obedience

Question
How do i stop my dog from biting on everything in the yard.

Answer
Chewing is a natural behavior for dogs. Some dogs chew because it feels good, some because they are anxious and others because they are bored.

The key is to redirect your dogs natural behavior towards accpetable items and resolve the cause of his chewing if it is boredom or anxiety.

1. Bring your dog indoors and allow him to be part of the family. Supervise him when he is outside and then he will never have the opportunity to chew the wrong item as you are watching him. When you cannot supervise him, confine him in a secure part of the yard without access to forbidden items and provide him with an acceptable chew like a bone or stuffed KONG.

2. Provide more daily exercise - walking a couple of times a week or the occasional game of fetch is not enough exercise. He needs daily aerobic exercise-fetch, running beside the bicycle, Frisbee, swimming, etc. A tired dog is relaxed and will rest, not chew.

3. Make certain the dog always has access to something he is ALLOWED to chew on: food stuffed bones or toys, nylabones, Buster Cubes, natural bones, rawhides, cow hooves, etc....and then PRAISE the dog for chewing on those items. Try stuffing a bone or Kong toy with such tasty treats as cheese, peanut butter, leftover chicken, steak or some canned wet food, to make the chewing item much more appealing than anything else. Keep in mind that items like pigs ears or flimsy rawhide sheets are snacks and will not last long enough to provide chewing satisfaction.

4. Spray areas that the dog has chewed with a bitter tasting deterrent such as Bitter Apple, vinegar, or a strong, cheap cologne. Renew the area daily for the next two weeks until he stops going back to chew in that area. Remember that you should be closely supervising the dog during this retraining phase; don't rely on the taste deterrents alone to fix this problem!

5. Do not punish the dog if he is chewing the wrong thing. Punishment can cause the dog to be resentful of you and only teaches him to be sneaky about misbehaving. Instead, call the dog away from the item and reward him for coming to you with a food treat. Remove the forbidden item without yelling or scolding and then supervise him more closely so he does not have the opportunity to chew on the wrong thing again.

6.Restrict his access to areas that you don't wish him to enter such as flower beds or landscaped areas.

7. Attend at least one obedience training course with your dog so that both you and the dog learn basic commands together.

8. Notice and reward good behavior. When he is chewing on his own things, praise him and pet him. When he is quietly lying at your feet, praise him softly and feed him a treat. Notice the good behaviors your dog does every day and reward it. If you keep rewarding good behavior, it will increase and in turn, the bad behaviors will decrease. If the dog is not rewarded for appropriate or correct behavior, then he will invent his own form of entertainment that may not be acceptable to you.

9. Supervise, supervise, supervise and again we can't say it enough, supervise your pet. Your dog should NOT have one opportunity to chew the wrong item because you are watching him closely. Don't leave items out in easy reach for him; put away shoes, trash cans, clothing, children's toys, etc. In order to help change your pet's behavior, you also must change your behavior as well.

10. Avoid isolating the dog outdoors for long periods of time. This teaches him to become anxious, bored and encourages the negative chewing behavior you are seeking to eliminate.

11. Remember that young dogs are more prone to chewing and require much higher amounts of exercise than older animals. The general rule of thumb is that the dog should start with small amounts (15-20 minutes) of unattended freedom indoors or out around the age of one year and gradually work up to longer periods over the next 6 months.

I hope this helps and that you are able to resolve the problem by working with your dog. May you have many happy years together!

SAH