How To Break The Chewing Puppy Syndrome
When you welcome home a new canine member, you are actually welcoming a bundle of warmth and love that has winsome eyes and covered with soft fur. However, this cute little puppy has one unavoidable drawback and that is the chewing puppy syndrome.
Well, one cannot blame the puppy as chewing is its inherent habit. When your kids present you with their favorite stuffed toy or a beloved pair of shoes torn to pieces, you realize that it is high time to put an end to your puppies chewing syndrome.
Before you embark on an anti-chewing puppy project, you should first understand the need and reason behind his obsessive habit. The main reason might be because he is teething and trying to relieve the pain by chewing on anything that takes his fancy.
Because of their high sense of smell they might want to have a go at the objects which has lingering scents of the family members or they might be trying to ascertain their position in the family. Or, he might be chewing with enthusiasm just because he does not have anything else of interest to do. Whatever the reason, if you do not put a stop to this bothersome behavior, your puppy will never outgrow his chewing syndrome.
You first step to break his behavior is to go for a shopping trip to a pet shop. Shop for some puppy toys that he will love to chew like fake bones, knotted sisal ropes and hard rubber balls. Once you have these with you, you just have to teach him all these goodies are his to chew and everything else is taboo.
Remember, you’ve got to keep a sharp eye on your chewing puppy if you want to avoid Dad’s favorite leather slippers going to the dogs! The minute you see him chewing on anything but his designated toys, round him up and deliver a firm No! or Bad dog!. The phrase, bad dog, comes in handy later, because he comes to associate the single admonition with behavioral infractions, 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 a dog crate. Let him have his own toys and chew to his heart’s content. With this simple process, he will eventually learn what belongs to whom!
Tags: animals, dog obedience training, dog training, dog training basics, dogs, family, pedigree dogs, pets, puppies, puppy chewing, puppy obedience, puppy training
dog training | Brad Davenport | 02 June 2009 |
