How would you like to have a dog who doesn't chew on your things? Sorry, your dog has a natural urge to chew. Dogs don't have hands so they use their mouth. Dogs use their mouth to explore their environment, and to move things around. It's not hard to train your dog not to chew on your stuff but to chew on his stuff. You also have the advantage that dogs like to please their owners. Let me share some information that will help you.

When you have to leave your dog home alone.

You will need to keep your dog in a confined space, such as a bathroom, a crate, or other closed off room. Removing all of your personal things from this area is important. especially anything with your scent on it. If you give your dog any old item, such as that old shoe, he will not know the difference between what is appropriate and what is not to chew on. You want to remember to remove items your dog can reach by standing up.

Your dog will need a diversity of toys, and it keeps it interesting if you rotate some of those toys out every few days. Dogs love large bones, like the ones you would get from your butcher. When you get the bones home boil them for 30 minutes to sterilize them. Another neat idea is to soak raw hides in various flavors of soup and let them dry. Another excellent idea are toys like Kong that have treats inside.

Dog Teething.

When your dog is just a few weeks old they will start teething, and this will continue up to almost 2 years old. Training your dog early, will save a lot of unwanted destruction. If you have a dog who stays home alone for long hours, chances are he will be a more active chewer all his life.

Dog training - the next step.

Dogs need to be trained appropriate chewing behavior, this is not something they will outgrow. Remember that a dog will forget the crime 3 seconds after it was committed. For example you come home and find an object of yours that he destroyed, even though he's looking at you as if he's guilty he's really only reacting to you and your anger. Only use training when you catch him in the act. right away you want to interrupt your dog using commands, then offer him a chew toy. When he takes the chew toy from you be sure to praise him.

These are just some of the tips, and advice that I can offer you. Take the time to train your dog, and you and your dog will both be happier. Thank you for reading my article, John