Keeping destruction to a minimum

When it comes to puppies, sometimes we need to get to the fundamental puppy protocols. Let’s address chewing. There are three choices:

Let them chew, chew, chew.

Stop them from chewing and move them away from it.

Stop them from chewing and give them something appropriate to chew on instead.

It is easy to pick up a puppy and move it away from the item or take the item away, but it does not address the real issue which is chewing on anything and everything. You will have a better chance at success if, when you remove a non-chewable, you give your pup something acceptable to chew on instead. That way they can learn the difference between what is theirs and what is not. I wish there were a magic button to make it all stop, but there is not. Diligence and consistency are the only options for preventing damage.

Before Dixie arrived I puppy-proofed the house. More accurately, I thought I had puppy-proofed the house. Armed with a bunch of chew toys I took on the challenge of making it through puppyhood damage-free (or almost).

The solution to chewing and annihilation is to watch them roaming around and take quick action when they grab for something you do not want to be destroyed and give them something that is OK to destroy (a chew toy). I tell Dixie to ‘Leave it’ and swap it out for a chew toy. She didn’t know what ‘leave it’ meant but it sounded good to me.

After a month or so little Miss Stubborn (AKA Dixie) began choosing toys over my property. That is until she learned to wait and create havoc in my absence. Over time, she started to grasp what ‘leave it’ meant and that made things a little easier. If she decided to listen, that is.

I would do the toy swap seemingly every waking moment, but more accurately, it was whenever I let Dixie out of her puppy pen. I swear some days I did little more than chase Dixie around. It seemed fruitless at times, but it was worth the effort in the end.

It is one thing for Dixie to destroy my things. It is an altogether different story destroying furniture, doors, or walls. Looking back, I must say that swapping contraband for an acceptable toy paid off more than I thought. The only damage to the house was a small chew mark on the corner of a baseboard. That is great! As for other personal property, she annihilated a shoe and my earbuds. Honestly, I should have known better than to let her roam when I was occupied. Regardless, I am celebrating that we got through her chew stage with only a few mishaps.