How To Get Your Dog To Stop Chewing Everything In The House

So, I get a call from my sister today, and she is ranting about how "her dumb dog chewed through her last pair of shoes". Her words not mine. She thought she would call me, seeing as I am a dog training expert. (toot toot!) That was me tooting my own horn. Ha Ha. Now I know many of you have probably had a puppy that just had to tear up every thing in site. But he only did it when you were away..... right?

There are two reasons for this. My sisters dog has either anxiety issues, or he is just bored.

Now this pup, "Rusty" is his name, is a Black Mouth Curr. (a southern hunting breed) and he is only 4 months old. So he has,

1. tons of energy and
   
2. they only got him a month ago so he might have anxiety as well.

Well my sister lives about two hours away from where I stay, so it's hard for me to get a feel for which one it could be. But that doesn't matter, not for the "Dog Training Expert"! Ok Ok seriously though, she just has to do a couple of things weather it's boredom or anxiety.

1. Take Rusty for a walk twice a day. Three times if she really loves her shoes. Going out to play in the back yard to replace one walk is fine too, but she should do some basic training with him as well. A dog's brain needs to be stimulated or they will get bored.
2. When she catch's Rusty in the act, she should not yell at him. Instead just tell him no and give him a chew toy. Now this toy is going to be his designated "chew thing". She needs to help him understand, that this toy is the only thing he is allowed to chew on. A raw hide bone works well too.
3. Crate training. When nobody is going to be home she needs to put him in his crate with his chew toy, so he is not tempted to chew everything his nose comes across.
4. To reduce anxiety and get some much needed exercise, she should take Rusty to the dog park. Socialization is the key to a well rounded, well behaved, and well trained dog. This will give Rusty confidence in himself, and wont feel so dependent.
5. Another trick for anxiety, if when you come home your dog is in just wild excitement to see you, try your very hardest not to pay any attention to him until he calms down. Then reward him with praise and a treat. The reason for doing this is because if your dog is anticipating your coming home as an over exciting event in his day, it will cause anxiety.

I wrote this today because I know this is a big problem for many new dog owners. So if my sister ever wants to have another nice pair of ANYTHING!! She will take my advice the "Dog Training Expert" I promise last time, and stop her dog Rusty from chewing EVERYTHING!!

Warning: Pet Food Contaminated With High Levels of Fluoride

This is an article from Natural News.com explaining how there is fluoride in 10 major brands of dog food, and the dangers of it.

(NaturalNews) A study conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found high levels of fluoride contamination in eight major national brands of dog food, raising concerns that pets may be at risk of bone cancers and other consequences of fluoride exposure.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring element that may help prevent tooth decay when applied to the exterior of teeth. When ingested, whether via drinking water or food, fluoride builds up in teeth and bones and can lead to health conditions including tooth mottling (dental fluorosis), neurotoxicity, hormonal disruption, and damage to the reproductive and developmental systems. A number of studies have shown that boys who drink fluoridated tap water between the ages of six and eight are significantly more likely to develop a rare and fatal bone cancer known as osteosarcoma.

The rate of osteosarcoma in dogs is almost 10 times that in humans. It is unknown whether this is caused by a greater vulnerability or increased fluoride exposure.

Researchers tested 10 brands of dog food marketed for both adults and puppies, finding that eight of them -- all major national brands -- contained fluoride levels between 1.6 and 2.5 times as high as the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) maximum allowed level in drinking water. A dog also consuming fluoridated water would be exposed to levels 3.5 times the EPA's limit, the researchers concluded.

The primary source of the fluoride contamination seemed to be bone meal and other animal byproducts (including chicken or beef meal and chicken or poultry by-product meal) used as filler. The one vegetarian brand tested had no fluoride contamination, and neither did the brand produced by a small manufacturer.

Fluoridated tap water probably also contributed a small but significant amount of fluoride to the dog food, the researchers said.

EWG recommends that consumers seeking to protect their dogs from fluoride purchase only dog foods that do not contain bone meal or other animal byproducts.

Sources for this story include: www.ewg.org.