Have you ever come home to find that while you were gone, your puppy or dog has been busy chewing up your shoes, your remote control, pillows, perhaps a book you were enjoying, or God knows what? If that’s the case, you will need to train your dog  to stop chewing your things right away.

It is easy to figure out why puppies and young dogs are potentially so destructive. We should use ability to understand why a puppy is chewing to help control the damage.Just like a baby, the puppies are going through the teething process, and have a of discomfort in their teeth and gums till they outgrow this stage. A puppy or younger dog (up to about 3 years of age) are much more likely to have chewing problems than an older dog. Dogs may just chew on something, even if they are older, just to be doing something. If your dog is bored and maybe feeling a little lonely, or perhaps just under exercised, chewing gives him something to do–just like some other dogs spend their free time digging up the yard to pass the time of day. Whatever the reason may be, it is a problem that you can solve.

Here are some tips on how to stop dog chewing problems at your house.

• The very easiest method is to dog-proof your house by keeping your pet outside in the enclosed yard-at least when you are away and can’t supervise what he’s getting into. If you prefer to keep your dog inside while you are away, make sure to keep those smaller chewable items he likes somewhere out of reach from your pet. Just by using your common sense, you’ll stop a lot of damage through the simple act of closing all the house’s inner doors. Keep your shoes in a closed closet. Likewise keep your remote controls, books, cell phones, etc., out of reach by putting up on a higher shelf. Likewise, be sure to put all your food away in a cabinet and not left on a shelf  he can reach. Of course, the bigger your dog is the higher you will have to put your loose things. Since your dog can stand up on his hind legs, make sure you consider that when putting something tempting away.

• Give your pet a few alternative items to work out his chewing needs on. Chew toys are a wonderful and suitable substitute for your slippers. Among the various chew toys, I like the Kong best-it keeps my dogs occupied for a long time. A Kong is a chew toy kind of like an odd shaped ball  with an opening that allows you to put some peanut butter or another treat inside. My dogs will spend a long time trying to get at the treat inside. The Kong has a weird shape that makes for some wild unpredictable bounces when you use it as a fetch toy, so it is a lot of fun, too. Besides the Kong, provide some other chew toys too, so he has a few different items to play with and chew on. If he’s chewing something like a chew toy, the chewing he’s doing is no longer a problem-instead it’s a fun way for him to spend some time.

• If you catch him in the act of chewing something that is off limits, like your cell phone, you should immediately stop your dog from chewing it. One way to do this is to make a loud clapping sound with your hands and say “no” in a firm (but not angry) voice. This serves to get his attention. He’ll wonder what he’s doing wrong. You want his attention, but don’t make it negative-no hitting or yelling. You don’t want to scare him, just correct him. Be sure to stay calm, go to your dog and remove the item he’s chewing on and replace it with your approved alternative-the Kong or some other chew toy. Give him a lot of praise as he starts to chew on the toy. He’ll start to get the idea that while some things are OK to chew on,  others aren’t. Being the smart dog he is, he’ll soon learn it is much better to do things that get him praise and a reward instead of a correction. Just like us. Be sure not to punish your dog for something he chewed earlier while you were not at home. Don’t correct your dog’s behavior unless you catch them in the act of digging something prohibited. They don’t understand what you are saying of course, so punishing them hours after chewing up your shoes won’t make the right impression and will not help to stop you dog from chewing your shoes the next time he feels like it. Correcting too late, will not help, and in fact will just serve to confuse your dog.

Hopefully you have found this advice to be helpful with saving some of your possessions. Please click here for more helpful dog obedience training tips www.BehaveDoggy.com.

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