Chewing

Chewing is a normal, healthy and pleasurable behavior for your dog. Chewing keeps teeth clean, jaws strong, and can be a mentally stimulating. To encourage appropriate chewing behavior, dog owners should follow the three P plan: Prevention, Product and Praise.

Prevention
The first rule in setting your dog up for appropriate chewing behavior is prevention. If you do not want your dog to chew on your brand new shoes, put them away! Deny your dog access to the things your dog should not be chewing on will save you the grief of having your possessions destroyed and will help set your pup up for success. For items that cannot be put away, such as the dining room table, apply a bite prevention product to the object. Bitter apple spray is often successful in deterring dogs from inappropriate chewing, but for the rare dog who is not bothered by the taste you can try citrus or diluted mouthwash. Also, if you cannot keep your stuff away from your dog, keep your dog away from your stuff! Crating or otherwise confining your dog when you cannot be there to supervise is an excellent way to prevent unwanted chewing.

Product
The next step in encouraging proper chewing is providing your dog with appropriate items to chew. There are toys made of a softer rubber material specifically designed for puppies, but for most adult dogs toys made of hard rubber are best for long-lasting chewing. Kongs are excellent products both for their durability and their design; the beehive shape makes the toy easier for your pup to grasp, and the hollow interior allows you to stuff the toy with edibles. Once they get the hang of extracting food from the Kong, you can freeze your stuffed Kong to make for a longer chew time. Rawhides and bully sticks are also tasty chew treats but only last a limited time. It is always best to supervise your dog when he or she has a chew item, and having a solid ‘drop it' cue in your training vocabulary is invaluable for when chew time is over, the toy or bone has become unsafe for further chewing, or when your companion animal is chewing on an inappropriate item.

Praise
Whenever your dog is chewing on an appropriate object, praise him/her! With a delighted tone, tell your pooch what a good dog he/she is for chewing on the right item. Giving a verbal correction for chewing on the wrong item (‘Ah, ah, ah!' or ‘No bite!' for example) is fine, but it is vital that your pup also receives accolades for doing the right thing to establish a positive precedent. Chewing on the proper toy makes for a happy human, and dogs like their humans happy.

Lock up your leather boots, arm yourself with a variety of appropriate chew toys, be liberal with your loving praise, and you will have a successful chewer!