Do you want your dog to stop chewing on your furniture, shoes, and other things? Imagine what it would be like if your dog was well behaved and only chewed on his things. Dogs don’t figure out basic obedience on their own, they must be trained.
When to Begin Dog Training.
You can start training your dog to stop chewing on your things as early as eight weeks of age. Puppies that are handled and petted consistently during the first eight weeks of life are more amenable to being trained. It is also important that everyone in the household be consistent in the commands, methods, and enforcement of the training.
Teething.
Puppies begin to get their adult teeth around 3 to 6 months of age. During this time it can be quite painful and owners need to recognize dogs naturally need to chew more frequently during this time. If you want your dog to stop chewing on table legs and other furniture you can divert has attention by providing specific chew toys designed to ease the pain of teething. Toys like a frozen nylon bone, or freeze some raw hides. Then use some type of bad tasting, bad smelling spray on your favorite items, such as furniture, or shoes. There are several sprays available, the most well known is bitter apple.
Training tricks
Teaching your dog tricks serves several purposes, it develops a stronger relationship between you and your dog. It engages your dogs mind, which alleviates problems caused by boredom, and provides entertainment. When you alleviate boredom you get your dog to stop chewing in a destructive way.
Dog Proof Your House.
You will need to dog proof your home, and not give your dog free run of the whole house until you can trust your dog to stop chewing on your things. Put everything out of reach that you can, and keep all other doors in the home closed.
We have talked about starting training early with your dog, what to expect while your dog is teething, the importance of teaching your dog tricks, and dog proofing your home. The next most important thing to do is start obedience training, especially about chewing.
By: John R Bennett About the Author:
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