Labrador Training: Stop That Chewing Habit

While it is normal for a Labrador to chew, it is not normal when what he is chewing is your highly priced living room carpet or your new pair of designer shoes. Chewing problem is not unusual to a Lab...

While it is normal for a Labrador to chew, it is not normal when what he is chewing is your highly priced living room carpet or your new pair of designer shoes. Chewing problem is not unusual to a Labrador or to other breeds as well. It is a common problem concerning dogs and must be corrected as soon as possible.

Dogs chew for various reasons. Of course, it is natural for dogs to chew. But that is not the sole reason for chewing. Other reason why dogs chew is because of physical problems, feeling of pain in their teeth or because of the simple reason that they are bored. Chewing, when their teeth are causing them pain, helps ease the pain, thus your dog will just chew and chew on anything that he can find. When your dog is chewing himself, he might be affected with some health issues such as skin allergy thus causing him to itch.

I can very well remember years ago when we had just brought home a new puppy. My brother got mad when he discovered that our dog was feasting on his favorite rubber shoes. He scolded the pitiful puppy and gave him a spank in the rear. Later, we realize that maybe the puppy was bored because we were too busy with our own activities and failed to provide him with toys or something to play on.

We should always bear in mind that dogs think differently as humans do. They do things such as chewing not in the purpose of making us angry or annoyed. They just do what they think is best for them. And besides, dogs don't want their owners to get angry with them so why would they chew your furniture when they know that it will make you mad?

Whatever the reason for your dog's chewing, the problem must be addressed sooner or else it may cause other problems. When your dog is teething, the best way to stop this is to give him cold rawhide chew because this helps in easing the pain. In order for your dog not to get bored with the chew, try putting a number of chews into the freezer. Give him one on the first day and at the end of the day, put it back in the freezer. Give the other half of the chew the next day. Your dog will soon notice that you are giving him varying food chews thus he will always keep his attention on it.

It will also help if you'll provide your dog with toys. Giving something to play will keep his attention away from the furniture and other household items. So if you are leaving your Labrador behind, don't forget to provide him with many toys for him to play. That is if you don't want to spend so much for the repair of your living room couch, or worst, for buying a new one.