How To Stop My Dog From Chewing Up Things...!

Is your dog chewing on your shoes?

Is your dog chewing on your furniture?

Is your dog chewing on your wood furniture?

Is your dog chewing up your pillows?

These are just a few examples of the kinds of things that dog's like to chew on! They have been known to chew on anything that they can get their paws on! But like all dog behaviors, dog chewing can be stopped or redirected. You first have to realize that this is behavior that ALL dog's will exhibit. Especially when they are puppies. Why?

Puppies will begin chewing on things when they are about 4 weeks old because they are teething. In dog terms this is known as "erupting". This is when their baby teeth or "milk teeth" begin to "erupt" through their gums. This process can go on for another 6 to 9 nine months with the baby teeth being replaced with their permanent teeth. What can you do about it?

Well if you have a puppy and you think that this is the reason for the chewing you can provide them with chew toys. During this time your puppies gums are sore and they chew on things to relieve the pressure. By providing your puppies with chew toys you can help relieve that pressure and soreness AND save your things at the same time!

What do you do if you have no puppy and your dog is full grown? What could be making your older dog chew on things? Please keep reading...

If any of the above questions pertain to you then your dog may have other problems as to why he or she is chewing up things. Your dog may have separation anxiety. What is separation anxiety?

Separation anxiety is the behavior that your dog will exhibit when he is away from you. He or she may whine or scratch the door or bite the furniture or chew on your boots because they are away from you. What causes separation anxiety? Who knows. There are many explanations but no one real reason.

One explanation is that since dog's are descendants of the wolf, they are used to being in that wolf pack. To your dog, you are the wolf pack leader. The family bond that their wolf ancestry instilled in them is still present, in their genes. Perhaps they have that longing of belonging to a family, and you leaving them alone for hours at a time just doesn't bode well for them. They get excited or stressed when they know that you are about o leave, and they want to go also.

To combat this anxiety you can change up your routine. Instead of leaving for work through the front door, leave through the garage or back door. This may alleviate some of the anxiety that your dog can be feeling about you leaving him alone.

You can also work on changing up this anxiety during the weekend by leaving your house quietly and returning quietly. Walk outside the front door for about 2 or 3 minutes quietly and return the same way. Eventually changing the routine and checking on your dog every couple of minutes will relieve some of the anxiety he is feeling.

What do you do if it's not separation anxiety? What if your dog is plain old bored? Please keep reading...

Yes. Believe it or not, dog's do get bored. They are just like you and me. If i leave you in the house for about 8 or 9 hours with nothing to do, wouldn't you be bored? Give your dog something else to do and he won't be bored! If this is the case with your dog, then there are some things that you can do.

First of all, make sure that you invest in some chew toys. These little inexpensive toys can save you a lot of money in the long run. Instead of your dog chewing up your furniture or your best pair of shoes, they can be chewing on the nice new chew toy that you bought them.

You can also invest in deterrent sprays. You spray that piece of furniture that you think they might be eyeing and once they get a taste of it in their mouth, they will stay away from it. These sprays are completely safe and will not harm your dog. Some sprays taste like bitter apples while other have a jalapeno pepper taste to them. Whatever the flavor, most dog's respond very well to this kind of deterrent.

To find out more information about dog chewing and other annoying behaviors that you want to get rid of, please visit: Dr. Dog's Behavior Solutions!