How To Stop Puppy Chewing
You have recently brought home your new puppy and he is settling in well, except for the constant chewing? It may be that you do not mind his chewing, but that he is slowly working his way through your shoes, the kid’s toys and has been eyeing off the cushions? You may be wondering when exactly this habit will cease? If you are then that is perfectly natural, as it is also perfectly natural for your puppy to chew.
Puppies will chew for a wide range of reasons, including because they are cutting new teeth, or they may be bored. The key is that you need to let your puppy chew, but you also need to let your puppy know early on what is acceptable and what is not. Like all training, the earlier you establish the rules and guidelines the quicker and better behaved your puppy will be.
Adjusting your Puppy Behavior
Start by taking a deep breath, it is going to take some time to adjust your puppy’s chewing behaviour, so be prepared to be calm and consistent with your instructions throughout the process. Perhaps if you have special shoes, or cushions, that you put these well out of puppy reach for now.
Talk to your kids as well, knowing that the puppy may eat all their toys could be the motivation they need to keep their room clean. In addition, they need to know that yelling or hitting your dog will not help them learn, it will only confuse, so instead create a plan for dealing with the chewing that covers the following tips:
Puppy Chewing Toys when you notice your puppy chewing on something they should not, grab one of your puppies chew toys and give it to them. When they start to chew on it, give him or her lots of praise and encouragement. Remember a puppy wants to make you happy, so they will slowly realize that chewing on this makes you happy.
Make sure your puppy chewing toys are not similar to other important items. For example, an old shoe or stuffed toy is not good choices because your puppy can get confused between the old shoe and the new ones.
Wear out Your Puppy Try to avoid puppy boredom. Take them for walks, play with them and work on your commands. Dogs love interacting with you, learning tricks and being rewarded.
Training your Puppy To Listen
Crate Training A common problem is that your puppy may be good when you are home, but when you go out, they get into the things they shouldn’t. If this is the case you could consider trying Crate Training. See our article on how this can assist your puppy.
Averting the Action – There are some things that you cannot put out of reach of your puppy, like the couch, so for these things try using a bitter apple or cayenne pepper spray. Before you do so, check to ensure that you are not going to damage the item by testing it first. These sprays are not tasty to your dog but are safe for humans, so can be a good option on some objects.
Re-enforcement do not let it stop with these things, if you come home from work and your puppy is chewing on his or her toy, give plenty of praise. You can do this whenever you see them doing the right thing.
Over time these actions will if performed calmly and consistently by all in your household will train your puppy. Ensure that you continue to reward good behaviour and enforce your rules so your puppy grows up knowing you are the alpha leader.