At Your Wits Over Your Dog Gnawing Your Shoes and Furniture?

If you have a chewing pooch, you're not alone, many people have dogs that chew when they are puppies only to continue the behavior when they are full grown dogs. Certain breeds are more prone to chewing than others and some dogs just have a real need to chew, and all dogs can chew, just so long as what they are chewing on a toy and not furniture or shoes.

Why is Your Dog Chewing?

First of all, if your dog is under a year old, it could very well explain the chewing, he or she is still a puppy. Puppies are very much like infants in that they are teething and chewing on everything and anything makes the pain better. For a puppy a shoe or an edge of a table leg make the perfect teething ring, in the dog's mind at least.

Most puppies outgrow chewing once the teething is over, but during those few months they can do a lot of damage to your furniture and shoes, the bigger the pup, the more damage they can cause. The key is to stop the behavior before it begins.

Preventing Dog Chewing

First off, if you are bringing a puppy home, you need to make sure you are prepared for the teething, there are wonderful products that you can purchase in order to deter their chewing from your furniture and shoes. You will want to stock up on tough puppy toys, but avoid raw hides simply because these can be very difficult to digest, and the dog or puppy will consume it and then can cause upset stomach by way of vomiting and diarrhea. You don't want to trade one problem for another. So choose those chew toys that are very hard and labeled as "indestructible" these are much harder for your dog to destroy but will keep him or her entertained for hours.

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Secondly, dogs that are prone to chew on furniture or table corners will still have the temptation, you will need to refer the dog constantly to his chew toys. So when you catch them in "the act" of chewing on something inappropriate, you will want to make the chew toy look more interesting. Don't scold the dog or puppy because then they just learn to fear you. What you want to do is get the dog's attention away from what he or she should not be chewing and redirect the attention to the toys.

If your dog tends to chew on legs of tables, such as wooden legs, they do have protectors that fit right over the legs of the furniture and then the dog becomes bored with the legs and chew on the toys that truly help to relieve the pain of teething in puppies. Some adult dogs do have a need to chew and if you do not have the proper chew toys around, they will simply use your shoes and furniture to chew on.

Mental Toys and More Mental Toys

There are several toys available that are made of a hard rubber but hollow in the middle so you can fill it with peanut butter or treats and this keeps the dog occupied for hours as they figure out the best way to get the yummy middle out and into their mouths. This also tires the dog and gives them an excellent workout of the mind because their task is getting the treat out of the toy so they can eat it.

Other toys that work well are stuffed animals, as long as the dog is no longer a puppy to where he or she will tear it apart. If the dog is fairly young, you might want to forego stuffed animals until the dog it out of the destructive and ripping stage.

The idea of course, with the toys is to have enough of them handy and available to the dog at all times, if he or she begins gnawing on furniture or a shoe, gently redirect his attention to the toy and make the toy fun by throwing it or scooting it around on the floor. Remember, some dogs do not have a very high attention span, so therefore you have to always make his toys appealing.

Remove Chewable Items

Puppies in particular love chewing on the soles of shoes, therefore, it is wise to keep all shoes put up where the puppy or dog cannot gain access to them. Other dogs, with separation anxiety will chew up items when you are out of the home, so make sure all shoes and furniture are protected be you leave. It might be best to leave the dog in a room where he or she cannot chew on anything other than their toys.

Final Thoughts

Puppy chewing is common and should be expected, which is why you need to make sure you have lots of chew toys before you bring the puppy home. Many adult dogs never outgrow the need to chew, so you will need to have a nice selection of chew toys for him or her to keep them occupied and by continually giving him the chew toys, he learns that these are the "okay" toys to gnaw on.

If you have a very active and large breed dog, you will want to make sure you are giving them the proper amount of exercise so that their mind does not become bored because bored dogs begin chewing on items they should not. Make sure you take the dog for long walks or at least have a large yard where the large dog can romp and work off some of the excessive energy they have.

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