Stop Dog Chewing – My 11 month old American Bulldog from humane society keeps chewing and showing destructive behavior
Stop Dog Chewing – My 11 month old American Bulldog from humane society keeps chewing and showing destructive behavior
by joy
(wi)
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How do I stop my dog from chewing – How do we break our 11 month American Bulldog from chewing? He only does this when we are not around as we kennel him when we are not at home but there is an hour between when I leave and when my husband gets up in the morning and I forgot to put him in the room with my husband and he started chewing and being destructive – we have lots of toys but he wont play with them.
Hi and thanks for the question as it helps to keep our site happy and healthy.
Dogs and puppies often start chewing or showing destructive behavior because they are bored and are not having enough mental and physical stimulation. Dogs have a natural instinct to be around a pack and are not built to be on their own for short or long periods of time. Dogs need lots of exercise as not only can mental stimulation decrease the chances of your dog chewing and exhibiting destructive behavior but a tired dog is far less likely to chew or be desructive around the House.
The best way to decrease the chances of your dog chewing or being destructive is to constantly walk, jog, play and be around your dog so that he or she is stimulated and does not feel the need to want to chew.
Below are some top tips on how to stop your dog chewing or exhibiting destructive behavior…
1. Give your dog at least half an hour to an hours exercise everyday.
2. The best time to walk your dog to decrease the chances of chewing later in the day is a long walk in the morning.
3. If you both walk try and get home and give your dog a walk during the day – it only needs to be 15 minutes long – it will help to break the day up.
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4. Dogs enjoy chewing as it soothes them and they enjoy the process. A dog or puppy will often chew items that has your scent on it – this is not as a way of getting revenge on you – it just helps to sooth your dog as it smells of you.
5. Start by purchasing lots of different chews and toys – different sizes, textures, smells etc -you can also get a bone that is empty that you can fill with dog food – this will keep your dog busy and less likely to start cheing other objects.
6. Rotate the toys and chews that you provide for your dog or puppy as this will stop your dog from getting bored and used to the same toys and chews.
7. You need to spend time observing your dog around the House – if your dog starts choosing objects that he or she is not allowed to chew – you need to correct her/him and divert your dogs attention to something he/she is allowed to chew -so say ‘No’ or shake a tin filled with stones as this will startle your dog. You need to act fast so that you correct the behavior at the exact time it happens – this way your dog will know what he/she has done wrong and then substitute the object he/she has been chewing with something that he is allowed to chew.
8. If your dog is constantly chewing on the same objects it might be a good idea to make these objects less appealing – you can do this by making the object taste nasty – ‘bitter apple’ or a spray from a pet store will cure your dog of this fast.
Hope this helps
