Tips To Stop Destructive Dog Behavior

It is in a dogs natural instincts to follow their nose, and to hunt for their food, and even just for fun. They have mountains of energy, that needs to be given a constructive way to be released. Dogs are not meant to be curled up like a cat on the floor sleeping their lives away. If you don't give your dog friend a way to let out all their energy they get frustrated and find things around the house to hunt, and destroy.

The key to avoiding destructive behavior in your dog is prevention. If you spend time exercising or walking your dog, they will not have the extra energy needed to tear up the carpet, couch, or whatever else captures their attention. Make interaction with your dog part of your daily routine; take them with you when you go for a walk or light jog or take them to a dog park, where both of you can have fun with all of the other dogs running around. Dog parks are a great solution because they are built for dogs by definition and they often provide toys and different yards for differing sizes of dogs.

Toys are also a great solution to destructiveness as long as you get the correct kind of toy. Pet stores feature a lot of stuffed dog toys, but keep in mind that your dog won't know the difference between his stuffed toy and your child's stuffed toy, or even worse the difference between his stuffed toy and your couch cushion or pillow! In your dog's eyes, both are soft things that are fun to pull the stuffing out of. Far too many children have had their dolls or stuffed animals shredded by a confused dog. Stick with natural chew toys such as pig ears or raw-hides, or super-tough Kong toys or plastic squeaky toys.

A common mistake made by many people is to give their dog an old sock or shoe to chew on. Many believe that by giving them an old shoe or sock, they won't chew on the new ones you have. To put it bluntly, your dog doesn't know the difference. All they knows is that they all smell like feet, and unlike people, dogs really enjoy that smell. It also bears your scent, which your dog enjoys because it reminds them of you. By telling your dog, it's OK to chew on old shoes, you have effectively told them that it's OK to chew on all shoes. Pet stores are also guilty of selling toy shoes although these lack the smell of real shoes, you should avoid these as well to avoid any confusion.

To sum it all up, you must remember that your dog needs mental and physical stimuli. Without if they get bored, and frustrated, leaving them to act out. Plus, also keep in mind that your dog has different ways of using their senses than we do. You must remember this when trying to get them to understand what is OK and what is not. Be patient with them, and give them lots of praise when they are doing something right. This will get them to do that action more often than not.

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- Thomas Turner