Chewing Puppy
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Puppies are so adorable, with their fuzzy little coat of fur, winsome eyes, natural curiosity, loving ways, and constant playfulness. However, there is a caveat here. One of the downsides of this bundle of cuteness is that puppies absolutely love to chew. They're pretty indiscriminate in their chewing
objects of choice. Chewing is natural to a puppy. It's what they do. When your furry friend exercises his God-given right to be a chewing puppy, there's bound to be some losses sustained all around the house. When your teenage daughter presents you with her favorite sweater in shreds and tears in her eyes, you know it's time to curb this bad habit – but how?
Before your home is in tatters, begin an anti-chewing puppy program. First, you need to understand the psychology of the chewing puppy. There are several reasons puppies chew on everything. Puppies are teething and they chew on things to relieve the pain. Sometimes they chew just because they have nothing better to do. Chewing is a highly esteemed activity with all puppies. Often, they chew on something because they enjoy the scent of a family member which resides on the item. They also may be trying to establish their spot as top dog in the household – which includes you and everyone in the family! There's no question that they need to chew, but a chewing puppy that goes unchecked will not outgrow this tendency. Instead, as ho grows to an adult dog, he'll continue the practice to show his position of authority.
Now, a trip to your local pet store is recommended! Invest in some puppy toys, such as fake bones, hard rubber balls, squeak toys, and knotted ropes are good choices. Now you have to teach him that these are his and everything else is yours! Present him with his collection of dog chew toys and let him go for it. Remember, you've got to keep a sharp eye on your chewing puppy if you want to keep Dad's favorite leather slippers from going to the dogs! The minute you see him chewing on anything but his designated toys, round him up and give him a firm “No!” or “Bad dog!”. The phrase, bad dog, comes in handy later, because he comes to associate the single admonition with bad behavior, so this phrase is multi-purpose.
The only punishment you should administer to your chewing puppy is the disapproval in your voice, followed by leading him to his own toys in a restricted area. This can be as simple as a large cardboard box or as fancy as his own dog crate. Let him have his own toys and chew to his heart's content. With this simple process, he will eventually learn what he's allowed to chew on!
