One of the most common dog behaviors that owners complain about is chewing. Dogs love to chew. It is one of the few things they can do on their own that stimulates their mind, and it is an instinct that they have carried with them since their wolf ancestry.

It is also the dog behavior that gets pets into the most trouble. For an untrained dog, the chewing can take place on anything that feels good for their teeth – from your couch, to your table, to your favorite slippers. But training your dog out of chewing is actually not that difficult. You simply need to understand that chewing is an instinct that your dog needs help controlling – it is rarely your dog purposefully acting out against you.

The Three Ways to Train Your Dog Out of Chewing

• Stimulate their Brain/Body

Dogs that are using their brain are far less prone to chewing. Chewing is an outlet for a lack of stimulation. If you spend time with your dog teaching tricks and using commands your dog will chew less. Chewing is also an outlet for stress and energy, so take your dog for long walks and runs in order to reduce your dog’s energy levels.

• Remove and Replace the Chewing Item

If you think about it, chewing is not a dog behavior that is necessarily bad. It is the items that they are chewing that cause the most frustration and grief. So one of the best things to do is to give your dog a toy that they can chew as much as they want, whenever they want. Chew ropes are one of the best toys for your pets. They clean your pet’s teeth, and they hold up against aggressive chewing for several months before they need replacing. In order to train your dog to chew the rope, simply take away whatever they are trying to chew and put the rope in front of them. Once they start chewing the rope without punishment, they will be happy to bring their energy there.

• Spraying Bitter Tastes

There are a variety of products designed to reduce chewing behavior by making the items taste terrible for a dog. These sprays are generally effective for getting your dog to stop chewing particular items, but they do not fully address the behavior itself. For that, you should use the above two training methods and your dog should stop chewing in no time.

For more tips and tricks for training your dog out of bad dog behaviors, sign up for our newsletter today!