How to Stop Your Puppy Chewing?

We are all delighted with our new puppy for a few days. Their cute antics have everyone in the family delighted. But this delight can quickly turn to frustration when after a few days they begin t chew on everything in sight, including valuable possessions. How can we stop this kind of behaviour in puppies? It is a lot easier than it might seem at first sight, and by following the simple tips in this article, you will have your puppy behaving well and not chewing on anything they shouldn't be in no time at all.

The primary cause of puppies chewing on anything, from hands to table legs is that they are experiencing teething pain. We all remember the persistent pain of a tooth coming through (even if it has been a while since our last one!), and it just the same for a puppy whose teeth are pushing up. From their point of view, mouthing and chewing on things is a sensible response to the pain and an ideal way to reduce the stress and strain of it all. Unfortunately for you, it is a costly and frustrating thing for them to do.

If you want to stop your puppy chewing on the furniture, valuables, or even people, you will have to give them something else that it is acceptable to chew on - after all, it is only natural for dogs to chew on something. Many pet shops carry rubber toys which are specifically designed to be for dogs to gnaw on during teething. Further, you need to work to make these toys more attractive to chew on than anything else! The way to do this is through positive association. Reward your dog when they chew on their toys and play with them in the appropriate way. Conversely, you need to make your valuables seem less attractive. There are a number of ways you can do this. Cayenne pepper and tabasco are unpleasant tastes for dogs, so try putting a little dab of these on the furniture legs. After a short while, your dog will have negative associations with chewing furniture, and should stop wanting to do it even without these tastes.

Teething is not the only cause of chewing in puppies. Often it can be an expression of their desire to spend more time with you or get out of the house more. This is because puppies are extremely energetic animals, who often tire their owners out at the best of times. If your puppy is cooped up in the house all day with no companionship and no exercise they will turn to doing something else - in many cases this will be chewing on the furniture. It gives your puppy some sense of purpose and is certainly one way of using up any excess energy they have. If you'd rather they spent their energy in other ways, the best thing to do is to take them on more regular walks, even hiring someone to do this.