Teaching Your Puppy Good Chewing Habits
Puppies are curious creatures – they learn about
their environment by smelling, touching, manipulating and sometimes
chewing on novel items. Therefore, chewing behavior in puppies is not
considered to be a behavior problem, but rather a normal behavior that
puppies must be trained to direct to appropriate items. Here are guidelines
for teaching good chewing habits to your dog:
- Prevent Mistakes: Manage your puppy’s home environment
to prevent undesirable chewing and to keep your puppy safe from consuming
dangerous objects. Keep “attractive” items away from your puppy and always
supervise him when he is loose in the house.
These include, but are not limited to: socks and other items of clothing, children’s
toys, slippers and shoes, household knick knacks, tissues, and open garbage cans.
In addition, your puppy must be supervised during all free time in the home, both
to prevent inappropriate chewing and to monitor his housetraining.
- Select Appropriate Puppy Toys: Provide a variety of interesting
chew toys for your puppy and offer these to him frequently. If your pup does pick up
something that is not his, simply remove it from his mouth and redirect him to one of
his own toys, praising him quietly when he chews on appropriate items. (Avoid chasing
your puppy or using harsh reprimands, as this can teach him to run away or cause fear).
- Rotate Toys: Puppies and adult dogs enjoy novelty in their toys.
Select a variety of types of chew toys for your puppy and rotate them frequently. If
your puppy has not seen a particular toy for a few weeks, he will be more excited to
play with it when it is reintroduced!
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