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Originally Posted by mina0710  It's gotten so bad. Tonight he not only tried biting my hand but he chews on everything. He was chewing on my bow on my slippers, my pant leg, the side of my sweater ... EVERYTHING that's on me and wouldnt go away. I normally would walk away but he would only eat when Im in the kitchen with him and it was his eating time. I don't know what to do anymore. I got so so so frustrating. I've been so patient but tonight pushed me to the edge. |
Poor baby is teething and chewing helps with the pain. Chewing on something is different than biting, and you treat this differently. Walking away from it does nothing to decrease the behavior. Ignoring things is called extinction; you are hoping by ignoring the behavior that the dog won't be reinforced and continue the behavior. However, and this is important, humans are not the reinforcers for most of the bad behavior, they would do it if you aren't there so ignoring it has very little if any effect on the behavior. I agree with the others, bitter apple or clear deodorant rubbed on articles he's chewing is effective in stopping the chewing of that article; I used the Bitter Apple, and also said "No." Both substances contain ingredients that make the tongue feel weird, and puppies will look for something else to chew on. You really need to have proper chewing toy and chew sticks. Target has some dog teething rings that Joey loved, one kind even went in the freezer to sooth their gums, but Joey loved the regular rings with the clicking action. Also Merrick Bully sticks are a safe dog chew, they are dried meat without preservatives, and 100 percent digestible. They are great at keeping the dogs away from bad things to chew on. So it's a two-pronged approach, making the stuff they chew on taste bad, and giving them something good to chew on.