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Dog Behavior Problems Stop My Dog Chewing His Paws Excessively
Dog Behavior Problems Stop My Dog Chewing His Paws Excessively | Stop My Dog Chewing His Paws Excessively |
| Written by Tony Knight | ||||||||
| Monday, 13 June 2011 | ||||||||
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If your dog is chewing his paws excessively then its an indicator of either a behaviour problem or a health related problem.
If your dog is chewing his paws excessively then its an indicator of either a behaviour problem or a health related problem. If you think the chewing could be health related then I would advise a trip to the vets first to see if something is causing itching or irritation. Then, if the answer comes back that there is nothing physically wrong with the dog, you'll know the problem is behavioural. Attention Seeking Behaviour or Dog Separation Anxiety? Chewing paws to an excessive extent is likely to mean that your dog is doing it to relieve feelings of anxiety, or has worked out that this is a great way to grab your attention. Sadly what starts as attention seeking can turn into anxiety if they do it successfully. You probably don't need me to tell you that dogs are attention seeking animals! They are really good at it and do it in ways that are hard to resist, like bringing you their favourite toys for a play, or subtly leaning against you so you know they are there and can't resist a quick stroke. The flip side of this is that being able to get attention whenever you want is also a way of elevating a dogs status, and a dog that decides its leader of the pack is likely to suffer from anxiety because its a difficult job in a world you don't understand. Think About How You React To Your Dogs Paw Chewing If you want to stop the paw chewing getting any worse, or more frequent, you need to take note of what you do when your dog starts his paw chewing routine. Do you take hold of your dog to try and make him stop, call him to distract him, or even just look at him sternly? All of that is attention in your dogs eyes and a good enough reason to carry on doing it. So it stands to reason that the only way to encourage your dog to give up this bad behavior is to make sure you never pay your dog attention for his paw chewing. If you think that is easier said than done, here's some techniques you can try. When you see your dog chewing his paws, calmly take hold of the without saying a word or looking at the dog and put him in another room. This will show him that the consequence for this self destructive behaviour is that it loses the pack. A dogs natural instinct is to be with the pack, so separating him for his behaviour is the best reason for him to stop. and remember that you can also create the same effect by leaving the room yourself. By the time you get to the door you'll probably find your dog has stopped chewing and is behind you. Paw Chewing as a Result of Dog Separation Anxiety If your dog is chewing his paws while you are not around then it is possible that your dog is suffering from anxiety while you are gone. The act of chewing naturally releases an endorphine in the dog that will help calm them down. Dog Separation Anxiety Solutions If you think that anxiety could be behind your dogs paw chewing problem, spend some time obseving them closely and see it they show any other signs of anxiety. A great way to help your dog would be to find out how to show your dog that you are leader of the pack as this can be a source of anxiety for a dog if they think they are in charge. Taking this approach will help with all sorts of other behaviour issues too. About the Author: With over a decade experience of working with bad dog behavior, the article's author has created a free report on the symptoms of dog anxiety to help dog owners understand the problem and take steps to solve it fast. To read more about the problems caused by adog chewing pawsexcessively click the link to visit the blog. Views: 41
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