Chew This, Not That!
Dogs need “occupational therapy.” So says Dr. Ian Dunbar, DVM, animal behaviorist and puppy guru. If you don’t give your dog something to do, your dog will find something to do.
Although dogs are genetically hard-wired to chew, some dogs like to chew more than others. You can help encourage your dog to be a happy, busy, lifelong chewer who enjoys chewing appropriate items rather than your stuff. Habits develop early and quickly, so start your training on the first day home regardless of your dog’s age.
THE JOY OF CHEWING
Chewing is a natural canine activity that relieves stress and teething pain and is a great outlet for pent-up energy. Lucky for you, your dog can exhaust herself chewing on a great bone. Favorite chew-toys act as pacifiers. Chewing also helps distract your dog from engaging in other, unwanted, activities.
CHEW-TOY TRAINING
- Puppy-proof your home. Remove access to valuable items.
- Design a Dog Zone using an x-pen and crate, or baby-gated area so you can run errands and sleep.
- Use Bitter Apple, a nontoxic taste aversive, for items that cannot be protected.
- Supervise and redirect your puppy to her own chew toys if she gets off track. Praise her for playing with her own chew toys.
- Provide a Doggie Toy Box and rotate three or four favorite chew items every other day.
WHAT TO CHEW
- Safe chewies should be as close to 100 percent digestible or 100 percent indestructible as you can find.
- Provide chew-toys stuffed with high-value foods. You may feed all food from chew toys, until the dog is chew-toy trained. Long-lasting chewables include “bully sticks,” marrow and soup bones. Newly popular on the chew scene are antlers, the adorable PlanetDog.com tuff chewies, Caviar Buffalo Jerky, duck, pork or chicken air-dried strips.
- Choose Made in the USA labels for higher-quality-control standards.
