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Before we can solve any problematic dog behavior it is imperative that we understand the underlying cause. Is your dog chewing because he's teething, he's bored or is he hungry? A vet can tell you whether his nutritional requirements are adequately met or if he's teething.

After making sure that his problem is not dietary. We are left with the goal of establishing "chew" and "no chew". Both teething and boredom can be alleviated with chewable items that are safe for your dog to have such as bones, raw hides and other products. Boredom can also be eased by spending more time exercising your dog, playing with him and initiating activities that use his brain such as "hide and seek".

So, you've gone out and gotten him a couple chew toys. Now what? First you need to establish "chew" and "no chew" items. There are several affective ways to go about this. You need to be able to devote time and energy to this task. After giving his his chewy he's liable to get up for a water break and forget where he left it. Since he has forgotten where his new found toy is he may decide to head back over to your expensive leather shoes. Two options are open too you, either you can scream, yell, spray him with water then smack him with the shoe (not recommended) or you can calmly reach down pick up the shoe and in a firm voice say Not Yours!. He's likely to look at you like you've lost your mind. When you have his attention take him over to where he left his toy, pick it up and give it to him. When he takes it pet him and in a syrupy, sing-song voice tell him good boy, that one's yours.

It's going to take many many repetitions before the message sinks in so make sure your patience is built up stoutly. There are several products out there that claim to help stop dogs from chewing, I cannot comment because I've never used any of them. If your dog still seems to be bored, you can resort to "hide and seek" or any other brain feeding activity. Below is a link to get you started on your quest to end the destruction.

http://dogplay.com /Activities/games.html

Learn more about this author, Skathock Motyka.
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