Do you need to stop dog chewing? Does it feel like your problem dog is chewing up your life? When my lab was younger, he would chew up just about anything he could find: shoes, belts, bras, furniture, kleenex boxes, toilet paper, cardboard boxes, etc. Luckily we found out that the problem behavior does get better as the dog gets older. There are also some things you can do to help with younger dogs and their natural chewing behavior.

Chewing is a natural part of a puppies growth. In the wild, they have to strengthen their teeth and jaw muscles at an early age so they can hunt and feed on prey as they get older. Thus chewing is a natural part of a dog's instinct.

Unfortunately, there are many things in your house that you don't want your dog chewing up. In the wild, anything the Alpha dog leaves for the puppies is fair game. Since you're the Alpha dog to your puppy, he thinks the things you leave around the house belong to him. In his eyes, it's ok to chew them up; that's why you "gave them" to him!

To aggrevate it chewing problem, older dogs under stress often revert to comfortable "puppy" behaviors. Since chewing makes them feel good -- like a cat kneeding his paws -- they'll often do itto take their mind off of other stress in their life. If you can reduce the stress, you'll likely reduce or eliminate the bad behavior.

Keep your dog compfortable when you are away

The number one thing you can do to stop dog chewing when you leave the house is to crate train your dog. Although it seems harsh at first, your dog will think of his crate as his den and will welcome the opportunity to use it. You have to remember to let him go outside to use the bathroom before you crate crate him up or it will be as stressful as leaving him loose!

Give your dog plenty of exercise

Chewing is often a sign that your dog isn't getting enough exercise. I started playing catch with my lab every day after work until he got tired; his chewing dropped off right away. Remember, a well-exercised dog is less likely to cause other problems.

Give your dog substitute chew items

You aren't going to stop your dog's chewing. It's part of what makes a dog a dog! What you can do, however, is give your dog substitue items that it's ok for him to chew. Rawhide, clean beef bones, and other chew toys (Kong-type toys) can really help. One of the tricks is to give his toys their own scent; put a drop of vanilla on each so hecan smell the difference right away. When you catch your dog chewing something he shouldn't, don't scold him (this is stressful to him) -- just take it away and give him one of his good toys.

Time is the createst cure

Whatever else, don't give up on your dog! He counts on you to take care of him, and training is something that we're expected to do for them. If you're willing to spend the time working with him, your dog will learn to find other fun things to do to stop his bad behavior.

CLICK HERE for a permanent solution to your dog's chewing and other problem behaviors.