How to Stop Your Dog from Chewing!

1. Prevention! Want your dog to stop chewing up your stuff? Don’t let him chew up your stuff. Easier said than done! Puppy proof your house. Keep your puppy where you can see him/her. Having privileges of the whole house need to be earned, after you can trust Rover to not destroy things. Babygates, tethering the dog to you, keeping him/her in the same room you are in so you can keep an eye on things. When your dog has developed good chew toy habits and has stopped making mistakes, you then can allow more freedom when s/he’s home alone.

2. Prevent boredom! Make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise. Go on an adventure: walks, hikes, play fetch, play tug-of-war, play with flirt-poles. Don’t forget about brain work. Your dog needs mental stimulation. Ideas: agility, puppy class, canine disc, trick training, scent work, obedience training. Feeding your dog from puzzle toys such as the Nina Ottoson Brick or Spinner or any of the slow feed bowls also works your dog's brain.

3. Get rid of the food bowl! There is a very simple thing that will produce a fast and huge change in your dog’s behavior — hand feed your dog! Yes, put the food bowl away for a month and feed all meals by hand! When you hand feed your dog, you make yourself very important, you can teach bite inhibition and you will gain your dog’s undivided attention! Click here for ideas on hand feeding

4. Chew toys! Teach your dog to chew on safe pet chew toys such as the class Kong. Make it exciting by not leaving the chew toys out all the time. Make a big deal out of the chew toy when you hand it over. Make your Kong a bowl! You can stuff your dog’s daily food allowance into a KONG instead, offering him much more stimulation and exercise than simply gobbling it out of a bowl. Split your dog’s daily ration of food into 4 or 5 and place into 4 or 5 KONGs. Now hide them in different places about the house or garden.

5. Redirect the wrong behavior! When your dog is in a chewing mood and going for something s/he should not have, get some high-value chews or that stuffed chew toy. Teach your dog, "don't chew that, chew this!".

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