Destructive Dog Behavior

Is your puppy or dog destroying your furniture and possessions or digging up your precious flower garden? If you're about to get a puppy or dog, you might want to bear in mind the survey conducted by Esure which found that the top ten dogs causing the most destruction were: Great Dane Chihuahua Whippet Mastiff English Settler Dachsund Boxer Bulldog Beagle Basset Hound

Let me give you a recommendation before I continue:
This is the best and most comprehensive dog training guide I have seen and it will help you to stop all problem dog behaviors: Secrets To Dog Training.

Here are five of the main causes of destructive behavior in dogs:

• separation anxiety
• boredom
• lack of sufficient level of exercise
• owner not making it clear what belongs to the dog and what doesn't
• lack of consistent obedience training.

 The easiest of these causes to address is to make sure your dog gets sufficient exercise. This means at least two walks per day. You can read more about separation anxiety and boredom in other articles.

The last cause means an owner may allow his dog to play or chew items which belonged to the owner, such as an old slipper. This is not a good idea since he won't know the difference between an old slipper and a new one. You must provide him with his own toys to play with and his own chews to chew on. Never allow him to chew on anything that you haven't specifically offered to him.

Make sure that you provide a good variety of toys and chews to keep up his interest so that he doesn't get bored. You can rotate them so that he doesn't have the same every day. Interactive toys are best because they are designed to stimulate his interest. Dispensing toys are even better because they are interactive and also provide a reward for interacting with them in the form of treats.

You should engage in regular obedience training. Keep the sessions short, fun and interesting. This activity provides exercise and stimulates interest.

If your dog is left alone for long periods, he can easily get bored if you don't create interest for him. If he's left in the house, as well as providing toys and chews, you can also hide treats around the house to keep him busy tracking them down. If he's left in the garden or yard, create an interesting environment - it could be a sandpit where he can dig, a den or kennel where he can keep out of the sun, or an obstacle course. You can hide treats in a sandpit to make it even more attractive.

For more detailed information on stopping your dog's destructive behavior and about dog training techniques and guidelines for dealing with other problem behaviors, I recommend you check out Secrets To Dog Training by Daniel Stevens.