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Has this ever happened to you?  You come home to find that your dog has been chewing on your favorite shoes–again!  If you’re dealing with the headache of dog chewing problems, read on to discover the four big reasons for this bad dog behavior.   

A Bored Dog Is A Dog That Will Engage In Destructive Dog Behavior

Dogs tend to play rough.  They chew on things and pick them up in their mouths to shake them, thereby “killing” them.  Tearing their toys to shreds is all part of the game.  This is natural dog behavior.  The problem starts when it’s your things the dog is playing with, not his own.

If a bored dog is left by himself with nothing to do, he’ll usually find somethng to do.  Unfortunately, his idea of fun often involves destroying things, especially if he’s a puppy or adolescent, and he doesn’t have anything else to do to use up all his energy.

What’s the solution?Your dog needs lots of exercise.  Play fetch with him.  Go for long walks, and give your dog plenty of time to sniff at interesting things.Don’t forget that walks are great training opportunities, too.  They’re much more than just bathroom breaks for your dog.

Making sure your dog has plenty of toys is another way to avoid the problem of a bored dog.  Rotate them so he always has something new to interest him.A great way to keep a dog happy and entertained for a long time is to give him a toy stuffed with food.

Separation Anxiety In Dogs

This problem often shows up with dogs who are too attached to their owners.  Your dog has a panic attack whenever you leave him by himself.  A dog with canine anxiety will often chew on things to comfort and soothe himself when he’s alone.  It makes him feel better.

The important thing to remember is that your dog isn’t chewing on your belongings to get back at you for leaving him alone.  He’s doing it because he’s scared; punishing him will add to the problem.

Separation anxiety in dogs is a tough problem to solve, but with lots of time and patience, you can desensitize your dog so he doesn’t react so strongly to your leaving.

Your Dog Wants Your Attention…

And he will do anything to get it, even if the attention is bad.  A dog who doesn’t get much attention unless he misbehaves is a dog who’s being trained to misbehave.

It’s a hard thing to understand, but dogs are reward-based.  The best way to get a dog to stop doing something is to ignore him when he does it.  If he gets your attention, whether it’s good or bad, he’s been rewarded for what he’s been doing.

Give your dog lots of positive attention.  Play with him, take him for walks, just spend time with him.  If your dog is getting lots of good attention from you when he behaves well, he won’t resort to destructive chewing to get your attention.

Fearful Dogs

Canine anxiety is often a problem with a dog who’s scared of loud noises like thunder or fireworks.Because he’s trying to escape from whatever is frightening him, he’ll attack doors, door frames, window coverings, screens, and walls.

When your dog reacts fearfully to things, don’t comfort him.  You’re rewarding his behavior with your attention, which will only serve to reinforce it.  Play with him and reward him when he responds to you, instead of whatever is scaring him.

Provide a place where your dog feels safe during a scary situation.  This way he can retreat there when you’re absent.

To sum up, it’s important that you find and correct the reason for dog chewing problems.  A good dog training course is essential so that you can learn how to end destructive dog behavior without making the situation worse.

If you’re dealing with destructive dog behavior, a good dog training course is essential so you can  find out how to change your dog’s behavior, without making the situation worse.  Just click on any link in this article to learn about a well-recommended dog training course that may be the answer to your prayers.

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If canine separation anxiety is a problem for your pet, there are many things you can do to help.  There are also many things you can do to make the problem worse.  Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts for dealing with dogs with separation anxiety.  We’ll look at the “don’ts” first, and then finish up with the “do’s.”

If You’re Dealing With Dogs With Separation Anxiety, Avoid Doing These Things

The most important thing you need to know is that you should never punish your dog when he’s acting out because he’s scared.  This will only make him even more anxious.  Plus, unless you catch him in the act of destructive dog behavior, he won’t know what he’s being punished for.

You need to rethink how you interact with your dog. Separation anxiety in dogs is a problem that’s often related to dominance issues.  A dog who thinks he’s the pack leader will be anxious when his followers leave.  This is because in the wild, although the leader can leave the pack for a while, the other members of the pack can’t leave the leader.

To assert your position as pack leader, try these suggestions.  Instead of giving your dog attention every time he asks for it, you should be the one initiating contact with him.  Feed him after you eat, because pack members eat only after the alpha dog has eaten.When you take him for a walk, make sure he is either walking next to you or behind you.  Don’t allow him to pull on his leash ahead of you, because the pack leader always goes first.

Discourage your dog from becoming too attached to you.Enforce a distance of three feet away from you when he sits or lies down.To keep him from getting too close, you may need to rearrange the furniture or put something on the floor.

Don’t let your dog sleep on your bed.  Ideally, he shouldn’t even be in the same room.  Start out by making him sleep at the foot of the bed, and then get him a dog bed to sleep in.  Eventually move his bed out of your bedroom.

If there are other people in the household, take turns feeding the dog and taking him for walks.  This way your dog won’t become too dependent on one person.

Here Are Things You Should Be Doing To Help A Dog With Canine Separation Anxiety

You may be surprised to find out that your dog knows you’re leaving a lot sooner than you think he does.  You may go take a shower, comb your hair, put on your work clothes.Your canine buddy pays attention to these things, and he associates your doing them with your leaving.

Your goal here is to desensitize your dog to these cues that you’re leaving.  Do these same things, but then stay home.  Get your car keys, and put on your coat.  Then sit back down.  This is a slow process, and you’ll have to do it many times over several weeks, but eventually your dog won’t get upset when you do them.

Do make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise.Take him for a long, vigorous walk before you leave in the morning, and again in the evening.  This will use up excess energy, and help him to remain calmer in your absence.

Keep your exits and entrances low-key.  Ignore your dog for twenty minutes before you leave, and again for twenty minutes when you come home.Don’t encourage him by giving him your attention when he gets worked up when you come home.  You want him to learn to accept your comings and goings in a matter-of-fact manner.   

Does your pet have a problem with canine separation anxiety? Just click on any link in this article to learn  about a dog training course that will help to solve your buddy’s problem.

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Are you frustrated with dog chewing problems?  Why do canines engage in destructive dog behavior like this?  How can you stop destructive chewing?  Learn how to stop dogs from chewing.

Why Does My Dog Chew On Everything?

Puppies who are cutting teeth will chew on just about anything.  If you’ve ever been around a human baby who’s teething, you know how chewing on a teething ring helps soothe those sore gums.  It’s like this for puppies too.  They’re in the process of losing baby teeth while adult teeth are coming in.  Sore gums are the result, but chewing on things helps soothe the pain.

An older dog may chew for many reasons.  One of the most common is that it helps to relieve stress and anxiety.  When a dog chews, endorphins are released.  These are chemicals that soothe and calm your dog.  You dog doesn’t know about endorphins, but he does know that chewing on things makes him feel better.

Chewing also helps to keep your dog’s teeth clean and strong.  Remember, if your dog is chewing, he’s not digging holes or barking, so there is an upside to this.

So chewing isn’t all bad.  But chewing becomes destructive chewing when your dog chews on things other than his toys.  How do you stop dogs from chewing on your toys?

How Do I Train My Dog Not To Chew?

You may be surprised to learn that your dog doesn’t know the difference between your stuff and his.  Even if he has lots of toys to chew on, he’ll still chew on a chair leg because he thinks everything in the house is a toy.  It’s up to you to teach him two things; that everything is not a toy, and that he’s not allowed to chew on things that belong to you.

Start by teaching him which toys are his.  Play with your dog, using one of his toys.  He’ll associate the toy with having fun, both with you, and by playing with the toy.  Another way to teach your dog that his toys are wonderful is to get a toy you can stuff with peanut butter or another treat.  He gets an instant food reward when he licks it out while playing with it.

If your dog picks up something that belongs to you, use the “drop-it” command, or clap your hands and make a noise to startle him into dropping it.  As soon as he does, give him one of his toys right away.  When he starts playing with it, reward him.  This is how you teach him that it’s good for him to chew on his own toys, but not good when he chews on yours.

You’ll still have to dog-proof your home and put anything you really don’t want destroyed away until you know you can trust him.  Or you may want him to stay in one room in your home where he can’t destroy anything when you have to leave the house.

Shouldn’t I Punish Him For Destructive Dog Behavior?

No.  If you don’t catch your dog in the act, he won’t have a clue why you’re mad at him.  If you do, you’ll teach him to wait until you’re gone to start destructive chewing.

Dogs operate on rewards.  If you reward your dog with attention (good or bad) for doing something, he’ll continue to do it, even if it’s something you don’t want him to do.  Ignore his bad dog behavior as much you’re able to, while praising and rewarding him for being a good dog.  A dog won’t continue doing something if he doesn’t get a reward for doing it.

Training your dog is an ongoing process that never really ends.  You’ll find that investing in a good dog training course will repay itself many times over in building a great relationship with your dog, while avoiding destructive chewing.

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Is your canine friend showing signs of separation anxiety in dogs?  This type of destructive dog behavior can make life an absolute nightmare for a dog owner.In fact, it’s the second most common reason for people to give up their dogs or even have them put to sleep. 

You can improve your dog’s life by identifying the signs of the condition, and learning how to deal with it.

Signs Of Separation Anxiety In Dogs

The severity of bad behavior can vary widely in dogs with separation anxiety.  A dog with a mild case may pace around, pant, and over-groom himself. 

A dog with a more severe case may bark frantically for hours, driving the neighbors crazy.  He may display destructive dog behavior, tearing up whatever he can get a hold of.  Your dog may urinate or defecate inappropriately in the house.  He may go so far as to mutilate himself by chewing on his own tail, yanking out fur, and licking himself until he bleeds.

If you dread coming home because you don’t know what kind of mess is awaiting you, it’s time to take action to solve this problem.

Is Separation Anxiety Really The Problem, Or Is It Simply A Bored Dog?

Is your dog is bored, or does he really have a separation anxiety problem?  Here’s how you can tell:

• The destructive dog behavior occurs only when you leave him alone.If he’s amusing himself by destroying things, he’ll do it anytime, not just when he’s by himself.
• Your dog is “hyperattached” to you.Not only does he follow you all over the house, but he wants you to hold him all the time.  This is flattering for the owner, but it’s not healthy for your dog to be this attached to you.
• He’s learned what you do when you leave, and he starts getting distressed before you go.
• He begins destructive behavior within 30 minutes of your leaving home.
• He tries to destroy barriers, like a door.  A dog may go after the door he last saw you go out of.
• Your dog barks in repeated, high-pitched yips.  This is reminiscent of a puppy’s distress call when he or she is separated from mom.

If your pet does some, or all, of these things, his dog behavior problem is because of separation anxiety, not boredom.

How To Help Dogs With Separation Anxiety

You may be surprised to learn that separation anxiety in canines is related to dominance issues.  In a wild dog pack, the leader can leave.  The others, however, never go away from the leader on their own. 

If your dog thinks he’s the alpha dog, or pack leader, he’ll get very upset if you leave him, since you’re not supposed to do that.He feels responsible for his pack members, and if you go away, he thinks something might happen to you.  Many times, once you establish yourself as the pack leader, the separation anxiety goes away.

If you’re dealing with the problem of separation anxiety in dogs, click on any link in this article to learn more about a dog training resource that will help to solve your problem.

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