by Native Gemini

Created on: May 20, 2007   Last Updated: May 21, 2007

The first step in stopping your best friend from chewing on everything is to understand that dogs are natural chewers and, as such, need to be provided with toys or other 'chew-ables' that are allowed and suited for a dogs natural chewing desire. Most dogs will prefer to chew on their 'toys' rather than furniture or other household objects if properly introduced and later directed to the toys or 'chew-ables'. There are many dog owners who have few, if any, problems with their dogs chewing habits due to the fact they have provided proper chewing items for their dog from the start. After a destructive chewing problem has begun or has become ongoing, it may be a little tougher and require a bit more work on the owners part in order to stop the negative behavior.

The second step involved to remedy a chewing problem is to obtain a variety of dog toys or other chew-ables, such as stuffed or plush toys, rubber or plastic toys (i.e. squeaky toys) as well as some edible treat type chew-ables (i.e. nylabones, raw-hides, etc.). Providing a variety of the different types of toys is very important because, like a human child, a dog can become easily bored when given only one type of toy. They really need to have a selection of hard, soft and edible items to chew on. The variation of hard and soft coupled with the different textures of the toys/chew-ables will better enable your dogs' chewing habits to be satisfied, therefore he/she will have no need or want to chew on forbidden household objects.
The next step is to introduce your dog to the different types of toys/chew-ables. This is best done through play. Show your dog the new items and allow him/her adequate time to investigate and sniff the new toys. Then entice your dog to play with the toys. Anytime your dog sniffs, licks or puts his/her mouth on the toys praise him/her immediately through verbal (i.e. good boy, good dog, etc.) as well as positive physical (i.e. petting, scratching ears/chest, etc.) methods. Repeat this process over and over on a daily basis so that your dog becomes happy to play with and chew on his/her toys. Remember that most training is a result of repetition and patience.
Once your dog has become comfortable with the new chewing items, you can use them to further the training. Every time that you see your dog chew on a forbidden object such as a table leg, use the dogs name followed by a sharp, quick 'NO!' Usually, with the majority of dogs, sharp, quick verbal reprimands are more than enough

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