OMG, He's Chewing On Everything!

Most dogs have a natural desire to chew, and yours is no exception.  Chewing, in and of itself, is not a bad thing unless she's chewing on your most expensive pair of shoes or leaving her teeth marks on the legs of your new sofa.  So why do dogs chew?  They may feel the need to sharpen their canines, or they might be anxious or bored.  Below I've listed my favorite ways to get a dog to stop chewing on the wrong things:

1.  Your home should be dog-proof.  Why put temptation in her path, especially if she's a young puppy and in training?  Yes, she will eventually learn not to chew your things, but in the meantime, remove what you don't want her to chew.

Go over every room in your house and put your things safely out of reach.  Remember to look low, on the floor.  Also look high, especially if your dog is big or can jump.  Dog have been known to jump on furniture and then on the kitchen counter to reach a desired item.

Here are some of the things chewers like:

pillows
candles
shoes
garbage
cell phone
remote controls
garbage
socks
books
garbage

2.  Don't allow your dog to chew on something one day, and not the next.  Be consistent.  Puppies get confused when you let them chew a sock yesterday, but get mad at them when they chew it today.  They also don't understand when you let them chew on an old shoe but not a new one.  A shoe is a shoe to them. Keep game rules consistent.

3.  Encourage her to chew.  Since your dog loves to chew, give her safe, owner-approved options like chew toys.  Steal a trick from parents of toddlers and rotate the chew toys to keep it interesting.  

4.  Playtime with supervision.  It's tempting to think about keeping your dog penned up until she's old enough to know better, but you can't do that.  Give her a chance to learn her boundaries and discover what is wrong and right while spending time with you, her favorite human.

It's natural for your dog to want to chew, especially if she's under the age of three.  Keep most of your valuables out of reach until she she's trained.  Be consistent and correct her when she starts inappropriate chewing.  Replace the unacceptable chewing item with one you approve of and praise her for doing the right thing so she starts to make the connection.  With these tips in mind, you should be able to train her to stop chewing your possessions.