How To Stop My Dog From Chewing

Chewing is part of a dog's nature as akin to tail wagging. Whether your pet is a teething puppy, a bored dog trying release its pent-up energy, a dog suffering from separation anxiety or acting out the distress of thunderstorm phobia - a dog that has a terrible habit of chewing can turn your favorite upholstery into tatters.

It is your duty as a dog owner to deter your dog's energy towards something else -something more fruitful, something more healthy & nutritious. Excessive chewing should be considered a sign or symptom of some underlying motivation rather than a diagnosis.

Discourage Your Dog From Destructive Chewing

Chewing promotes dog health when he is heartily chewing on Doggie Chews. It becomes destructive chewing when your dog is chewing on your furniture legs, upholstery, pillows, door jams, shoes, pieces of clothing, books, electric cords, etc.

You should also keep this in mind that for a dog his mouth is equivalent to human hands. As we humans use our hands to pick up things to examine them, dogs use their mouths.

Chewing helps a dog understand the object's feel, taste and satisfy his curiosity. It's a natural part of doggie behavior: You can no more tutor a dog to stop chewing completely than you can train him to stop breathing. Instead what you can do is, initiate him to different flavored healthy doggie chews.

Doggie Chews

What you need to do is to divert your dog's habit towards something more constructive and healthy - like chewing on a Dog Chew. Introduce your dog to different types dog chews like Pig Ears Chews, Bully Sticks Chews, Rawhide Chews, Kong Chews, Filled Chews, etc.

To make it more interesting and attractive for your dog, these chews are available in different styles, shapes and flavors.

You can get these Dog Chews in the shapes of bones, chips, twists, rolls, knots and balls. For flavors, these chews are available in the tasty varieties of Beef, Chicken, Bacon, Peanut, Lamb, Pork, Duck, Rib, Natural, Mint, Vegetable and Cheese.

A chew a day will keep your dog busy for hours and steer him away from boredom and negative behavior. The best part about these chews is, they are packed with natural healthy nutrients. Bring home those doggie chews that will:

• Promote dental health



• Be low in fat content



• Keep him occupied for hours



• Support healthy joints & bones



• Provide him with adequate natural nutrition

Chews are available for all dogs like puppies and adult, and for dogs of all sizes.

Chew Toys

Teach your dog what is correct to chew on, and what is not. Be sure to supply your puppy or dog with a variety of toys that are permissible for it to chew.

Bone toys like dumbbells are excellent. In recent years, manufacturers are making bones out of vegetables and meat flavors. These are even better because your dog can eat the entire thing and are healthy for your dog.

There are also natural rubber toys that costs a little more but lasts a lot longer. Another good item is the Kong Chew, which is made of hard rubber and lasts a long time. Please keep in mind that cheap toys are not worth the money, your dog can destroy them too easily and can choke on the pieces that he chews.

Chew ropes are also good, but again, watch to see if it starts coming apart. Take it away immediately at that point.

Squeaker toys are also handy, but again, you must be careful to throw it away when it starts to get a hole. Ring Toys are better. They are great for dogs of all ages and sizes.

Teach your dog the command 'leave it.'

The concept of this exercise is to teach your dog to not touch things you tell him to leave alone – whether it is food on the ground or offered by a stranger or it is your antique chair leg.

You can start with placing dog treats or dog chews at three places around your home and yard. Once your dog gets the taste of these dog chews, he would rather chew on a yummy flavored bone than a furniture leg.

Repeating this exercise for a period of days will teach him to stay away from other chewable items like shoes, newspapers or clothing.

The Dog-Proof Method

Use your intelligence to help keep your dog away from unwanted chewing. If your dog chews on shoes, keep them in your closet with the door closed. Keep books and other chewables out of your dog’s reach.

Go through your home (on your hands and knees if necessary) and look to see what is tempting for your dog to chew on. Eliminate any unsafe or inappropriate items.

Spend more time with your dog

If your dog is suffering from separation anxiety, then spend more time with him. While you are away for work or busy with something, most probably he is feeling lonely, bored and neglected. His lack of play and activity is making him feel useless and he wants to release his pent-up energy by doing something. And what better way to do it than munching on your soft chewy jogging shoes when you are not around.

The best way to handle this situation is to remove you shoes from the place and initiate him to a healthy doggie chew that will keep him occupied for hours. If you are away for long hours, then give him chews that are long-lasting, so that he can spend time more on it. Rawhide chews or filled chews are quite interesting. Your dog would love to gnaw on them completely.