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Puppies may be just as much work as human babies - maybe
more so because puppies can't wear diapers and they have very sharp teeth!
It's definitely true that, similar to infants and toddlers, puppies explore
their world by putting things in their mouths. In addition, puppies are
teething until they’re about six months old, which usually creates some
discomfort. Chewing not only facilitates teething, but also makes sore
gums feel better. Although it's perfectly normal for a puppy to chew on
furniture, shoes, shrubbery and such, these behaviors can be a problem
for you. A puppy won’t magically "outgrow" these behaviors as he matures.
Instead, you must shape your puppy's behaviors and teach him which ones
are acceptable and which aren’t.
Discouraging Unacceptable Behavior
- It’s virtually inevitable that your puppy will, at
some point, chew up something you value. This is part of raising a puppy!
You can, however, prevent most problems by taking the following precautions:
- Minimize chewing problems by puppy-proofing your house.
Put the trash out of reach, inside a cabinet or outside on a porch,
or buy containers with locking lids. Encourage children to pick up their
toys and don’t leave socks, shoes, eyeglasses, briefcases or TV remote
controls lying around within your puppy’s reach.
- If, and only if, you catch your puppy chewing on something
he shouldn't, interrupt the behavior with a loud noise, then offer him
an acceptable chew toy instead and praise him lavishly when he takes
the toy in his mouth.
- Make unacceptable chew items unpleasant to your puppy.
Furniture and other items can be coated with "Bitter Apple" to make
them unappealing (see our handout: "Sample Aversives for Dogs").
- Don't give your puppy objects to play with such as
old socks, old shoes or old children's toys that closely resemble items
that are off-limits. Puppies can't tell the difference!
- Closely supervise your puppy. Don’t give him the chance
to go off by himself and get into trouble. Use baby gates, close doors
or tether him to you with a six-foot leash so you can keep an eye on
him.
- When you must be gone from the house, confine your
puppy to a small, safe area such as a laundry room. You may also begin
to crate train your puppy (see our handout: "Crate Training Your Dog"). Puppies under five months
of age shouldn’t be crated for longer than four hours at a time, as
they may not be able to control their bladder and bowels longer than
that.
- Make sure your puppy is getting adequate physical activity.
Puppies left alone in a yard don’t play by themselves. Take your puppy
for walks and/or play a game of fetch with him as often as possible.
- Give your puppy plenty of "people time." He can only
learn the rules of your house when he’s with you.
Encouraging Acceptable Behavior
- Provide your puppy with lots of appropriate toys (see
our handout "Dog Toys and How to Use Them").
- Rotate your puppy’s toys. Puppies, like babies, are
often more interested in unfamiliar or novel objects. Put out four or
five toys for a few days, then pick those up and put out four or five
different ones.
- Experiment with different kinds of toys. When you introduce
a new toy to your puppy, watch him to make sure he won’t tear it up
and ingest the pieces.
- Consider the various types of toys that can be stuffed
with food. Putting tidbits of food inside chew toys focuses your puppy’s
chewing activities on those toys instead of on unacceptable objects.
- If your puppy is teething, try freezing a wet washcloth
for him to chew on.
What Not To Do
Never discipline or punish your puppy after the fact. If you discover
a chewed item even minutes after he’s chewed it, you’re too late to administer
a correction. Animals associate punishment with what they’re doing at
the time they’re being punished. A puppy can’t reason that, "I
tore up those shoes an hour ago and that's why I'm being scolded now."
Some people believe this is what a puppy is thinking because he runs and
hides or because he "looks guilty." "Guilty looks" are canine submissive
postures that dogs show when they’re threatened. When you’re angry and
upset, the puppy feels threatened by your tone of voice, body postures
and/or facial expressions, so he may hide or show submissive postures.
Punishment after-the-fact will not only fail to eliminate the undesirable
behavior, but could provoke other undesirable behaviors, as well.
Other Reasons For Destructive Behavior
In most cases, destructive chewing by puppies is nothing more than
normal puppy behavior. Adult dogs, however, can exhibit destructive behaviors
for a variety of reasons, which can occasionally be the cause of chewing
problems in puppies, as well. Examples include separation anxiety, fear-related
behaviors and attention-getting behavior. For help with these problems,
contact our Behavior Helpline or a professional animal behaviorist.
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