Greetings from me, Chopper! My brother told you all about selecting the right chew toy. I’m going to educate you on how to use the chew toys you got for your buddy.
I know that it might seem self-explanatory. “Give my dog a chew toy to chew.” While that’s part of it, there’s a little more to it. Chew toys are perfect for helping your buddy understand the rules of the house.
Chew on This Instead
Teething puppies and bored dogs can’t scroll through social media or stare into the refrigerator when they need stimulation. We have paws and mouth-hands—that’s it. The leg of your favorite chair, the arm of the couch and the top of the coffee table all hold chomping appeal when there are no other options. To be honest, your new sandals also look pretty snackable.
If catch your best friend paying too much mouth attention to something, it’s time for the bait and switch. Redirect our attention with the chew toy (and make it seem like the best thing with your excited voice and interest in joining us for play). Once we take to the toy, remove the other temptation from our view. When you repeatedly show us that the chew toy is more fun than your graphic novel collection, we’ll catch on.
Reward the Good Dog
Chew toys make good distractions. They also make great rewards. A few tosses of the chewy ball or flying disc can become the ritual for a job well done. Dogs crave attention from their pet parents, and toys can support praise.
We love interactive play and problem solving. Many dogs love treats as part of training. Peanut butter, crunchy snacks, jerky sticks and frozen treats can extend the perks of positive reinforcement. Pop a snack into a chew toy and shower us with praise when we get things right. This is especially useful after we have to take some medicine.
Advanced Play
Once your doggo has developed a taste for chew toys, it’s time to up the ante. Water fetch and indoor hide-and-seek encourage your pup to collect the beloved chew toy. Remember to start small and gradually increase the stakes. Repetition is the key to teaching us what you want.
The chew toy should always be associated with joy and positivity. Don’t take away the toy as punishment—just remove and clean it as part of regular toy rotation. Disciplining us for getting a command wrong or chomping on a chair leg and then giving us the toy can be really confusing. We want to get it right and have fun, and the chew toy should help us with that.
Until next time--
