When your dog is chewing things all the time, it can be annoying; however, stopping this unwanted behavior is not a quick fix.
It requires a lot of patience and dedication. The good thing is it comes down to the proper training.
There is nothing worse than having your dog chewing things in your household. When your dog starts, for one reason or another, it is so annoying.
Years ago, I returned home and found my TV remote changer chewed to no return.
But, it got worse. He suddenly started chewing things all the time.
As your dog ages, you will find that they suddenly commence strange, worrying, and annoying habits.
These habits can range from suddenly barking all the time, eating grass, jumping on people, or even eating poop, and so on.
Is Your Dog Chewing Things? Understanding the Problem
Being a dog owner is something that has the potential to be an enriching experience. You love your dog, and you want to be able always to enjoy having it around.
The problem is that dog ownership isn’t always fun and games. There will be times when you will have to deal with issues such as having your dog chew things up.
Typically, when your dog is chewing things up in your house, there will be some reason for it.
It may seem a random act to someone who doesn’t know better, but there are going to be things you can do to prevent your dog from doing this.
When you take care of the causes of your dog wanting to gnaw on furniture legs or other troublesome things, you will be able to keep them from happening again.
Continue reading this guide to learn more about why dogs start to chew things. If your dog keeps chewing, then it is essential to get the information that you need to put a stop to it.
You can keep your dog from chewing up essential things, and your household will be a lot more pleasant because of it.
Be diligent and understand that you can alter its behavior by changing something in its environment.
Reasons Why Dogs Chew Things
Dogs chew on things for several different reasons. Of course, if your dog is a puppy, it may be teething and wants something to chew on to soothe its gums.
This is normal behavior, but it can still be frustrating when it decides to chew on your favorite pair of shoes while you are not looking.
Thankfully, these problems can be avoided by providing them with other things to teethe on.
Loneliness and boredom are other common reasons why dogs chew things up. Your dog does think the world of you.
You are a significant figure to your dog who takes care of all its needs. Dogs do desire human attention, and they want to get as much affection as possible.
If you have been too busy with your professional life to spend time with it, you may start chewing things up out of loneliness or boredom.
This problem can be fixed by spending more time with your dog. Doing your best to ensure your dog is happy and healthy will always be necessary.
You must ensure that you have the time to dedicate to caring for a dog before you go through with adopting one.
If you can’t be there for it, having problems such as your stuff getting chewed up will be par for the course.
Chewing For Attention
Chewing on things can be attention-seeking behavior too.
Your dog may be cunning enough to realize that if it chews something up, you will come and stop it or interact with it.
If you have been spending so little time with your dog that this is happening, it may make you sad. This is a problem that busy professionals have with their dogs sometimes.
You may not have as many hours at home as you would like, and your dog is acting out due to missing your presence.
Is it Anxiety?
Separation anxiety is pretty standard for dogs; chewing on things is just one of the ways that they show how they are feeling.
You can keep your dog from chewing by taking the appropriate actions, but you will also want to make an effort to spend more time with it.
If you are wondering whether separation anxiety is the cause of your chewing problem, think about whether it is chewing things after you have been away for a long time or while at work. If it is, then it is likely just missing you.
Occasionally, you will notice that your dog chews things up because it is afraid to.
Fear-related chewing can be a bit more challenging to stop as your dog may have problems dealing with storms outside or other frightening things.
In this situation, allowing your dog to be somewhere close to you during a storm or another type of event it fears is good.
Some dogs get scared during fireworks celebrations, and chewing things up might be one way they try to cope with things.
Knowing why your dog is chewing things up can help you take measures to fix everything. You will be able to make significant changes that will help you regain control of the situation.
You don’t have to accept that your dog will chew things. As long as you recognize its behavior patterns, it should be relatively easy to eliminate this behavior.
Punishments Need to Be Done the Right Way
It’s important to note that punishing your dog needs to be done correctly. You should avoid punishing your dog if you discover something chewed up long after.
Your dog will not be capable of understanding what it is being punished for.
Even the method of showing it what it did will not work correctly as it needs to be in the moment for this type of punishment to have the proper impact.
If you do catch your dog in the act of chewing up something inappropriate, then you can start to show it that its actions are not acceptable.
Give it what you deem to be an appropriate punishment. Some people like to avoid using physical discipline on their pets.
One method you could use is squirting them with water from a spray bottle.
This is something that your dog will not like and, when combined with your disapproving tone of voice, should work as an effective form of punishment.
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The Proper Training To Stop Dogs From Chewing
Also, avoid chasing your dog around when you find out that it is chewing on something.
It may seem essential to wrestle the item away from your dog before it destroys whatever it is, but dogs enjoy being chased.
To them, that is a fun activity, and you don’t want to encourage them to keep chewing on things. Use a disapproving tone of voice and call it to you.
Make it drop what it is chewing on, and then proceed with whatever punishment you find appropriate.
Eventually, your dog will learn what it can and cannot chew on.
It may take some time to understand everything thoroughly, but dogs have an uncanny ability to know when you take the necessary time with them.
They can be molded into very obedient pets.
As long as you make use of the methods above, you should be able to avoid having your dog chew up your essential items.
Is Your Puppy Chewing Things?
You should also know that it is usually best to train a dog while it is a puppy. It isn’t impossible to train an older dog and break its chewing habit, but it may be more challenging.
Puppies are likelier to chew random items due to teething and gum pain.
An older dog is more likely to be chewing things for the other issues mentioned above, such as loneliness or boredom.
Remain vigilant, and you will have success in your endeavors. You can keep your dog from chewing up things in your house when you take the time to punish it properly.
Just remember to retaliate when you catch it in the act so that it will truly understand what it is doing is wrong.
When you combine the fitting punishment styles by giving it the proper environment, you should be able to avoid any of these problems.
Making Necessary Changes
Making necessary changes will be crucial when you want to care for your problems. The first step will be figuring out why your dog is chewing things up.
If it is a puppy and is simply teething, then you should buy dog toys that it can teethe on.
You will want to make other changes when your dog cheats things up for another reason, such as seeking your attention.
Puppies will be the most accessible type of dog to deal with.
You can teach them not to chew on certain things while they are young and give them the proper toys for their teething needs.
You shouldn’t worry too much if your dog is still in its puppy phase. Its behavior should be correct so long as you take the time to train it right.
You won’t have any problem trying to keep your dog from chewing when you know what to do.
Things will get a little trickier when dealing with an older dog. It won’t be impossible to fix things, though.
You might have to put a little more effort into training it up, and you will likely want to determine the exact cause of its chewing, if possible.
It is essential to decide whether or not it is chewing things up due to fear or wanting attention.
Either way, you will need to make changes to your environment to go along with punishing it for chewing things up.
If your dog wants more attention, you should give it whenever possible. Try to spend more time with your dog and show it that it is loved.
Sometimes this alone is enough to assuage lousy behavior in a dog.
Chew Toys and Attention
It is also wise to give it other things it can chew on.
When your dog can learn that chewing on its toys is perfectly fine, it will simply play with the toys rather than mess with your belongings.
It might take some time to distinguish between the toys and your stuff, but most dogs get used to this quickly. A good chew toy for your dog can help to keep it happy.
Dog bones are also prevalent for giving canines something to chew on. You can buy large bones or more reasonably-sized ones at the pet store.
These can keep your dog from chewing on your stuff and will always be a big hit. You may want to save the dog bones from being an occasional treat.
Some dogs go overboard and devour a bone in one day, which may not be suitable for their stomachs.
Remember to let your dog get close to you when it is scared. If you know that a thunderstorm is coming around, you should ensure that your dog has a place to feel safe.
This will keep it from wanting to chew things up around the house due to the fear it is feeling.
Simply allowing your dog to sit by you or at your feet during a storm often assuage its concerns.
Fireworks can similarly affect your dog’s readiness to stay calm during a celebration.
Allowing it to be by you certainly helps, and you can also ensure that it has access to a chew toy for nervous chewing purposes.
Everything should be fine if you have taken the proper precautions. You can avoid losing an expensive pair of shoes or having the legs of your couch gnawed.
Don’t Leave Things Out
Now that you know more about how you can help change your dog’s behavior, you should also consider changing your behavior.
Some people tend to leave certain things out instead of putting them away. Maybe you are used to just taking your shoes off at the door and leaving them on the floor.
This might not be the best idea when you have a dog.
Instead of leaving some things out where your dog can get to them, it will be wiser to go ahead and put them up somewhere.
Putting your expensive new pair of shoes at the top of your closet will be safer than leaving them on the floor.
Granted, a well-trained dog may not mess with your shoes, but why give it the temptation?
If you care about keeping your belongings safe, it makes sense to put them away.
This can go for more than just your shoes, too. Please don’t leave things such as television remotes, magazines, video game controllers, or cords where your dog can get to them.
This can help you avoid messing things up, and it will keep your dog safer too. You don’t want it consuming plastic or paper, so keeping these things out of its reach makes sense.
Even if your dog is well-behaved enough to avoid the temptation of chewing something up, it makes sense to keep your house organized.
Make Your Dog Exercise
It has been noted that one of the reasons that dogs chew things up is boredom.
If your dog is not getting enough attention and has been cooped up in the house for too long, it may start chewing things up.
You can avoid this behavior by ensuring the dog gets plenty of exercises. Exercise is essential for every dog, so spending time with it is necessary.
Take your dog out to the park and allow it to run around. You could take it outside for playtime if you have a large enough backyard.
Going on a walk around the neighborhood can also be an excellent way to give it some exercise.
Whatever method you choose should be acceptable; ensure you regularly tire it out.
When your dog is friendly and tired, it will be very satisfying. The dog will not be so quick to want to chew things up when you are not looking.
This will be a much better situation for you, and your dog will feel better after spending time with you.
This is one of the most effective methods for helping to correct a dog’s behavior, so always remember the importance of exercise.
Treat Furniture Legs with Something Bitter
You can take drastic measures. If your dog doesn’t stop gnawing on your furniture legs dog won’t stop chewing on your furniture legs, then you can take extreme measures.
There are certain types of bitter sprays on the market that dogs will loathe. If you spray one of these sprays on your furniture legs, then it will deter your dog from chewing them up.
This is usually a last-resort method when your dog has been resistant to other types of training.
Even so, this can be an intelligent way to keep a dog from ruining your furniture while you are training it too.
If you can keep it from hurting your furniture while teaching it, you can avoid having to replace expensive stuff.
The sprays are usually not too expensive, so purchasing one won’t be a big deal.
The jets also should not harm your furniture, so it is only beneficial if you are worried about your couch legs’ damage.
More Supervision
Supervising your dog is also very positive. If you are just now teaching your dog and training it up, you should try to be around the dog as much as possible.
Leaving the dog alone gives it more time to get into mischief.
If you take more time out of your day to supervise things, you will be in much better shape.
Some people even go as far as to keep their puppies on a leash until they have been appropriately trained.
A dog needs to learn the house rules, and it is going to be up to you to teach it. Your supervision is necessary for the dog to succeed.
You can keep your dog in a room you have made safe when you are not around. Remember that you must be vigilant and that your dog will learn over time.
In Conclusion
You can keep your dog from chewing as long as you go about things correctly.
There are many methods that you can make use of that will help you to have a better experience.
Training your dog can take time, but you must do it if you get your dog to acclimate to your house rules.
Training puppies will be optimal, but you can train an older dog you adopted from a shelter just fine.
Spend lots of time with your dog and give it lots of love. Ensure that the dog is getting enough exercise and provide it with safe toys that can be chewed without consequences.
Once the dog has everything it needs, you will not have to worry so much about your dog chewing up your belongings.
When you combine the training methods with common sense, you can prevent most of these problems.
Remember to pick up after yourself and avoid leaving things out that your dog might want to chew.
Put your shoes in your closet and avoid leaving magazines on your coffee table.
Making intelligent decisions can keep your belongings safe, and your dog will only be chewing on its dog toys.
This is an essential part of being a dog owner, and it is worthwhile to get things right.
If you have problems training your dog, try not to let it get you down. Some dogs will take longer than others to prepare.
They are very trainable, though.
Keep at it, and you will achieve good results. If you use all the advice above, your problems will be a thing of the past before too long.
