Puppy Rearing 4: Chewing and Other Destructiveness in
Puppies and Dogs
Copyright
©1996, 1997 HomeVet
Punishment
for Puppies
Young
dogs begin to explore their surroundings as soon as
their eyes open. Mouthing, chewing and biting objects
is a part of this exploration; however, it can result
in injury to your pet and damage of valuable household
items.
To be effective,
punishment must be timed correctly and must be appropriate.
There is no sense in punishing a puppy hours or days
after it has chewed up a valuable item. Unless your
pet is caught "in the act" or only seconds after it
has chewed an inappropriate item, punishment will accomplish
little. Your pet cannot make a logical connection between
your reprimand and its chewing behavior unless punishment
is given during or immediately after chewing.
If you return
home to find that your pet has damaged something, accept
the fact and ignore your pet until you have cleaned
up the mess. Yelling and hitting the pup with a rolled-up
newspaper are not only harsh and unkind but ineffective.
Punishment should
serve to startle your pet, distracting it from its current
objectionable pursuit long enough for it to detect your
displeasure. Substitute the objectionable activity (chewing)
immediately with an alternative and acceptable activity.
If your puppy is chewing on your slippers, for example,
say "no" in a firm tone and gently remove the slipper
(without playing tug of war). Follow this immediately
with an acceptable toy or rawhide bone and immediate
praise ("good dog").
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Attention-Seeking
Destructiveness
Most
pets quickly discover they will be rewarded with your
attention when they misbehave. A dog lying quietly in
a corner is frequently ignored, but you become upset
when it chews on your expensive new shoes. The dog may
overlook the fact that you are unhappy about its behavior
and focus on the discovery of how effectively it attracted
your attention. A dog that does not have enough positive
interaction with its owner may resort to objectionable
attention-seeking behavior.
Young pets learn
to distinguish acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
If your dog has discovered how to get your attention
by behaving destructively, consider how to undo the
undesirable pattern you have helped create. If your
dog has learned that you will chase it when it has grabbed
your glove, for example, do not chase the dog the next
time it tries this. Your dog will not care whether you
are laughing or shouting angrily, as long as you engage
in the game. Instead, ignore the dog, as difficult as
this may be.
Do not make eye
contact, move toward or look at your pet. Avoid giving
any type of attention. If you must, leave the room.
This response will be unexpected and completely contrary
to what your pet desires. The dog may even abandon the
object and come in search of you (if so, give the dog
abundant praise).
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Digging
Digging
is used to uncover prey in underground burrows, and
is useful to bury food, which is later retrieved and
consumed. Dogs also dig to create a cavity in the snow
or earth for shelter from the wind and to conserve body
heat. In warmer weather, an excavation may keep the
dog cool. Some dogs dig before urination or defecation.
Dominant adult dogs kick up soil with the hind legs,
perhaps to disperse its scent and increase territorial
marking. Glands in the footpads mark the soil with scent
during digging.
Even indoors,
many dogs appear to dig in preparing a place to rest.
This form of digging behavior is usually not destructive,
though over time your carpet may be worn down. Digging
is usually not considered a problem unless it destroys
property. To prevent your dog from digging, you must
control opportunities to dig and provide the dog with
alternative activities that are equally enjoyable and
physically challenging. If your dog digs in your backyard,
restrict access to that area.
Ideally, your
dog should not be left unsupervised in your yard, regardless
of any misbehavior. Your dog will be less likely to
expend energy by digging if it is walked at regular
intervals every day and has a variety of appropriate
physical activities to pursue. Have daily play sessions
that apply obedience skills, such as retrieving objects.
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Destructiveness
and Separation Anxiety
Dogs
bond emotionally to their human caretakers and can experience
emotional distress at any age when separated from you
or other family members. Separation anxiety may take
several forms.
Separation anxiety
may be seen as whimpering, barking, howling, chewing,
scratching and inappropriate elimination (urine or stool).
It may also be expressed as depression (loss of appetite,
social withdrawal, decreased overall activity) or self-mutilation
(over-grooming).
Anxiety may result
when an individual experiences social isolation or even
temporary separation from others. This anxiety can become
particularly intense when the pet anticipates periods
of separation.
Dogs are quick
to learn when their owners are about to leave the house.
Emotional tension builds before your departure. Peak
anxiety, expressed as whimpering, barking or howling,
likely occurs within the first minutes after your departure.
During extended periods of separation, the pet may engage
in more passive displays of anxiety, such as depression,
withdrawal or self-mutilation.
Behavior modification
techniques can be used to minimize separation anxiety.
Begin by leaving your dog for very short periods, and
lavish praise when you return. Gradually increase the
time spent away. Crate training is also extremely helpful
in providing security for the anxious dog. When necessary,
anxiolytic herbs or drugs will be prescribed by your
veterinarian to help your dog.
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Chewing
and Biting
Do you
have a puppy that would rather use your arm than a bone
as a chew toy? While it is normal for puppies to use
their mouths when playing with each other; this behavior
becomes a problem when it carries over into their interactions
with us.
Many breeds are
genetically inclined to use their mouths to do a job.
The sporting breeds are the retrievers and the carriers
of items. The working and the herding breeds use their
mouths to control the movements of humans or other animals.
The terrier breeds are motion-activated and will chase
and try to catch things they perceive as small rodents,
including your feet. Understanding these tendencies
in your own puppy, whether a mixed breed or purebred,
can help in dealing with the problem of mouthing.
At a very young
age puppies begin to learn how much pressure with their
mouths is too much by the reactions of their mothers
and littermates. When puppies play, they chomp each
other's ears and chew each other's necks, until one
bites down too hard. Then, the bitten puppy lets out
a piercing "iey, iey, ieeyyy" (referred to as the hurt
puppy noise), gets up and walks away.
This teaches
the biting puppy that when it is too rough, play ends.
Since dogs are social animals, this in itself is a correction
. The puppy learns bite inhibition through these playfighting
sessions, by remaining with its litter until seven weeks
old. This is one of the most important lessons they
will carry into adulthood, especially in their relationship
with people.
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Teaching
Puppies to Behave
As a
new puppy owner, it is necessary to establish what is
and isn't acceptable behavior, from the first day. Most
puppies will do anything to please you and will benefit
from expectations that are consistently displayed. Puppies
teethe from four to six months, so mouthing is quite
common then. If not gotten under control by the time
the-puppy enters adolescence, not only will you have
a less cooperative teenager to handle, but also a larger,
stronger jaw to deal with. Mouthing can become a way
for puppies to try to control you, allowing them to
take that first step towards assuming a leadership role
within your home. The following techniques are recommended
for most puppies up to four months of age, depending
upon their size.
Initially, a
puppy will use his mouth to investigate his environment.
Throughout the teething process, it gives a puppy relief
to chew on all manner of items, soft and hard. Providing
appropriate items for your puppy to focus on can sometimes
be a simple way of solving a mouthing problem. Indestructible
chew toys like large nylon bones or hard rubber Kongs
can provide a positive outlet for mouthing. Large rawhide
bones (for when the puppy is supervised only) and carrots
can be placed in the freezer and given to a teething
puppy. Braided fiber bones dipped in chicken broth or
water and then frozen are also a good option.
If your puppy
is chewing on you, the moment the pressure increases
use your "hurt puppy' noise leaving your hand in his
mouth. Once the pressure is released, slowly remove
your hand. You may wish to offer the back of your hand
for your puppy to lick. By doing this, not only are
you teaching him that our skin is tender, but also that
you expect a sign of deference (licking your hand) for
their action. Praise him in a calm manner if his cooperation
is immediate and offer him an appropriate chew toy.
Do not offer a toy while your hand is still in his mouth,
or you will be rewarding the wrong behavior. You may
also choose to assign a command like "no bite" or "no
mouth", so he will associate his behavior with your
correction. This method should work with the average,
eager-to-please puppy.
Does your puppy
start mouthing you if you don't play when he
wants to? Is he constantly tripping you up,
or starting to play tug-o-war with the leash when you're
trying to walk him? Is he uncooperative when you ask
him to do something like getting off the couch? If your
answer is 'yes' to these questions, you may have a bossy
or dominant puppy. With this type of puppy you may need
to exercise a little more discipline.
Discipline does
not mean punishment, It means correcting an unwanted
behavior and teaching a new, more desirable one. In
this case, we want puppies that understand by our reactions
that their behavior is unacceptable. Since they may
not look for as much guidance from you, these puppies
need to learn to accept you as a leader. The first step
in letting a bossy puppy know you are in charge is to
be handled by you in a variety of ways. Touching the
paws and tail of a confident puppy often stimulates
a mouthing response. Rather than forcing them to accept
being handled, we want to increase their comfort level.
Touch a toe and give a treat if they have not already
mouthed you. If they do, use your "no mouth" or similar
command and try again. Your goal is to able to gently
squeeze their paw in a non-threatening manner. This
will help with nail trimming later as well.
As a prelude
to good dental care, a puppy should also get used to
your fingers in its mouth. Begin by sliding your finger
coated in tunafish oil or one of the commercially prepared
dog toothpastes into the pouch created by the jowls
on the side of the puppy's muzzle. Try to briefly massage
itsr gums, praising all the while. If this presents
no problem, slip back towards the molars, actually letting
your finger run over the surface of the tooth. If, at
this point, your puppy bites down too hard, use one
of the corrections previously mentioned, again offering
the back of your hand to lick.
With a puppy
that is really being obnoxious, a more direct approach
may be needed. For this method, your puppy should be
wearing a well-fitted buckle collar. Should he begin
to mouthe you, slip your finger under his collar just
under the jaw on either side. Looking directly into
his eyes, say "no mouth" or similar command in a growly
voice. Wait for him to look away or to put his ears
back slightly, as a sign of submission. Release him
and walk away or briefly close him in another room for
a new minutes as a "time out". There is no need to shake
the puppy or overdo this type of correction, the puppy
will get the message.
For the lunging,
snapping puppy, remember. that movement encourages them.
With these types of puppies you need to be aware of
how you may be motivating them to mouthe. Never encourage
games involving your hands or feet as targets. Hold
your leash so that there in never any part of it dangling.
Until you have started to retrain your puppy, it is
a good idea to avoid wearing loose, flowing clotheing.
It is natural to raise our arms when we feel physically
threatened; unfortunately, that may lure a lunging puppy
closer to your face.
Rather than pulling
away, concentrate on pushing in. As the puppy begins
to mouthe you, push your hand in further to create a
bit of discomfort. This causes the puppy to "spit" you
out. You regain control of the situation by reversing
the puppy's action. Once your hand has been released,
praise. Spraying your hands and leash (cotton web, preferably)
with a commercially prepared, bitter tasting spray can
act as a deterrent. Use diluted lemon juice in a pinch.
If the methods
above don't work, you may need to become a "statue".
Cross your arms across your chest, turn your back to
your puppy, and become motionless. When you do not respond,
your puppy gets no reward for his behavior. When done
consistently, this should extinguish the "game". This
method also works for a puppy that tries to initiate
games of "tug-o-war". If the leash goes slack instead
of pulling back, the fun is gone for your puppy.
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Finding
a Trainer
If you
are having a serious biting problem, especially with
an older puppy, consult your veterinarian and consider
retaining a private trainer to help you solve the problem.
To find a trainer, ask your veterinarian for a referral
. Ask what methods the retainers use and speak to previous
clients if possible. Rule out any trainer that advocates
harsh punishments. This can have a long-lasting negative
affect on your puppy. As with all training, persistence,
patience and positive reinforcement are key, especially
when those needle-sharp teeth are gnawing away at your
patience.
Also see How
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Please note:
The information provided here is meant to supplement
that provided by your veterinarian. Nothing can replace
a complete history and physical examination performed
by your veterinarian. - Dr. Jeff
I greatly value your feedback. Please let me know what
you think of this site and what you would like to see
on it. drjeff@homevet.com
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