Archive for the ‘Pets’ Category
Dog Training – How to Stop Chewing
Jane Saeman asked:
A dog’s jaw muscles are among his strongest. An average-sized Golden Retriever can untie the knot in a rawhide bone (or just chew it off) in minutes. If only they’d stick to those!
The tendency to chew will vary from one breed – and one individual – to another. But most dogs will chew on objects in and around the house. Keeping them focused on objects intended for them is a continuing challenge.
Younger dogs, puppies in particular, will usually have a greater tendency to chew and less discrimination about what they choose. But even young puppies can be discouraged from grabbing things the owner would prefer to keep whole.
First, as always, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Keep shoes, laundry (socks, t-shirts, etc), where dogs can’t get to them. Keep children’s toys separated from the dog’s toys which implies that the dog has some. So…
Keep plenty of attractive toys on hand, whether indoors or out, for Fido to chew on. Rawhide bones are attractive to some dogs; others prefer hard rubber or special plastic ‘dental’ bones. With some exceptions, real bones are usually not a good idea. Large beef bones are okay, but chicken and pork can easily splinter and lead to injury.
Fortunately, all kinds of special toys are available. Some even have hollow interiors suitable for holding treats. The dog usually has to struggle a bit to get at the treat in the center. That’s the whole idea. It keeps them occupied and gives them a good mental and physical workout striving to access the reward.
A sharp tone or a mild tap for grabbing an unsuitable object, such as a shoe or sock, is useful and appropriate. Yelling or harsh physical punishment is counter-productive. It’s better for both dog and ‘alpha’ (the leader of the pack – you) to vent that frustration elsewhere. Easier said than done the tenth time you’ve scolded the dog, but necessary for the mental well-being of both parties.
To practice developing specific habits, take some time (daily, if necessary and possible) to leash the dog and present an inappropriate object. If the dog moves toward it, jerk the leash sideways quickly and firmly and give a loud ‘No!’
Be sure to jerk sideways, not back. A dog’s neck muscles are very strong, but throats can be too easily bruised. The movement is to inform, not to punish.
Outside, if the dog has a tendency to chew on plants, fences, etc, you can take advantage of some commercial mixtures or home recipes to discourage the behavior. A little cayenne pepper paste smeared on the leaves of ‘attractive’ plants can often eliminate chewing in one lesson. Some commercial preparations contain ‘bitter apple’, which discourages some dogs.
As with any dog training, patience, persistence and consistency are the keys to success. Suppressing chewing is often one of the more challenging since you’re training the dog to NOT do something, rather than to DO something.
Redirection to acceptable objects is your best bet, since you can’t eliminate the instinct. Stay alert and keep a cool head even when they’ve just chewed a hole in that new carpet. That’s expensive and annoying, but carpet can be replaced. Your relationship with your pet can’t.
A dog’s jaw muscles are among his strongest. An average-sized Golden Retriever can untie the knot in a rawhide bone (or just chew it off) in minutes. If only they’d stick to those!
The tendency to chew will vary from one breed – and one individual – to another. But most dogs will chew on objects in and around the house. Keeping them focused on objects intended for them is a continuing challenge.
Younger dogs, puppies in particular, will usually have a greater tendency to chew and less discrimination about what they choose. But even young puppies can be discouraged from grabbing things the owner would prefer to keep whole.
First, as always, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Keep shoes, laundry (socks, t-shirts, etc), where dogs can’t get to them. Keep children’s toys separated from the dog’s toys which implies that the dog has some. So…
Keep plenty of attractive toys on hand, whether indoors or out, for Fido to chew on. Rawhide bones are attractive to some dogs; others prefer hard rubber or special plastic ‘dental’ bones. With some exceptions, real bones are usually not a good idea. Large beef bones are okay, but chicken and pork can easily splinter and lead to injury.
Fortunately, all kinds of special toys are available. Some even have hollow interiors suitable for holding treats. The dog usually has to struggle a bit to get at the treat in the center. That’s the whole idea. It keeps them occupied and gives them a good mental and physical workout striving to access the reward.
A sharp tone or a mild tap for grabbing an unsuitable object, such as a shoe or sock, is useful and appropriate. Yelling or harsh physical punishment is counter-productive. It’s better for both dog and ‘alpha’ (the leader of the pack – you) to vent that frustration elsewhere. Easier said than done the tenth time you’ve scolded the dog, but necessary for the mental well-being of both parties.
To practice developing specific habits, take some time (daily, if necessary and possible) to leash the dog and present an inappropriate object. If the dog moves toward it, jerk the leash sideways quickly and firmly and give a loud ‘No!’
Be sure to jerk sideways, not back. A dog’s neck muscles are very strong, but throats can be too easily bruised. The movement is to inform, not to punish.
Outside, if the dog has a tendency to chew on plants, fences, etc, you can take advantage of some commercial mixtures or home recipes to discourage the behavior. A little cayenne pepper paste smeared on the leaves of ‘attractive’ plants can often eliminate chewing in one lesson. Some commercial preparations contain ‘bitter apple’, which discourages some dogs.
As with any dog training, patience, persistence and consistency are the keys to success. Suppressing chewing is often one of the more challenging since you’re training the dog to NOT do something, rather than to DO something.
Redirection to acceptable objects is your best bet, since you can’t eliminate the instinct. Stay alert and keep a cool head even when they’ve just chewed a hole in that new carpet. That’s expensive and annoying, but carpet can be replaced. Your relationship with your pet can’t.
Training Tips To Keep Your Dog From Chewing
Lee Dobbins asked:
Dogs have strong jaw muscles and a natural tendency to chew which will vary from one breed to another. Training your dog not tochew or to at least practice his chewing instincts on the items you prefer him to is important not only for the dog safety, but also if you want to actually wear shoes that don’t have teeth marks in them!
Puppies have a greater urge to chew and a less picky about the objects of their desire. But don’t let this discourage you, even young puppies can be trained to set their attentions only on what you want them to chew.
The first thing in training your puppy is to keep items that he likes to chew out of reach. Typically this is shoes, socks, T-shirts and children’s toys. It’s important to keep this stuff picked up and out of the way of your dog not only so that he doesn’t have access to chew them but these can also be harmful to your puppy especially if he swallows a sock or part of your child’s toy.
Now that you’ve taken away all the fun things that you dog likes to chew on, you want to give him some things of his own that are okay to put his mouth. Some dogs like hard rubber bones and some like Rawhide you’ll have to try them both with your dog to see which he prefers. real bones probably on a good idea because some of them can splinter and they can be a bit messy. If you really insist on giving a dog real bones and give him the large beef phones only – not chicken or pork bones.
Take a trip to the pet store and you see all kinds of special chew toys – bring your dog along and let him pick out something he really likes! You can also try some of those ball shaped toys that have treats In the middle. It’ll take a while to work to treat out and thus his attention will be on performing this task and not showing up your shoes.
When you do catch her dog chewing on something is not supposed to you need to train him to know that this behavior is not acceptable. Speaking to him in a sharp tone of giving him a mild tap and taking the object away can work wonders if you are persistent. Yelling at the dog and hitting him or any other kind of harsh punishment will be counterproductive so it is best to avoid this type of behavior no matter how frustrated you are with your dogs actions.
You might even want to try practicing by presenting your dog within an appropriate object and then and then practicing your dog skills at avoiding object. This object near him and when he makes a move towards it you can get from sharp tap or have the leash already on them and give a little jerk to let him know that it’s not okay to take that object in his mouth.
When using leash training, be sure jerked sideways so that you’re not pulling on the throat muscles as this might cause damage to your dog. Although dogs next are strong, the front with their throat is can be delicate especially in small dogs. Remember, this movement is not to punish her dog with physical pain but to gently inform him that his behavior is incorrect.
Just like with any other training, training your dog not to chew it takes patience, persistence and kindness. He can be a bit challenging at first because you are training your dog NOT to do something as opposed to the typical training where you train your dog to sit or lay down and you are training him TO DO something.
Dogs have strong jaw muscles and a natural tendency to chew which will vary from one breed to another. Training your dog not tochew or to at least practice his chewing instincts on the items you prefer him to is important not only for the dog safety, but also if you want to actually wear shoes that don’t have teeth marks in them!
Puppies have a greater urge to chew and a less picky about the objects of their desire. But don’t let this discourage you, even young puppies can be trained to set their attentions only on what you want them to chew.
The first thing in training your puppy is to keep items that he likes to chew out of reach. Typically this is shoes, socks, T-shirts and children’s toys. It’s important to keep this stuff picked up and out of the way of your dog not only so that he doesn’t have access to chew them but these can also be harmful to your puppy especially if he swallows a sock or part of your child’s toy.
Now that you’ve taken away all the fun things that you dog likes to chew on, you want to give him some things of his own that are okay to put his mouth. Some dogs like hard rubber bones and some like Rawhide you’ll have to try them both with your dog to see which he prefers. real bones probably on a good idea because some of them can splinter and they can be a bit messy. If you really insist on giving a dog real bones and give him the large beef phones only – not chicken or pork bones.
Take a trip to the pet store and you see all kinds of special chew toys – bring your dog along and let him pick out something he really likes! You can also try some of those ball shaped toys that have treats In the middle. It’ll take a while to work to treat out and thus his attention will be on performing this task and not showing up your shoes.
When you do catch her dog chewing on something is not supposed to you need to train him to know that this behavior is not acceptable. Speaking to him in a sharp tone of giving him a mild tap and taking the object away can work wonders if you are persistent. Yelling at the dog and hitting him or any other kind of harsh punishment will be counterproductive so it is best to avoid this type of behavior no matter how frustrated you are with your dogs actions.
You might even want to try practicing by presenting your dog within an appropriate object and then and then practicing your dog skills at avoiding object. This object near him and when he makes a move towards it you can get from sharp tap or have the leash already on them and give a little jerk to let him know that it’s not okay to take that object in his mouth.
When using leash training, be sure jerked sideways so that you’re not pulling on the throat muscles as this might cause damage to your dog. Although dogs next are strong, the front with their throat is can be delicate especially in small dogs. Remember, this movement is not to punish her dog with physical pain but to gently inform him that his behavior is incorrect.
Just like with any other training, training your dog not to chew it takes patience, persistence and kindness. He can be a bit challenging at first because you are training your dog NOT to do something as opposed to the typical training where you train your dog to sit or lay down and you are training him TO DO something.