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"This is Mine.......and This is Yours."

Teaching your puppy not to chew on anything and everything.

Most puppies are weaned from their mother's milk with soft dog food..... either canned or soaked dry food. Try to get your puppy started eating dry dog food as soon as possible. You can start with mixing canned and dry food and/or soaking the dry food in water to soften it. Then slowly start using less can food or less soaking of the dry food, until the puppy is eating only the dry dog food. Eating only the dry food can help in the training process and over-all health of your puppy in many ways.

First of all.... find a good brand of puppy food... size appropriate for your puppy. I prefer and only feed Iams to my own dogs, but there are many other brands that are just as good and nutritious. Spending a little extra money on a good brand of puppy food, for the first twelve months of your dogs life, is well worth the benefits of stronger bones, good muscle development and a more sleek, and shiny coat. Dry food with higher protein content and less filler is also better on their digestive systems and will decrease the amount of waste (poop) produced. It can be put in a small baggy or your pocket to be used as a quick and easily accessed reward treat, making it a little more cost effective by cutting down on having to buy so many other treats.

For the lesson at hand, dry puppy food provides some extra chewing and crunching time that is within the permitted areas of what can be chewed on. Puppies need to chew when they are teething. This is a natural behavior and should not be discouraged. However you can choose what you let your dog chew. There are many types of chew products to choose from for your puppy.... flavored bones, rawhide, ropes, balls, stuffed cloth toys, rubber toys... etc. Finding one that is safe for the puppy and one he likes may take a little trial and error. It is important to choose something that is age and size appropriate for your puppy. For example, a chew toy that is good for a Yorkie or Pomeranian puppy, may not be safe for a German Shepherd or Great Dane pup. Toys with small pieces that can be chewed off, or a sound-making device inside them can cause choking. Homemade toys are ok, but don't use your old socks or shoes, or a child's stuffed toy or baby doll. This can be a little confusing to your dog and frustrating to you when he chews up a pair of your good shoes or a child's favorite toy. Choose two or three different chew toys that are right for your puppy and put them in a specific and easy to-get-to place.

Take your puppy over to where you have his toys and let him have one of them. Play with him with it, saying "your toy", and praise him when he chews on it. If he gets bored and tries to chew on something else , say "No" firmly, and take him back over to his toys and say "your toy". Be consistent, always praise him for chewing on his toys, and only scold him if you catch him in the act of chewing on something inappropriate.

At first, until your puppy catches on, it is a good idea to keep things you don't want chewed put up out of his reach. Using the crate during this time can also keep your furniture out of harm's way. Put one of the chew toys in the crate that is safe for him to chew on unsupervised. Never use the crate as a punishment. Handle and resolve all discipline outside the crate. This should be a safe and comfortable place for your puppy that he views as his own space, not a prison.

Most puppies will slow down with the chewing after their adult teeth are in.. usually around three to six months old, but even older dogs like a good chew occasionally, so keep a supply of your puppy's favorite chew toys around.

I have a pink bucket that stays in the corner of my living room with all my dog's toys in it. I taught her a little trick that is easy and quite impressive to show off to company. There are about five toys in her bucket, but two of them are her favorites... a rope with some knots in it and a yellow tennis ball. When she was a puppy, I started using the words "your rope" and "your ball" with these particular toys. I was cleaning the living room one day and noticed that the rope wasn't in the bucket, so I started looking around for it, and just kinda absent mindedly said to my dog, "Cinnamon, where is your rope?" She went over to the other side of a chair, got the rope and brought it to me. I laughed, and praised her for it. I put the rope back in the bucket with the other toys, and later in the day I said to her "Go get your rope." She went to the bucket, dug out the rope and brought it to me. That evening when my husband was there, I told Cinnamon to go get her rope, and she again picked it out of all the toys and brought it to us. We started working with her and she learned three different toys..... the rope, a ball, and a monkey. My friends were delighted and amazed with Cinnamon's new trick.

My Cinnamon dog is no longer with me, but I am working with my new friend "Katy", who is learning her toys by name now too. Your dog can easily learn this trick also, and you can proudly show it off to people, and laugh at their amazement of your super-smart dog. Start out with just one toy, the favorite one, use a short command like "get your ball".. putting the emphasis mainly on the word "ball". After your dog responds well to this, put some other toys in, and work from there. You will enjoy this time with your dog, and your dog may even amaze you at times.

Some dogs are harder than others to train not to chew up your things. Dogs often chew for different reasons...... such as boredom, dental or digestive problems, and nutritional deficits. There are sprays you can buy to deter your dog's chewing, and I have heard of people having good luck with pepper sauce or hot sauce being put on things they don't want chewed up. If you are having a difficult time, please have your dog checked by the Veterinarian for health problems and other suggestions for chewing problems.

In over twenty-five years of my dealing with animals I have found very few dogs that do not respond positively to gentle repetitive training techniques, consistent mild discipline, and lots of love and praise.

Remember, your dog is your friend. He wants to make you happy, do what you want him to, and most of all, he wants to spend time with you. The more time you spend with your dog the more he will learn. It doesn't matter if he is a registered pure breed, one you picked out at the animal shelter, or a poor starving stray you rescued. Patience and love is the key to unlocking a heart that will be loyal and true to you until its very last beat.

Thank you for joining me here at Take Care of Your Dog.com. I am always available for questions and suggestions @ _easttxnurse320@aol.com_ (mailto:easttxnurse320@aol.com).

Thanks to our web site host, Jeanette.

Have a great day...... and spend some time with your dog.

Rhonda Erickson