Most dog lovers are aware that it’s easier to train a puppy than an adult dog. However, they still allow unwanted behaviors go uncorrected during puppy-hood. If you don’t want a particular behavior from an adult dog, you must correct that behavior when that dog is a puppy. Unwanted chewing is one of those habits that you can correct when your dog is young. If you don’t do that, you will have to spend more time and effort to train your adult dog.
Prevent Unwanted Chewing from Happening
There’s nothing more effective than preventing unwanted behaviors before they start. Remove opportunities for unwanted chewing and anything that might be misinterpreted as a reward for unwanted chewing. It’s very simple. If you don’t want your puppy to chew on something, make sure that it’s out of his/her reach.
Provide Chew Toys
If your dog chews on something unacceptable gently redirect them to a chew toy. When he/she chews on something acceptable, provide plenty of praise and rewards.
When you provide rewards and praise, your dog will correlate chewing on the toy as a way of receiving rewards. With time, it will lead them to chewing only on acceptable objects.
Negativity Doesn’t Help!
Remember that yelling does not work. Scolding draws negative attention and might encourage your dog to chew more. When your dog makes a mistake, it’s a good idea to gently let them know that they did something wrong and redirect them away from the scene.
You Need Patience!
Training a dog or breaking a habit takes a lot of work and patience. It’s not going to happen overnight. So take baby steps and keep working on it. Rushing the process does not help. Breaking even an established habit can be done with time and patience.
Seek Help from a Professional
If you feel like your best efforts aren’t bringing in the results, perhaps it’s a good idea to get help from a professional. An experienced dog behaviorist or a dog trainer will be able to help you stop unwanted chewing.
Find some interesting facts about your dog’s teeth here. Is your dog not listening to your commands? This article will help.
