How To Stop a Dog Chewing

You can't stop a dog chewing, but you can stop a dog chewing things he's not supposed to.

The muscles in a dog's jaw are some of the strongest in his body and an average sized dog can untie a knot in a rawhide bone in minutes.

Just how big a problem chewing will become will depend on your dog. all dogs will chew at some time, the secret is to make sures he chews only his toys, so first of all make sure he has some to keep him occupied.

Younger dogs in particular, just like a teething child, will chew on just about anything so make sure he has a puppy teething toy that he can chew on whenever he has the urge.

Don't leave shoes, clothes or children's toys lying around, this will obviously attract the dog's attention when the idea is to keep him interested in his own chews.

A sharp word as a deterrent is acceptable if they pick up something they shouldn't, but shouting or physical punishment is counter productive. Remember that you are the alpha dog in the pack and eventually he will realise his place and become submissive to your commands.

There are plenty of special plastic or rubber bones and rawhide bones in the shops. Some of these are hollow and contain treats keeping your dog interested for ages trying to get at the prize on the inside.

It's not a good idea to give them chicken or pork bones, These can splinter and catch in the dog's throat causing damage to their mouth or even choking them.

Outside, plants can be treated with a deterrent like cayenne pepper paste. A taste of that and he won't be keen to come back for more in a hurry.

The most difficult thing about trying to stop a dog chewing is you are attempting to train your dog NOT to do something which creates a different problem from most other dog training exercises, however as with any dog training program, patience, persistence and consistency are the keys to success.