out trying to save your stuff! Nothing’s off limits, especially for puppies – books, clothing, shoes, cell phones, garbage, and remote controls.

Why do dogs chew?

There are three main reasons that dogs chew:

1. Most dogs have a natural desire to chew. It’s fun, it passes the time, and is self-rewarding.
2. It can give a bored, nervous, or lonely dog an outlet for their emotions. If a dog is nervous, it can be comforting for her to chew – kind of like comfort food.
3. If a dog doesn’t get enough exercise, he might turn to chewing to give him something to do and to  burn up energy.

So how do I stop my dog from chewing?

Dogs can learn to stop chewing your stuff – you just need to  put a little effort into making sure he doesn’t. Here are a few ideas:

• Take control of the situation. You’re the boss – take the initiative to stop the problem. The first step you need to take is to dog-proof your house – especially if you’ve got a puppy chewing problem. Even the best behaved, well-trained dog in the world can give in to temptation, so don’t leave stuff lying around. I don’t how many times I’ve told my kids: If you leave your Bionichle on the floor, Chip’s going to chew it up!

  Take into account their size and jumping ability when you put it out of reach. My dog’s a master at getting things off the kitchen counter without making any noise!

  Also, don’t leave food sitting where they can get it. I refer back to the countertop example – I came in yesterday to see Chip drinking milk out of a cereal bowl on the counter! I can’t believe how dexterous he is if there’s food at stake!

• Keep him confined if he has a tendency to chew. This is especially important if you’re not able to watch him. If you can prevent him from chewing your stuff in the first place, it’s a lot easier for him to understand what you expect of him. This might mean keeping him in a dog-proofed area, kennel, or crate for short periods of time when you can’t be supervising him.
• Don’t confuse the poor animal! If you don’t want him to chew up shoes, towels, or clothes, don’t give him old versions of those things to play with. There is no way he can be expected to know the difference between one of your good shoes, and the old one you gave him ten minutes ago to chew up.

These are a few tips that can get you started in getting your dog chewing problem under control!