Some dogs act like they were born to chew and get a great deal of enjoyment out of chewing on things; other dogs seem indifferent about chewing and rarely do it unless they get bored.

Destructive chewing in dogs might be a phrase that sounds redundant to you. You’d be right, of course, because by its nature, all chewing is destructive. Your dog’s jaws are strong and full of sharp teeth, and just about anything she chews will quickly start showing evidence of damage. So, when I mention “destructive chewing in dogs,” what I’m really referring to is inappropriate chewing. You know the type I mean – destructive chewing in dogs that is inappropriately directed toward your personal possessions and household items instead of your dog’s toys and chews.

Most Dogs Chew for One of Three Reasons:

1. Almost all dogs are born with an urge to chew. Chewing keeps them entertained, helps them pass the time and prevents boredom from setting in. Basically, they enjoy chewing, so they do it. And some things taste good when they’re chewed.

2. Chewing provides an emotional outlet for bored, lonely or anxious dogs. The repetitive act of chewing can soothe the nerves of some distressed dogs. Think of chewing as the canine equivalent of human comfort food.

3. Chewing lets dogs work off excess energy. Basically, it gives them something to do.

How to Prevent or Stop Destructive Chewing in Dogs

Dogs are intelligent, and by putting in a little time and effort you can teach your dog not to chew your personal possessions. Here are some tips to prevent or stop destructive chewing in dogs:

1. Take control by dog-proofing your home. Don’t tempt your dog, even if she’s a model of good behavior.

Remember, dogs don’t have hands, so they investigate everything using their mouths. Dog-proofing your home involves making your personal possessions inaccessible to your dog. You’ll need to take into account your dog’s size and physical abilities while you’re putting things out of her reach. If your dog is large or capable of jumping up onto things, you’ll need to move more of your possessions than you would if you have a short dog that’s not very agile.

Typically, dogs are tempted to chew on objects like shoes, clothing, eyeglasses, books, garbage, cell phones, remote controls and the like. You should also put all food out of reach. For example, don’t leave any snacks lying out on tables or kitchen countertops. Put all food into containers or back into the pantry. You should also rinse any dirty dishes to remove scraps of food before placing them in or near the sink. You’d be surprised by what your dog can reach when some food is up for grabs!

2. Prevent your dog from experiencing the enjoyment of chewing on inappropriate items. The more times your dog manages to chew on a table leg, shoe or some other “illegal” object, the more times she’ll want to do it again. Preventing her from chewing your possessions makes it much easier for your dog to learn what you expect from her. Until you’re certain your dog understands what is permitted and what is not, you should keep her in a dog crate or another dog-proofed location in your home when you’re not available to supervise her behavior.

3. Make it easy for your dog to learn. Setting clear boundaries between what’s acceptable for her to chew (her toys) and what is unacceptable (your possessions and household items) makes it easier for your dog to learn. For example, if you let your dog chew on some of your old shoes or socks, you’ll be setting her up for failure. How can she tell the difference between old socks and new?

4. Give your dog appealing alternatives to chew. You can’t blame your dog for chewing on your stuff if you haven’t given her alternatives that appeal to her but are also more acceptable to you. Keep in mind that although most dogs need to chew, a puppy or dog that is under three years of age will probably want to chew even more than an older, more mature dog. Go shopping and buy a fair number of chews and toys for your dog, then let her play with them two or three at a time. If you rotate your dog’s toys and chews once or twice a week, they’ll keep her entertained.

5. Supervise your dog. Although you might be able to confine her in the yard or in her crate, that’s not much fun for either of you. You got a dog to be able to interact with her, right? Otherwise, you could have gotten some fish. And, your dog will never learn what you want her to do (and not do) if you keep her confined in a dog-proof area all day long. In order to learn she has to be able to explore the boundaries you’ve set. That’s the only way she can learn the difference between what’s appropriate to chew and what’s not.

6. Catch her in the act. Whenever you catch your dog chewing on an inappropriate object, stop her by clapping your hands or making some other startling noise. As soon as she stops chewing, give your dog a chew toy and praise her as she takes it. This strategy will teach her that she’ll be praised when she chews her toys but she’ll get in trouble if she chews on anything else.

Be Realistic and Have a Positive Attitude

When you want to stop or prevent destructive chewing in dogs, making sure your expectations are realistic is one of the most important things you can do. No one’s perfect, so there will probably be at least one occasion where your dog chews on something she shouldn’t. This is particularly likely to happen while she’s still learning her boundaries.

Destructive chewing in dogs takes time to eliminate, so it will be a while before your dog can be trusted to leave your stuff alone. And, even after she learns the “chewing rules,” she might chew on something inappropriate if you leave her alone too long or she feels abandoned or neglected.

Spending time with your dog will help her learn faster. Remember to keep your things safely out of her reach until she understands the rules.

The post Destructive Chewing in Dogs – Tips to Stop This Destructive Behavior first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Dog barking is a very natural thing. They use this action to communicate with human. However, the barking turns into a big problem when the dogs use it excessively. This article will show you some usual reasons that cause the dogs to create irritating barking so that you are able to find out the reason behind the barking of your dog.

Do you provide enough physical demands of the dog, for instance, do you give him enough food water that he needs? This is one of the common reasons for irritating barking behavior.

Boredom is another cause of unwanted barking from a dog. Some dogs require to have enough exercise every single day. Besides, if you let the dog in the yard and do not make contact with him, it is likely that he will bark loudly and endlessly due to boredom.

Do you leave him alone at home and go to the office? This is also a primary reason for nuisance barking.

Some dogs use their barking excessively because they are overprotective their owners. These dogs usually are protective of theirs owners naturally.

Another cause for endless barking is the dog may have a problem about health. So, before you use any method of controlling barking, you need to make sure your lovely pet does not suffer from health issues. It is cruel to apply any kind of training on a dog when he is being sick.

Those are common issues for excessive barking. In order to deal with this bad behavior, you are able to choose to use a dog bark control aid such as anti bark collar. Using this kind of product means that you will punish the dog so it is recommended that you should not use the collar when the cause of barking is fear or separation anxiety. In addition, you should also take traditional training methods into consideration in order to put an end to the pet’s irritating barking.

In case you have tested out other conventional training ways with no good result, it is clearly that you should go for a dog bark control collar. The problem is which kind of collar should you choose for your pet?

Today, there are 3 kinds of anti bark collars.

The first one is spray bark collars (also called citronella collars). They use natural oil to control excessive barking since most of the dogs feel uncomfortable with this kind of smell. These collars are considered human way to control barking as they use natural material which does not affect human as well as dog health.

The next one is sound collars. These collars use high-pitched sound to disturb the dog when he is barking. One advantage of this collar is it can control a dog which is not yours because it is able to release sound within a radius of 50 metres or so. This means you can use this device for stopping nuisance barking from a neighbor’s dog easily.

The last one is shock collars (also called e-collars). They use static shock to cause the dog to stop barking. This kind of device should be used only on hard dogs. They can hurt the dog at some level of shock correction. So, you should use it properly and carefully.

The post Excessive Barking – Typical Reasons And How to Choose The Right Dog Bark Collar first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Training Weimaraner puppies early really is mandatory if you want them to develop into great adult dogs. First up, they need a lot of exercise each and every day. They need to move to stay healthy and avoid boredom. They are hunting dogs that love to fetch and chase, and they have powerful instincts to hunt and work. If you can find ways to work with their sometimes stubborn temperament, you will eventually have a great dog that is loyal, affectionate and fun!

I realise I am a little biased here but Weimaraners are beautiful dogs. Their lovely grey coats have given them the nick name of grey ghosts. However, those sleek coats cover a powerful animal that needs more exercise each day than most people can give them. If they do not get enough activity and exercise they will start to become destructive and can chew holes in most everything you can imagine. When you consider that they also enjoy barking loudly when bored, you will understand why you must keep them busy with daily exercise and training.

One of the keys that almost every expert suggests is to provide a wide variety of athletics that your puppy can do every single day. These include things such as running next to a bicycle, jogging next to you, hiking with you along a rigorous trail, or playing catch with balls of all kinds. Apart from just exercise, the effort of learning in training also tires your dog and relieves boredom just as effectively. Aim to do some of both.

Remember, Weimaraners are naturally born hunting animals. They have been bred and trained for hundreds of years to hunt and kill larger animals. They are very good at it, and do not hesitate when instinct prompts them. For this reason, you must always maintain control over your pup so that they are not allowed to chase other pets or wildlife. An adult Weimaraner at full chase can be a danger to others and to itself.

One of the most difficult training areas for many includes housebreaking your Weimaraner puppy. Most experts recommend that you use crate training for this and I agree! Put your puppy in its crate when not playing or exercising except for bathroom breaks. Schedule them every one or two hours during the day and at least twice at night until the puppy has more bladder control. Take the puppy out of its crate to the place you wish it to use outside, wait until your pup does his thing and then reward him. Do this every single time for about 10 weeks. Of course, when you have the pup with you, make sure you allow them to toilet outside only. Weimaraner puppies are highly intelligent, so once it understands completely where its bathroom is, you probably will have no further problems.

Training Weimaraner puppies is a challenge that is well worth it. These puppies are intelligent and loyal pets. They will eventually protect you and your family, and be loyal and loving companions. If you establish that you are the alpha dog, then its natural tendency to try to dominate will become less and less of a problem with time. Once trained, you will have a wonderful adult dog.

The post Training Weimaraner Puppies How To Make Great Adult Dogs first appeared on Puppy Blog.