Stop Your Dog Chewing On Everything - 7 Strategies Experts Recommend

Dogs in general have a natural desire to chew, and it seems there are three main reasons for that:

Your dog is bored and has nothing better to do.It's a self rewarding activity if what they chew on tastes good. It also passes time and it is fun for dogs.Your dog is under exercised and chewing burns up nervous and negative energies and is a way of expressing her emotions.

The following are strategies expert use to prevent dog from destructive chewing:

Manage your household items - Dogs discover and explore everything with their mouth, so no need to test her loyalty to you. Take things that you don't want her to chew on and put them away out of her reach. These include garbage, clothing, books, cameras, remote control, cell phones, etc.Secure your food away- Don't leave any food, snacks, or leftovers on a table or somewhere that she can reach. Put the food in a container and out of reach; wash or rinse the dishes before leaving them on kitchen sink.Restrict her in a dog-proofed area-until she proves she understands and obeys your household rules.Don't confuse your dog between what is permitted and what is not to chew on- Some dog owners give their dog an old towel, cloths or old pair of shoes that they are not using anymore and let them to play chew or do whatever they want with it, and then expect for the dog to tell the difference between the old and the new items in the house and not to touch new ones. Dogs can't tell the difference.Give her lots of tasty alternative toys- You can purchase them on-line or your local Pet-toy shop. If there aren't any toys in her designated area, she will start targeting your stuff. Remember dogs have a natural desire to chew. If you rotate the available toys every few days will keep her excited as it's not the same old toy all the time.Interrupt her inappropriate chewing- If you caught her chewing on your stuff, make a loud noise as clapping or firm No, then immediately offer your dog one of her toys as an alternative. When she drops your item and picks what you have just offered, reward and praise her. Over time, this teaches her that her toys are OK to chew on but anything else she'll get in trouble.Spend as much time with your dog as possible- To leave her in the backyard for all day as it maybe convenience for us sometimes, for dogs however it is boring and horrible. She needs your time with her to learn and explore your household rules and what behavior is appropriate and what is not.

No dog is perfect and in the early stages of your relationship, she is still learning. Mistakes and small accidents could still happen. Give her time to master your house rules, invest plenty of your time to train and supervision with her. In the mean time provide her with lots of toys and alternatives to chew on.

To learn the step-by-step course of preventing your dog's chewing and other bad behaviors, click on Stop-Dog-Chewing.

If you like to learn more about how to prevent your dog chewing inappropriately on your possession, follow this link Stop-A-Dog-Chewing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jemis_Hormozi

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Article Submitted On: February 07, 2011

Your Dog and Food - Are You Providing the Best Diet?

This article will help you to consider a dog's natural diet, and whether your dog and food choices are the best available.

Many experts believe that you should feed your dog some 'natural' alternatives in place of processed pet food. While some manufactured dog foods can provide important nutrients, very few people would call them 'natural'. This is because processed foods, liked canned and dry forms, only estimate a canine diet.

Many processed dog foods are imperfect because they:

Have been cooked for a long time which takes away many of the nutrientsDo not contain beneficial fats, whole proteins, or enzymes present in raw foodsMay contain poor-quality grains or by-products left over from food manufacturingCan include added chemicals and preservatives.

Natural food, on the other hand, is closer to what your dog is designed for

A Natural diet can help your dog stay healthy, with fewer allergies, flea infestations or trips to the vet. It can assist digestion and elimination (your dog's stools should be firm not sloppy). It can help maintain dental wellbeing (with nicer dog breath!).

Many people believe that degenerative diseases in canines may be avoided altogether with a good natural diet. A healthy canine can remain in peak physical condition long after it has reached middle age. Proper nourishment (and exercise) can also help prevent your dog from being overweight.

Ask yourself...

Would you stay healthy if you only ate canned food every day, even if it was proven to be nutritionally balanced? No way! Before long you'd be rebelling. You'd crave variety... and your digestive system would be crying out for a change too.

The best food for dog has an evolutionary basis. Dogs are designed to digest and utilize raw meat, cartilage, bones, and other parts of an animal including some of the internal organs (and even fur). This is closer to how a wild dog eats.

How can I gradually change my dog and food choices?

Well, you can't send your dog back into the wilderness, but you can do some things...

Firstly, take your time. Don't dramatically alter your dog's diet overnight.Don't toss out all your canned food or kibble. Just replace some of the usual food with some natural alternatives.or example, add some raw meat obtained from your pet supplier or a reliable butcher, and a light bone or two.Add a small amount of grated raw vegetable and fruit (avoid grapes), and maybe a small amount of egg, omega oil, yogurt, and nuts.Once or twice a week offer some organ meats. Occasional tripe can be good too.

This is just a start...

There are many resources and books on this subject. And don't ignore your breeder or your vet. You should listen to your vet if specific health advice has been offered, or if your dog has a pre-existing condition.

Dog Training on Bite Inhibition

The most important thing that a dog should learn from puppy to adult dog is a good bite inhibition. Even a very friendly dog and properly socialized is extremely dangerous if not properly trained to control his bite. What is dog bite inhibition? In my own simple meaning, it is the ability of the dog to control the force of his bite without causing injury. If the dog was not trained while still a puppy, he cannot gauge his limit on biting. In most cases, the dog will cause a deep bite. Good bite inhibition does not mean that the dog will not bite but it means that in case your dog bites, it will not cause any or serious damage.

There are two things needed to teach your dog on bite inhibition. One is by letting him to play with other dog to develop dog to dog bite inhibition. The other one is teaching dog bite inhibition towards people.

Dog to Dog Bite Inhibition
A puppy should play bite with other puppies. In this way, he can develop his bite control until adulthood. The more the puppy plays bite, the more he learns different levels of force that may harm or not harm. If you are watching puppies play, sometimes the bites are getting rough and one puppy may felt hurt and stops the play session. In this way, the other puppy learns that he has to make the bite softer to avoid end of their play session. Another advantage of letting your dog to play with other dog is improving his socialization towards another dog.

Dog to People Bite Inhibition
The puppy should also learn the bite inhibition to people. It is very important that this should be done at a younger age as the jaw is still softer compared to an adult dog. The teeth o f a puppy is much sharper compared to an adult dog, so extra precaution must be taken care of. It is a bit hard to do this training to an adult dog as it may inflict a serious injury if not controlled properly. You can let you puppy play bite on you but you have to give him a good feedback if you feel that the bite is getting harder. You can do this by giving an action that you are hurt and leave the play session. This is the same as puppy playing bite with other puppy that when one is hurt, the play stops, while the other puppy cries. Give him a few minutes to think and play with him again. This time, he already knows that his bite must be softer than before. You must do this exercise frequently since the more he practices his bite, the more control he gains until reaching adulthood. Sometimes, you can exaggerate your action so that he develops his limit for a softer bite possible.

As I mentioned earlier, even a properly and well-behaved dogs but not trained on bite inhibition is extremely dangerous in case the dog is provoked. You cannot avoid some accidents may happen, like stepping on a sleeping dog, a child suddenly jumped over the dog while the dog is eating, you close the car door while trapping the dog's tail, and many other incidents. If the dog is trained on bite inhibition, you can avoid any sudden deep bite from the dog. As a dog owner, you are more confident to take your dog with you in socializing with other people and other dogs if you know that your dog has a good bite inhibition.