Break bad habits

Helpful Solutions For Your Chewing Dog
By Delores Burton—K9 Campus

MOST IMPORTANT— Exercise, Exercise, Exercise. About 50% of his interaction with you should be some form of working off excess energy. A minimum of ½ hr. walk, chasing the ball, training, playing—whatever it takes to tire him out. Exercise also releases endorphins to relax him so he is not so anxious. When walking, swing your arms naturally. If your dog is not in a heel position then he should be walking freely behind you or beside you. That is a sign of respect.

Running around in the backyard is not enough. Your dog may be bored or frustrated. In their natural environment, dogs are constantly foraging, traveling, migrating, marking their territory, etc. They need some stimulation. After all, you don’t stay in your house all day, or you would go nuts. So do they. If you work off the energy, you will be (1) fulfilling their needs; and (2) they will be too tired to chew. A tired dog is a good dog.
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Put your dog on a leash and take him on a tour of your house and yard. Pop and release the leash if he shows any interest in items that you do not want him to chew. As soon as he ignores it, give him lots of praise. If you do this on a daily basis he will learn very quickly what is allowed and what is not allowed.

Too Many Toys – Your dog should only have a few toys at a time. Rotate his toys. If you give them tons of toys, are you literally asking them to never stop using their teeth. Some good toys to give are hard rubber dog balls, Nylabone, a Kong a natural beef bone (one that can’t be broken into pieces). If your dog is not interested in chewing on his toys, soak them for 15 minutes in beef or chicken broth. They are also crazy about bully sticks (also known as Bullwrinkles and Pizzles). They last a long time and are safer than rawhide.

Don’t Give A Dog Toys That Are Made Out Of The Same Material As Your Own Belongings. It is too confusing for a dog if you give them toys that are made of similar material as your own stuff. If your dog is a severe chewer, even a rawhide bone is too much. They can’t tell the difference between a rawhide bone and your good leather shoes.

Don’t give them cloth items or squeaky toys if they tend to destroy them. Stick to toys that are safe and hard to tear apart.

Free Choice of Food
I suggest you don’t leave food down for more than 15-20 minutes. Dogs by nature are predators, not grazing animals like a horse or cow. They eat and then they fast. If you leave food down all day, they will not appreciate their food. You will also unconsciously be encouraging them to constantly use their mouth.

Tug of War Games
This is a very powerful oral reflex stimulator. It’s a game that causes them to gain a lot of power over you because they usually win, or you will get tired and give up. It also strengthens their jaw.

Pulling Things From Their Mouth
Constantly pulling balls, toys or socks from your dog’s mouth will encourage them to tug. You want your dog to have a soft mouth. Teach your dog to drop it. One way of doing this is when they have a forbidden item in their mouth, press their gum on one of their back teeth and say drop it. Soon they will do it on command.

No Licking or Biting Allowed
This is another oral behavior that should be discouraged. Licking and biting are ways the dog attempts to dominate and also encourages more use of their mouth.

Don’t Give Too Many Treats
Giving treats all day just keeps the focus on using their mouth. Give only a few treats a day, unless you are in training mode.

If Your Dog is a Puppy
If your dog is under 7 months old, he is probably teething. Just like a baby, they need some relief. Try wetting a rag/toy rope and freezing it and then giving it to your dog to chew on. This will help numb his gums. If he’s not interested, soak it in beef broth or chicken broth before freezing it.

If you see your puppy chewing on something that is forbidden, take it away from him but replace it with something he is allowed to chew on. Try marking his toys with a distinct smell, like vanilla. Moisten a cotton ball with vanilla and mark his toys. He will soon recognize the smell of his toys and will learn what is allowed and what is not. Mark your stuff in the same manner with something unappealing, like Listerine.

Constant Supervision
If your dog is still unreliable with chewing, you need to dog-proof your house. If you can’t watch them, you must confine them until they are reliable. Either confine them to a kennel or a room where they cannot get into trouble. Close doors that are a temptation. Pick up articles of clothing or shoes that are a temptation.

Alum, Bitter Apple, Bitter End
You can buy Alum in the seasonings department of your market. This is a bitter powder, when mixed with water will make a paste. Put it on the things you don’t want your dog to chew on. The good thing about it is that after it dries, it just crumbles off into a powder. However, check for colorfastness on anything you are in doubt of.

Bitter Apple and Bitter End are sprays you can buy at Petco or some other dog supplier. One is alcohol-based, the other water-based. If one doesn’t work, the other might. Spray it on the things you don’t want them to chew.