Bad Toy!!

If there is a new puppy in the house more than likely there are new Stuffed Toys. Like a huge basketful of them, Right! Buying toys for our puppies is hard to resist.

Now the puppy is teething and the toy may help but by giving the teething puppy "Stuffies" to chew on, the pattern to chew and destroy fabric items has been set. Not all puppies will go on to chew the couch or even destroy their own bedding but quite a few do.

Let me mention, in my opinion, why destroying the couch isn't the dog's fault.

Chewing is an "Innate" behavior meaning it is natural or inborn in a dog. Other innate behaviors are eating, barking, jumping, biting, digging and playing. In and of themselves these are not bad behaviors until they occur in inappropriate ways. When they occur inappropriately that means the puppy has "Learned" to behave that way and will repeat the behavior out of desire, frustration or habit.

Innate is permanent. Learned can be changed.

There are four ways to change a Learned behavior: Obedience Training, fulfill your dog's needs, select the correct training tools, control the environment.

So the options are available but the easiest one is Prevention; Do not let it happen in the first place.

So I go back to why this isn't the dog's fault.....Who bought the toy and who let the puppy rip it up?



Thanks for being here!
My best,
Dru


Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net
Any Questions? Call me, Dru Therrian 440.286.9070