Chew on This: How to Stop a Puppy from Chewing
Your beloved sofa is showing signs of wear and tear, but what really gets at you is the chew marks at the posts and feet caused by no other than your beloved little puppy. You wonder how such a small thing can cause so much damage. Well, fret no more as here’s how to stop a puppy from chewing so that you’ll be able to preserve the sofa in good condition and teach your puppy some discipline.
While chewing is normal behavior among puppies and dogs, when done in the wrong place, it is unacceptable and may even endanger your puppy’s health should it chew on something he cannot digest. It is also a puppy’s way of exploring the surroundings and relieving stress and boredom. Choosing a proper breed plays an important part in how to stop a puppy from chewing, as its breed can help determine its chewing habits. For example, a very energetic puppy may be unable to adapt to a household whose members are too easy-going or too easily annoyed at all the excited barking. The same goes for a shy, quiet pup who may not adapt easily to a household with active individuals or small children that intimidate such a puppy, causing it to be stressed out. Stress can really aggravate a dog’s chewing activity. It also helps to puppy-proof your home and to remove things that the puppy may be tempted to chew on, such as rug fringes, plants, trash cans and soft paper products like tissue or toilet papers. You can also tape down or cover visible electrical wires.
Also an important thing to remember in how to stop a puppy from chewing is to avoid putting your hands or feet within easy biting or chewing distance. Puppies, especially those that aren’t raised in a pack, have a tendency to nip, thinking this is okay. When this happens, give a firm, loud command for the puppy to stop and then move away. Isolate the puppy for a few seconds or minutes, and then come back with a chew toy it can play with. This is usually enough to let the puppy know that its biting behavior is unacceptable. Contrary to popular belief, a puppy can have too many chew toys, so make sure that only an acceptable amount is left for him to play with. Otherwise, he can get confused about which toys he can chew on and which ones he can’t. And if you have wide spaces in your house and will for example be unable to safely supervise your puppy’s playtime, you can put him in a suitably-sized crate or behind a wire puppy gate to prevent him from roaming about on a destructive chewing mission. Make sure though to use this as positive reinforcement and never use the crate as a punishment. Gentleness is an important factor in how to stop a puppy from chewing. Being strict and harsh may not bring the desired results.
As a last resort, if the chewing continues at alarming levels, consult a professional dog trainer to determine how best to solve the problem.
