Dog chewing prevention practices are imperative the moment you catch your dog gnawing on your furniture. Why?
First off, you’ll be losing a lot of your belongings if you don’t stop a dog from chewing on them early on. And that’s not even the main problem.
If your dog’s chewing problem goes rampant, it could easily swallow foreign matter. This could lead to serious or even fatal injuries to your beloved pet.
Even though it’s normal behavior especially in teething pups, your dog chewing on vaarious items around the home must be averted before it becomes destructive. The solution is to pet-proof your home. This allows safer chewing options for your pet because gnawing is half the battle.
If Fluffy is a persistent gnawer, here are dog chewing prevention tactics you can adopt immediately.
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Feed your dog adequately and on time.
A dog’s chewing problem can stem from hunger or even malnutrition. Make sure your dog gets enough daily caloric requirements for its breed, weight, and level of activity.
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Buy safe teething toys and chewable food.
To prevent dogs from chewing on random household items, one of the main fixes is to provide them with safe chew toys. If you have puppies, their toys should be made specifically for teething. For adult dogs, you can give them veterinarian-approved toys.
Other safe items include:
- Tendon chews
- Dental dog chews
- Hooves
- Yak milk cheese chews
- Frozen doggy treats
- Dog chew biscuits
- Kibble
- Organic pig ears (steer clear of non-organic ears because they may be injected with hormones)
Whatever toys you give to your dog, make sure that they’re durable enough not to break into smaller pieces that can be swallowed. All chew items must also be the correct size for your dog’s mouth. This will minimize the risk of accidental choking.
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Repel the tastebuds.
Another dog chewing prevention technique is to use a dog chewing repellant. It’s a foul-tasting substance that’s applied onto furniture legs, shoes, and other items, and comes in spray or gel form.
This safely helps stop dog chewing by conditioning Fluffy’s tastebuds away from the object in question.
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Give your dogs the attention they need.
Dog chewing prevention starts with finding out its root cause. One of its less apparent causes is lack of attention.
Your dog may start chewing on your furniture, toys, and even your leg as an attempt to get your attention. This is only aggravated when your dog tends to be ignored most of the time, only to be scolded when it starts chewing.
Another cause of incessant dog gnawing activity is boredom. Dogs thrive on play, and if Fluffy doesn’t get enough playtime, it may resort to biting on the nearest available object to simulate its much-needed mouth play.
The solution to this is to give your pet enough time and attention for good behavior, so it doesn’t seek you out with negative behavior because it feels neglected.
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Separation anxiety aggravates chewing.
Sometimes, a dog’s chewing problem may start in puppyhood. If a puppy is weaned too early from its mother, it may resort to self-comforting gestures like constant chewing, biting, or sucking on random objects (the equivalent of thumb-sucking in humans).
Frequent dog gnawing may also arise from separation anxiety caused by your leaving the house. In bothe cases, it is important that your dog receives enough attention to comfort it. If it gets out of hand, however, you can consult a dog behaviorist to help you find more targeted dog chewing prevention techniques.
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Avoid bones.
Regular animal bones aren’t the best chew toys to prevent dogs from chewing. They can snap, break, or splinter, causing potential mouth and gastrointestinal injuries to your pooch. In yourger dogs, these may cause broken teeth or jaw injuries.
Small pieces from cooked bones (like those from poultry) may also get lodged in your pet’s windpipe, causing it to choke. Raw bones may carry certain transmissible bacteria, and marrow from larger bones may cause diarrhea.
If you wish to buy edible bones to aid dog chewing prevention, make sure they’re irradiated and placed in an area that can be easily cleaned. This ensures safer dog gnawing activity.
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Limit room access.
If you give your pet free rein over your entire home, all of your furniture is fair game. Curb your dog’s chewing problem by limiting its access to certain rooms, where there is minimal furniture that can be damaged.
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Keep important and potentially harmful items away.
Fluffy will only gnaw on what it can reach. Make sure you keep all important chewable items in your household hidden away from your pet’s play and rest areas. The same goes for potentially hazardous objects and substances.
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Be careful with communication.
Sometimes your dog will nip at your hand, leg, or heels as an invitation to play. How you respond determines whether or not it will escalate into a chewing problem.
If you act hurt, give it something else to chew on, or start a playful chase, this may signal to Fluffy that dog chewing is acceptable. To stop dog chewing before it gets worse, you’ll have to resort to certain disciplinary tactics to redirect the behavior into something more constructive.
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Use trusted and effective training techniques.
Dog chewing prevention can be implemented through home dog training techniques. If your dog’s chewing problem is persistent and wreaks extensive damage, you can discuss this with a professional trainer. Otherwise, you can do your research and get started on a dog training routine to stop dog chewing.
There are plenty of other ways to stop dogs from chewing on household items, but these are the basic principles for effective dog chewing prevention. As with any training and retraining routine, remember to get enough information on the matter, exercise constant positive reinforcement, and ask for professional help when needed.
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Leave a comment below if you enjoyed this article or have any questions!
Very good practical advice
Thanks!