Dealing Happily With Your Chewing Puppy

Chewing is a natural part of being a puppy (just as it is a natural part of being a baby). You will not be able to stop your puppy from chewing, and you don't want to. It is an important aspect of his healthy development.

Just like babies, puppies chew when teething, and just like babies, you can help your puppy through teething by freezing a chew toy especially made for this purpose. Frozen whole carrots also make good chew toys for teething puppies.

Be sure to provide plenty of appropriate toys for your puppy to chew on. Make a great show of giving these toys to your puppy and keeping them in a special place near his other belongings (bed, food and water dishes). Praise him extravagantly for chewing on his own things. These few simple, positive steps may be all it takes to prevent your puppy from ever starting to chew on your belongings. If your puppy does chew on something that belongs to you, tell him "No!" firmly. Remove your item, and give him a chew toy to play with.

However, just in case, it is a very good idea to puppy-proof your home by securing dangerous and valuable items. Just as with a baby, be sure your cleaning supplies are behind locked doors. Secure your power cords out of reach. Make sure anything that can be swallowed is put away. Keep your shoes in your closet with the door closed, and so on.

Crate train your puppy so that he will not chew on things in your absence out of boredom. Have a couple of his favorite toys in the crate whenever he spends time in it. Rotate the toys from time to time so he will not become bored with them.

You may choose to use aversive measures (in addition to positive reinforcement) to prevent your puppy from chewing on some things, such as table legs, sofas, and other immovable objects. You can buy sprays that taste bad to use for this purpose. Bitter apple spray is probably the best known of these products. Be sure to follow all the instructions on the package to avoid damaging your belongings yourself!

For more on dog training and behavior, you may enjoy:

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