A dog’s mouth is the canine
equivalent of our hands; it’s what dogs use to pick up and examine things,
evaluate their potential use, and transport them from one place to another.
Chewing lets a dog know what something feels like, how it tastes, and whether
it’s good to eat. It’s a natural part of dog behavior
A
dog’s mouth is the canine equivalent of our hands; it’s what dogs use to pick
up and examine things, evaluate their potential use, and transport them from
one place to another. Chewing lets a dog know what something feels like, how it
tastes, and whether it’s good to eat. It’s a natural part of dog behavior: You
can no more train a dog to stop chewing completely than you can train him to
stop breathing. Chewing is also an important part of the pup’s development.
Just like babies, puppies chew in part to soothe sore gums during teething. It
can take up to a year for a pup’s adult teeth to come in, so this is another
instance where you’ll need lots of patience to teach your dog what he can chew
and what he can’t.
Fortunately, chewing can be directed onto appropriate items so your dog isn’t
destroying things you value or jeopardizing his own safety. Until he’s learned
what he can and can’t chew, however, it’s your responsibility to manage the
situation as much as possible, so he doesn’t have the opportunity to chew on
unacceptable objects.
If your dog has a particular liking for a certain object like a furniture leg
you can try this method. Coat the object with a foul tasting substance (non
toxic) such as bitter apple, cayenne pepper or tabasco sauce. This method can
be effective but because it doesn’t actually teach your dog to stop chewing, it
may mean that your dog simply chews on a different object. Of course, if you
put some tasty treats in the area, the chewing behavior will hopefully shift
straight over to these.
If
you catch your dog about to chew on something they are not meant to, catch
their attention with a firm “NO”. Immediately give them something they can chew
on and praise them when they do.The best form of correction is from the objects
themselves! Ok, this sounds odd and needs to be explained. If you discipline
your dog for chewing an incorrect object, it can lead them to mistakenly
believe they cannot chew at all, or cannot chew in your presence. If however,
by chewing a certain object, a certain negative consequence occurs, it will
deter them later. The best way to do this is to startle your dog with a squirt
from a water pistol (on the back of their head) just as they are about to chew
the object. It is important that the dog does not see you do this. It must
think it is the object itself. This can be considered slightly aversive and is
recommended as a last resort where all other methods have failed.
