Do you feel like the chewing will never end?

You´re on your last pair of loafers, and those already have teeth marks all over them, and you need to find out how to make the chewing stop.

Chewing is a natural behavior in dogs and there is no way to stop it completely. However, you can´t let Fido continue to ruin your shoes! The following tips will help you redirect Fido´s chewing so you don´t have to wear your flip flops to your next big meeting.

1. If you have a puppy, there is a good chance the chewing is related to teething. Try giving your pooch some cool teething toys and other chewtoys. You will also want to puppyproofthe area that Fido has unsupervised access to.
2. Pent up energy may also leave your dog chewing everything he can get his teeth on. Try exercising Fido before he is left on his own. Some time tossing around the will tire out even the most spirited pooch. Also, leave your dog with a variety of toys to help him expel some energy in your absence.
3. Sometimes there is no good reason for a dog's excessive chewing except that he likes to do it. He may just love the feel of your fine Italian leather in his mouth. Your first line of defense would be to hide his favorite things to chew. You may also want to sprayyour valuable chewables with bitter apple spray. In the event that Fido does find his forbidden chew toys, this spray will make them taste most unappetizing.

If excessive teething is accompanied by other odd behaviors such as excessive barking, whining or regression in housetraining, talk to a veterinarian about possible separation anxiety. Destructive behaviors in the absence of a dog's owner have been linked to this condition.

Remember to keep chew toys in every room so Fido has easy access to them whenever the urge ro chew occurs. Stock up on treats so you can reward his good behavior when you see him pass the temptation of your Italian leather or when you catch him chewing on the correct toys.

QC-PR-121906-AM