We all know that you never need to strike your dog or puppy to teach him, not ever in his life. We know that, just like kids, getting his attention with a happy tone and big smile will be all it takes. Your happy face and squeally praises presses home the lesson, and te next time you say, "Wanna work?", he will be thrilled to have another session. Of course, you want to start this training session with as young a pup as possible, 5-6 weeks is perfect. Hopefully he is 6 weeks old or so, before he has had access to something he should not have, and blissfully ruined it. But so many things entice a puppy to chew, since it is a natural behavior for him anyway, how do you teach him what NOT to chew before something valuable has been ruined and his feelings have been hurt with scolding? The method I use is so easy and fast you won't believe you didnt think of it! Instead of teaching him one thing at a time, which works best with behavior training in general so as not to confuse him with too much information at a time, do it all at once! Place everything you can think of on the floor within his reach.
Slippers, clean and dirty cocks, (two different things to a pup) a bunch of different items like keys, pencils, anything you can think of that someday could end up falling on the floor. Leave lots of space around each item so that he will have them separate in his mind. Take him outside to do his business before beginning any lesson because we do not want him distracted. Get very close to your puppy beside each item as he explores all this great stuff. Share this fun time with him.
As he moves toward each item and smells it, give him a second to make sure it registers its identity in his little brain. If it is a good item like a puppy chewie, make a happy face and say "Good chew! GOOD puppy!" [use his name] If it is a sock or other "illegal" item, make a scowl and slam your palm on the floor beside the item and say "NO chew! NO chew!", and exchange the wrong item with a legal chewie as you say, "Good chew" just as he goes for it. Try to time your praise at the exact moment he does the proper behavior, to reinforce it in his little mind. More than once, say, "GOOD chew! GOOD [puppy]!" After ten minutes, he will be only going for legal chewies and having the time of his life. If you do this one more day with some different items, this will reinforce that only certain items are legal and some new items may turn up that are not legal because they are not the legal items. See? It works like a charm and they never forget it.
Your smiling face is a huge reward to a dog or puppy, it is what they live for. Learning the difference between what is legal and what is illegal to chew is the fastest and easiest thing your puppy will ever learn when you use this method, and it will save you and him much heartache and disappointment in the life of his training.
Dy Witt has shown, bred and trained dogs for 25 years. For more info on her training techniques, free articles and info on her ebook on dog training, visit http://www.DogTraining15MinsADay.com
