Constant dog chewing and separation anxiety: How to deal with them with the right training

Training a dog takes time, understanding, patience and consistency. However, it is the only way to combat your dog's unwanted behaviors such as constant surface chewing and separation anxiety.

Read below what you need to know about proper dog training to improve your loyal friend's behavior and mood without any other problems.

Because positive education is the only right way

Proper training is essential for a long-term, happy and safe relationship with your dog, so you can ensure that your beloved four-legged friend feels safe, useful and happy . Positive reinforcement, which is based on rewards, is fun and effective without stressing or scaring your dog.

Kindly and lovingly teaching the desired behaviors strengthens the bond between dog and human, builds self-confidence in both and most importantly, it does not push the animal to comply out of fear or pain, but because it really wants to.

Constant chewing

Dogs love to chew everything, especially when they are puppies . Thus, they explore the world but also get relief from teething pain and itchy gums. Adult dogs chew for a variety of reasons, including boredom, loneliness, or just because it's fun.

Teaching your dog to chew on appropriate objects and not to cause serious damage to your home by chewing on furniture and other inappropriate surfaces is the only solution if you have a dog in the house.

When you catch your dog accidentally chewing on something he shouldn't, remove the object and give him something he's allowed to chew on . Instead of scolding him if he chews, for example, a slipper, reward him when he starts chewing on the appropriate toy .

Your dog may constantly chew on anything he can find out of anxiety when you're away. In this case, it's a good idea to put him in his crate along with various treats and chew toys to calm him down.

There is no reason to punish your dog when the damage is done . The damage may have been done hours ago and your dog will have no idea why you are scolding him. Your dog will learn that you are angry when you come home and will start to cower and look guilty, even when he has done nothing wrong.

The main thing beyond training is to give your dog enough exercise every day and lots of play and interaction with you. Boredom, loneliness and too much energy often trigger inappropriate chewing.

Separation anxiety

Does your dog get overly agitated when left alone? Does he cry and bark when you leave him alone in another room? Separation anxiety is an emotional disorder in which your dog feels angry and fearful when left alone, even for short periods of time.

The important thing is to teach your dog to self-soothe. You can do this gradually by putting him in a room or crate where he feels comfortable. There you should offer him a lot of toys, ideally long occupations, so that they attract his attention. Wait a few minutes and re-enter the room, but not when the dog is crying. You should enter when he's quiet so he doesn't make the connection that you're showing up as soon as he cries or scratches at the door.

It is good to go in and out of the room several times and when the dog is calm reward him with petting, praise and treats.

When you leave or come home, don't give too much attention to your dog. If he jumps on you, barks and fusses, ignore him until he calms down. Then give him a short pet. Especially when leaving, avoid goodbyes and excessive attention. The point is to show the puppy that coming and going is a normal routine, so there is no need to stress.

If your pooch recognizes your escape cues, such as you taking the keys or the coat, you can initially make these movements without running away, but ignoring the dog. Soon these visual cues will be meaningless and your dog will not react to them.

In any case, you should provide your dog with love, affection and sufficient exercise and play throughout the day. You can, when you are away, leave the radio on, so that there is no absolute silence, while of course dog toys , and especially long occupation toys, are the best solution to creatively occupy your furry friend when he is alone.

However, you should remember that any training takes time, possibly a few weeks, until it brings results, so you need patience and consistency.