CAPITAL HUMANE SOCIETY
2320
Dealing With
Copyright Denver Dumb Friends League and
Humane Society of the
Puppies
may be just as much work as human babies - maybe more so because puppies can't
wear diapers and they have very sharp teeth! It's definitely true that, similar
to infants and toddlers, puppies explore their world by putting things in their
mouths. In addition, puppies are teething until they’re about six months old,
which usually creates some discomfort. Chewing not only facilitates teething,
but also makes sore gums feel better. Although it's perfectly normal for a
puppy to chew on furniture, shoes, shrubbery and such, these behaviors can be a
problem for you. A puppy won’t magically "outgrow" these behaviors as
he matures. Instead, you must shape your puppy's behaviors and teach him which
ones are acceptable and which aren’t.
Discouraging
Unacceptable Behavior
It’s
virtually inevitable that your puppy will, at some point, chew up something you
value. This is part of raising a puppy! You can, however, prevent most problems
by taking the following precautions:
·
Minimize chewing problems by
puppy-proofing your house. Put the trash out of reach, inside a cabinet or
outside on a porch, or buy containers with locking lids. Encourage children to
pick up their toys and don’t leave socks, shoes, eyeglasses, briefcases or TV
remote controls lying around within your puppy’s reach.
·
If, and only if, you catch your puppy
chewing on something he shouldn't, interrupt the behavior with a loud noise,
then offer him an acceptable chew toy instead and praise him lavishly when he
takes the toy in his mouth.
·
Make unacceptable chew items unpleasant
to your puppy. Furniture and other items can be coated with “Bitter Apple” to
make them unappealing (see our handout: “Sample
Aversives for Dogs”).
·
Don't give your puppy objects to play
with such as old socks, old shoes or old children's toys that closely resemble
items that are off-limits. Puppies can't tell the difference!
·
Closely supervise your puppy. Don’t give
him the chance to go off by himself and get into trouble. Use baby gates, close
doors or tether him to you with a six-foot leash so you can keep an eye on him.
·
When you must be gone from the house,
confine your puppy to a small, safe area such as a laundry room. You may also
begin to crate train your puppy (see our handout: “Crate Training Your Dog”). Puppies under five months of age
shouldn’t be crated for longer than four hours at a time, as they may not be
able to control their bladder and bowels longer than that.
·
Make sure your puppy is getting adequate
physical activity. Puppies left alone in a yard don’t play by themselves. Take
your puppy for walks and/or play a game of fetch with him as often as possible.
·
Give your puppy plenty of “people time.”
He can only learn the rules of your house when he’s with you.
Encouraging
Acceptable Behavior
·
Provide your puppy with lots of
appropriate toys (see our handout “Dog
Toys and How to Use Them”).
·
Rotate your puppy’s toys. Puppies, like
babies, are often more interested in unfamiliar or novel objects. Put out four
or five toys for a few days, then pick those up and put out four or five different
ones.
·
Experiment with different kinds of toys.
When you introduce a new toy to your puppy, watch him to make sure he won’t
tear it up and ingest the pieces.
·
Consider the various types of toys that
can be stuffed with food. Putting tidbits of food inside chew toys focuses your
puppy’s chewing activities on those toys instead of on unacceptable objects.
·
If your puppy is teething, try freezing
a wet washcloth for him to chew on.
What
Not To Do
Do
not ever discipline or punish your puppy after the fact. If you discover a chewed
item even minutes after he’s chewed it, you’re too late to administer a
correction. Animals associate punishment with what they’re doing at the time
they’re being punished. A puppy can’t reason that, "I tore up those
shoes an hour ago and that's why I'm being scolded now." Some people
believe this is what a puppy is thinking because he runs and hides or because
he "looks guilty." “Guilty looks” are canine submissive postures that
dogs show when they’re threatened. When you’re angry and upset, the puppy feels
threatened by your tone of voice, body postures and/or facial expressions, so
he may hide or show submissive postures. Punishment after-the-fact will not
only fail to eliminate the undesirable behavior, but could provoke other
undesirable behaviors, as well.
Other
Reasons For Destructive Behavior
In
most cases, destructive chewing by puppies is nothing more than normal puppy
behavior. Adult dogs, however, can exhibit destructive behaviors for a variety
of reasons, which can occasionally be the cause of chewing problems in puppies,
as well. Examples include separation anxiety, fear related behaviors and
attention-getting behavior. For help with these problems, contact our Behavior
Helpline or a professional animal behavorist.