How To Train Your Dog To Chew On His Toys And Not On Household Objects

There are several reasons for dogs to bite our most precious objects. Anxiety, boredom, lack of exercise, gum pain or hyperactivity are the most frequent. The dog’s mouth is like another sensory organ, assimilable to human touch. In addition, when they are puppies they need to nibble to recognize and discover their environment and also as a way to relieve the discomfort caused by the change of baby teeth.

To prevent your dog from nibbling on everything in its path, you need to set limits and educate it. Pet toys can become your best allies to achieve this goal.

How to get your dog to chew on his toys and not other objects

From the moment the animal arrives at your house, whether it is a puppy or not, you must teach it –among many other things– what can and cannot be bitten. Some ideas to achieve coexistence with your dog, at least in these aspects, are:

• Before she starts with the household objects, give her different toys so she can chew on them for as long as she wants.

There is a wide variety of these items on the market specially designed for pets. However, before you put them in your mouth, make sure they are non-toxic and sized to prevent choking.

• Never give him the green light to chew on old shoes or other unused objects. You will regret it when I chew on your new booties. Dogs do not differentiate old from new, or expensive from cheap.

• Make no mistake about it, it should be clear to him that he should only chew on his toys. And this should be clear to the rest of the human inhabitants of the house as well.
• If, despite the fact that you have filled him with various toys, he still chooses to sink his teeth into things around the house, you should take the trouble to watch him and say NO, firmly and forcefully, at the precise moment when he is going to nibble on something. Even when you’re just smelling it. It won’t help if you do it later. The dog cannot relate your current words to past events.
• Once you give the order NO, offer him his toys.
• If he doesn’t remove the old object from his mouth anyway, don’t pull or chase him to try and remove it. He may also take that action as fun, and for that reason, he will do it again.

• Don’t berate him. You will only get him to keep doing the same thing but secretly from you.

Most likely, these scenes will be repeated several times until your dog understands that he should only chew on his toys. But you have to be constant and patient. Do not be discouraged or angry.

The great chewer

The reality is that most dogs will prefer to chew on things that smell like you, their owner. The leader of his pack.

Ideally, then, you should provide him with many chewable toys, of various shapes and textures – and that do not resemble household objects – and teach him to differentiate between what is his, and he can nibble, and what is yours and he cannot. touch.

How to achieve this? Praise him, pet him, even reward him when he makes the right choice.

If you must leave him alone, do it in an environment of your home free of temptations for his jaw, except for his toys. Before, you can give him a walk so that he expends energy and chooses to rest to nibble while waiting for your return.

Keep in mind that you will get – sooner rather than later – your dog to understand what can and cannot be bitten. Therefore, the game is always a good way to educate him. You should try to link his toys with fun and recreation. Take him for a walk with his toys. Inside the house, associate playful moments with these elements.

It will be the best way to make him understand that it is okay for him to bite those objects that are his. Only those. Not others. There are even some toys that can be filled with treats for dogs or some other food that he likes. Another good way to reward him and show him how things should be.