The act of chewing seems to be a matter of individual preference among dogs: some have an innate desire to chew as a pleasurable activity in itself, and some seem to have no need to chew whatsoever unless they’re driven to it out of sheer boredom.

The phrase “destructive chewing” may sound redundant, because – by its very nature! – all chewing is destructive. Your dog has strong jaws full of sharp, pointy teeth: just about anything she starts to chew on is probably going to show the effects of it inside of a minute. So just to clarify, when I use the phrase “destructive chewing”, I’m referring to inappropriate chewing: the kind of chewing that’s focused on your own possessions and household items, instead of on your dog’s own designated toys and chews.

The three main reasons why dogs chew:

– Most dogs have a natural desire to chew. It’s fun, it passes the time, and it’s a self-rewarding, self-reinforcing activity (for example, if she’s chewing on something that tastes good.)

– Chewing provides a nervous, bored, or lonely dog with an outlet for her emotions. To an anxious dog, the repetitive act of chewing is soothing – it’s the doggie equivalent of comfort food.

– Underexercised dogs often use chewing as a way of burning up nervous energy and giving themselves something to do.

– How to prevent destructive chewing –

Dogs are perfectly capable of learning not to chew your stuff – you just have to put in a little effort first, that’s all.

1. Take control of the situation: manage your own possessions. Your first step should be to dog-proof your home. Even if you have the best-behaved dog in the world, there’s still no reason to test her self-control – after all, dogs explore the world with their mouths.

Dog-proofing your home means taking whatever you don’t want to end up in her mouth, and making it unavailable. Consider her size and agility when deciding whether something’s out of reach: can she jump? Can she climb, or leap onto something else to reach the desired object? How tall is she when standing on her back legs?

Common targets in the home include books, eyewear, clothing, shoes, garbage, and small crunchy appliances like cameras, cell phones, and remote controls.

It should go without saying that all food needs to be put securely away: don’t leave snacks on low tables (or even countertops – you’d be surprised how acrobatic she can be when there’s food at stake!), put all food into containers or the pantry. Rinse your dirty plates clean of any food scraps before leaving them by the sink.

2. Prevent her from learning the joys of illegal chewing. The more times she manages to snatch a jawful of a forbidden substance – a chair-leg, a pillow, a running shoe – the more readily she’ll target those items in future. If you can prevent her from chewing your stuff in the first place, it’s a lot easier for her to understand what you expect of her. Practically speaking, this means confining her in a dog-proofed area until you’re confident of her understanding of the house rules.

3. Don’t set her up for failure by blurring the boundaries between her stuff (OK to chew) and your stuff (not OK to chew). Don’t offer your dog cast-off clothes, shoes, or towels to chew and play with: realistically, you can’t possibly expect her to be able to tell the difference between your current shoes and the one she’s got in her mouth that you gave her five minutes ago.

4. Provide her with lots of tasty alternatives to your stuff. If her environment is relatively barren of attractive, appropriate chewing objects, you can hardly blame her for targeting your possessions. Remember, most dogs need to chew; if she’s an adolescent (under three years) or a puppy (under one year), her needs will be even more pronounced. Go on a toy and chew shopping spree, then give her two or three to play with at a time. Rotating the available toys every few days will keep things novel and interesting for her.

5. Spend lots of time in active supervision. Yes, it might be easier for you to just keep her penned up in her crate, run, or the yard – but that’s boring and horrible for her, and hardly much fun for you either (if you wanted a pet that you don’t need to interact with, you’d have got a goldfish, right?) She can’t learn what you expect of her if she’s spending all her time boxed up in the dog-proof zone: she needs the opportunity to explore the boundaries of your expectations, so she can understand what’s appropriate and what’s not.

6. When you catch her chewing something inappropriate, interrupt her by making a loud noise: clap your hands or make an “Ah-ah-aaaah!” noise. Then, immediately hand her a tasty and dog-appropriate alternative (a rawhide bone or other chew toy); as soon as her jaws close around it, praise her lavishly. There is no better way to get your dog to understand that chewing “her” toys equals praise from you, but everything else equals trouble.

– Maintain a productive attitude –

Above all, remember to keep your expectations realistic. You’re not perfect, and neither is your dog: there’s likely to be at least one incident where a cherished item is damaged by her curiosity.

Particularly in the early stages of your relationship, she’s still learning the ropes: it’ll take awhile before she’s completely reliable (and even then, if she’s left by herself for too long or feels neglected, she may choose your stuff over hers to occupy her time and jaws with.) Remember to give her time to learn the rules, and plenty of ‘you-time’ to help her learn faster – and don’t forget to take precautions and keep things out of reach until she’s got the hang of the chewing rules!

For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like chewing), check out Secrets to Dog Training. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning.

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Is your dog always slouching and bored being indoors all day? Well, it’s about time that you spend some time with your dog and do some activity. Agility is an amazing and fun sport that both the pet and the owner can enjoy. Most of pet owners are well aware that physical activity and exercise is important to keep the dog healthy and active. Agility training with the use of equipment does not only ensure your dog’s physical health but it also stimulates his mind. It tests the skills, endurance and capacity of your dog to go through the obstacles. This sport has started in UK in 1978 as an entertainment, but now has gained its popularity and considered also as a sport. Some does this for competition others for fun and spending time with their pet.

In agility training basically you will need the equipment to use. You can either build your own obstacle course or purchase it online. Apparently, it is gaining popularity among pet lovers that there are different types of agility equipment that is readily available in the market today. But, with wide selection to choose from, how will you determine that you are getting the suitable equipment to use?

First, consider the dog that you are going to train. Is your dog timid and you wanted to develop his confidence? Or is your dog has high energy and you want it to be used in a more controlled manner? Second, the size, age and breed of your dog. Basically, an agility course consisted of jumps, tunnels, weaves and a pause table. Choose adjustable equipment so you that will be able to decrease or increase the level of training difficulty. Go for portability of equipment, that has manual labor required, can be taken apart and relocated easily. Changing the layout of obstacle course will also provide more challenge to your dog.

Obedience is the key to the success of this activity. Agility training does not only test the skill of your dog, it also teaches them to be obedient in your commands. Determine also the goal of agility training, do you want to do it just for fun and just spend time with your dog? Or you want to take it to a more serious level such as for competition? These factors will help you in choosing the suitable equipment to use in the training.

The post Choosing The Suitable Agility Training Equipment For Your Dog first appeared on Puppy Blog.

When it comes to dog training, agility is one of the main aspects that are greatly considered. Agility is a dog sport in which a handler and her dog run as a team through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. The goal in any dog agility competition is to execute each piece of equipment correctly without any disqualifications. There are several national and international agility organizations with each having its own regulations and standards for its agility equipment.

Basically, an agility course is rather like an obstacle course with standard elements that each dog must pass through in order to complete the run and receive a qualifying score. If a single element is missed, the team is disqualified. This course consists of jumps, hoops and obstacles that you can set up for yourself. You can visit your local pet shop for this equipment. The basic elements of dog agility equipment are:

• The Weave Poles are a series of thin poles attached to a straight plank base.
• The A Frame is a ramp with a strong incline and equal decline. A-frame is painted a bright color, usually yellow, forming the contact zone, onto which the dog must place at least one paw while ascending and descending.
• The Dog Walk is another type of ramp. The two end planks form ramps leading up to and down from the center plank.
• The Teeter is a long plank on a fulcrum that each dog must mount at one end and walk across to the other end.
• The Tunnel is a long tube each dog must run through. The tunnel is constructed of flexible vinyl and wire, such that it can be configured in a straight line, or in a variety of curves.
• The Chute is similar to the tube at the entry point, but the rest of the chute is simply nylon without the hoops to support it, so dog are basically running blind through this element.
• Jumps are the same as you would find at an obedience trial, and the pole height is set according to the size of the dog.
• The Tire is suspended on a frame and each dog must jump through it on its way around the course.

Please also check out our other guide on Dog Agility Equipment, Dog Training Clickers and Dog Agility Training.

The post Dog Agility Equipment You Should Know first appeared on Puppy Blog.

When it comes to dog training, agility is one of the main aspects that are greatly considered. Agility is a dog sport in which a handler and her dog run as a team through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. The goal in any dog agility competition is to execute each piece of equipment correctly without any disqualifications. There are several national and international agility organizations with each having its own regulations and standards for its agility equipment.

Basically, an agility course is rather like an obstacle course with standard elements that each dog must pass through in order to complete the run and receive a qualifying score. If a single element is missed, the team is disqualified. This course consists of jumps, hoops and obstacles that you can set up for yourself. You can visit your local pet shop for this equipment. The basic elements of dog agility equipment are:

• The Weave Poles are a series of thin poles attached to a straight plank base.
• The A Frame is a ramp with a strong incline and equal decline. A-frame is painted a bright color, usually yellow, forming the contact zone, onto which the dog must place at least one paw while ascending and descending.
• The Dog Walk is another type of ramp. The two end planks form ramps leading up to and down from the center plank.
• The Teeter is a long plank on a fulcrum that each dog must mount at one end and walk across to the other end.
• The Tunnel is a long tube each dog must run through. The tunnel is constructed of flexible vinyl and wire, such that it can be configured in a straight line, or in a variety of curves.
• The Chute is similar to the tube at the entry point, but the rest of the chute is simply nylon without the hoops to support it, so dog are basically running blind through this element.
• Jumps are the same as you would find at an obedience trial, and the pole height is set according to the size of the dog.
• The Tire is suspended on a frame and each dog must jump through it on its way around the course.

Please also check out our other guide on Dog Agility Equipment, Dog Training Clickers and Dog Agility Training.

The post Dog Agility Equipment You Should Know first appeared on Puppy Blog.