From the moment the animal arrives at our home we must be very persistent with a series of rules that it must follow at all times.
When we adopt our new best friend, the dog, everything seems to be joy and fun at home. The dog will bring us many positive feelings since he loves to constantly show us affection and share many moments at our side, always full of joy.
However, from the moment the animal arrives at our home we must be very persistent with a series of rules that it must comply with at all times. Otherwise, we will turn our dog into a very difficult dog to domesticate and it could cause us a lot of trouble, as well as an unnecessary waste of money.
How to train a dog not to bite things at home
There are usually two main problems at home when we adopt a dog. The first is that it learns to do its business outside the house and, the second, that it does not bite or destroy any of the objects that we have in our home when we are there and when we are not there.
Constancy is the main adjective to describe a really effective method to get your dog not to bite anything.
It may seem like a logical and simple thing, but sometimes there are members who will allow the animal to break the rules on some occasions and that will give it more confidence in them, believing that it has more rights and more power than those specific humans.
Once the dog knows who has power over him, he will obey all of their orders and requests. It is then that we must begin to domesticate our dog with rigid and consistent rules that we must all follow and practice in the same way.
Constancy is the main adjective to describe a really effective method to stop your dog from biting things at home. If the dog is young, we will have to dedicate more time and attention to it, since puppies are much more nervous and do not yet have a defined character.
Therefore, if we pay attention to their movements we can detect when they are eating something they shouldn’t and call their attention right at that moment, which is when scolding is most effective.
Sometimes we tend to call the dog’s attention when he has already broken something. Although he will feel guilty and lower his head, the punishment will not be as effective as if we catch him at the moment when he is doing something he shouldn’t.
When we see that he is biting an object, we should shout a short, sharp word at him. We will try to always use the same word so that he will associate it with the fact that he is doing something that we do not like and that he should not do. The most common word is “no” and it is very effective. It is recommended not to hit the animal since the learning process is equally or more effective with a sharp shout than with physical violence.
The most common and effective way to scold a dog that has bitten something is “no”
Tips for when your dog is home alone
Unfortunately, we cannot always be at home with our pets. If it is still a puppy, it is advisable to delimit an area where it cannot bite valuable objects or objects that could put its life at risk, such as chemicals, plastic bags or sharp objects.
Young dogs have a greater need to bite because their teeth are changing and, like humans, their gums hurt, and putting things in their mouths relieves the pain. When this happens, it is a good idea to buy special toys and bones so that our puppy can spend time biting them instead of breaking other objects in the house.
Although biting things is very normal in dogs, especially puppies, we can buy some sprays with natural ingredients that are sold in pet stores. If our dog is fixated on a particular object or piece of furniture, we can put a little of this liquid on it before leaving the house. Normally, these sprays contain ingredients with a bitter taste – even the smell is bitter – which makes the dog not want to lick the area that has been sprayed with it.
There are also some natural remedies such as rubbing garlic, lemon or orange peel, etc. Although they do not always work, because some dogs do not find the smell or taste of these foods unpleasant.
Smaller dogs are more likely to bite things around the house
So, the best way to stop a dog from biting things when he is home alone is to have had good and persistent training. With this, he will be fully aware that he should not bite anything, not only because it bothers his owner, but because it is not right.
Ages at which dogs are more likely to bite things
It is normal for all puppies to bite things since during the first six months of life they will begin to change their milk teeth for those of an adult dog. As we have already said, the pain in their gums creates the need for them to constantly chew in order to relieve themselves. However, there are other reasons why our dog may feel the need to gnaw things and this does not depend so much on their age.
Why does a dog bite things in the house?
Sometimes, our dog may be bored because we are not paying him enough attention. Then he will start to bite objects in order to get our attention. Animals, like children, believe that negative attention is also attention because they know that in this way their parents – and in this case the owners – will dedicate a small part of their time to him, which otherwise, they would not dedicate.
Therefore, it is essential to spend a few minutes playing with our dog every day, regardless of its age. When we adopt our pet, we should keep in mind that it is a living being that shows us a great deal of affection and attention and, therefore, we should reciprocate in the same way.
On other occasions, stress can be the cause of our dog’s need to bite objects. Fireworks, fights at home or other causes of discomfort should be reduced as much as possible to provide peace of mind for our dog, as well as to alleviate his need to bite things at home.
So, to prevent our dog from biting things at home, we must consciously train him from the beginning not to do so, even when we are not at home, and we must also dedicate hours of play, walks, and affection to him so that he is happy and free of stress and other worries. A happy dog will also mean a calm and proud owner.