Dogs, like to chew and will chew on anything and everything they can set their mouth on. Chewing is a natural and normal behavior for dogs, especially puppies. Factors that contribute to a dog’s chewing include teething, monotony and insufficient exercise. The real problem with a dog’s chewing behavior arises when your pet starts to chew on the inappropriate items, such as furniture, pillows, shoes and your kid’s toys and homework.
Although dogs can chew for a lot of reasons, there are three main reasons attributed for inappropriate chewing behavior:
1. Chewing is an enjoyable activity for dogs and keeps them occupied. When your dog chews on something that is really tasty, he’s basically rewarding himself and wants to continue with the activity.
2. Chewing provides comfort to dogs, especially if he has trouble expressing his emotions. If your pet feels lonely, bored, or upset, chewing soothes him and makes him feel better.
3. Chewing provides dogs a channel to get rid of all of his excess energy. Dogs that don’t get enough exercise build up nervous energy that must be relieved in some way.
Being a responsible owner, you should be able to teach your pet the appropriate chewing behavior. If you think that your dog’s chewing is already destructive, then you’ve got a problem. Destructive chewing can be a very difficult behavior to deal with, but some of the tips below might help you in correcting your pet’s destructive behavior:
• Provide your pet with a good quality chew toy. Make sure he has variety of toys to choose from and that he knows what is acceptable to chew on and what is not.
• Your pet may tend to get bored with his toys if he plays with it everyday. Rotate your dog’s toys to avoid boredom with the same toy.
• If your pet loves to chew up his toys, choose durable toys that are not easily damaged. When giving your pet his toys, ensure there are no removable parts that can be easily torn off and ingested. If your pet chews up and ingests items, it can cause serious health problems. Eating the stuffing in pillows and sofa cushions can lead to serious gastro-intestinal problems that can require surgery.
• Avoid buying toys that are small enough for your dog to swallow since it may lead to choking. Also avoid toys that are too large for him to play with comfortably.
• Supervise and observe your pet every time he plays with a new toy. Watch out for inappropriate behaviors so that you can correct it earlier.
• Choose washable toys for your dog. Your dog’s chew toys can become pretty disgusting due to accumulation of dirt and drool. Aside from that, dirty toys can become a natural breeding ground for unhealthy and harmful bacteria.
Remember that a good quality chew toy will satisfy your dog’s natural urge to chew and can help break your dog’s destructive chewing behaviors. Choose wisely when shopping for a good chew toy.
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