By Zack Devin
We all love our pups. However, there are times when they test our love, in ways that are frustrating yet cute at the same time. Have you ever come home to your furniture all scratched up and the one corner chewed? Infuriating, right? But seeing the innocence written all over your dog’s face as he or she smiles to welcome you home does melt your heart. While their smile will not make you forget the fact they have ruined your furniture, it does make things better.
If you have not yet gone through this experience, brace yourself because it might happen. In our experience, this is undoubtedly a part of owning a dog, especially if you get your pup when he or she is young and untrained. As you can imagine, it is all a matter of training out the bad behaviour from your dog. No dog is born knowing they have to be careful with furniture. As such, when your dog starts chewing or scratching, it is time to train your dog to take care of your furniture.
#1. Understand Your Dog
The most essential thing to have in mind is to understand your dog. There are numerous reasons why a dog would scratch or chew your furniture. Some are behavioural, while others are accidents. Nonetheless, to accrue any success in keeping your furniture in tip-top conditions, your dog happy, and remain sane, you have to get to the bottom of what is causing the bad behaviour in your dog.
Some of the reasons dog scratch and chew furniture include:
– To relieve the discomfort associated with teething,
– Out of boredom,
– Separation anxiety,
– Fear-related behaviour, and
– Not knowing what they should chew and what they should not – they lack proper training,
Keen observation of your pooch will help you glean into what causes undesirable behaviour.
Prevent Your Dog From Chewing And Scratching Your Furniture
When it comes to dealing with chewing, there are many solutions you can opt for. Once you understand the cause of chewing, you can wean off your puppy from this behaviour. Among the solutions to try out include:
– Teaching him or her what to chew and what they should not chew. Give your dog chewing toys that are entirely distinguishable from any of your furniture.
– Ensure your engages in ample physical and me mental activities to keep themselves amused,
– Spend some time with your dog teaching them bad behaviour and acceptable. When you catch them with an unacceptable item or when they are doing something unacceptable, interrupt by making a loud noise and offer an acceptable toy they can play with.
– Offer a treat in exchange for furniture items on their mouth. A good option is to offer the best wet dog food.
– Make furniture items unattractive to chewing by coating their surfaces with bitter deterrents such as Bitter Apple.
– Negate the chances of your pooch scratching by covering susceptible furniture with double-sided pet sticky furniture strips.
The most important thing to do is to train your pets on what good behaviour is and what bad behaviour is. You can also manage your dog’s movement by placing boundaries.
Prevent Your Dog From Peeing On Your Furniture (Or Anywhere Indoors)
To avoid the nasty habit of dogs peeing on any furniture they deem a tree, train your dog to use a pee pad whilst indoors. Peeing accidents can also happen due to stress. As such, find some stress relief for your dog.
Deal With Pet Fur
Your dog might be sassy and fur-ocious. While you might consider these traits cute for your dog to have, you still have to be wary of your dog’s fur covering every furniture piece in your house. To stop your dog’s fur from ruining your couch, rugs, and carpets, consider investing in an effective pet brush that removes your dog’s loose fur and undercoat. This is the best way to reduce shedding, which in turn reduces the amount of fur that ends up in your couch.
Conclusion
With a proper understanding of your dog and taking active measures to change their behaviour, you can live harmoniously with your best friend. A little effort is all it takes to keep everyone, including your dog, happy.
