Chewing behavior is an instinct of dogs because the mouth is part of the body that helps dogs explore the world and receive information. Young puppies chew to reduce pain and itching when teething.
For adult dogs, chewing helps them keep their teeth clean and healthy. Your pet will also chew on objects when stressed, bored, or frustrated.
How do I get my 9 month old puppy to stop chewing everything? This article will show some solutions to prevent a 9 month old dog from chewing on stuff.
Some Issues Make A 9 Month Old Dog Chewing
What is typical 9 month old puppy behavior? Your four-legged friend can chew things in your home.
It is not random that the cause might be your dog’s boredom, separation, hunger, stress, or attention seeking.
Separation
Dogs that chew to ease the tension of anxiety when separated generally only bite when others surround them and bite the most intensively when they are alone.
Other symptoms of separation anxiety include grumbling, barking, timing, anxiousness, urine, and feces.
Fabric Sucking
A few dogs like to touch, suck, and bite textiles. Some specialists feel that it is the effect of being breastfed too young.
If an animal’s fibers-sucking tendency persists over extended periods when it becomes impossible to divert them as he seeks to participate, the practice may have become obsessive.
Hungry
When hungry, dogs may chew on objects that look or smell like food to compensate for their condition, especially those on a weight loss diet.
Trainers and supervisors can control this bad behavior to help extremely gluttonous dogs.
However, when you see your dog showing this behavior, take them to the veterinarian to ensure they are healthy and not malnourished.
Stress
Dogs will sometimes chew if they feel stressed. High-frequency chewing often occurs when stress in dogs becomes more severe. It is essential to identify stressors in dogs and address them.
Besides, your dog has both feelings of frustration and is easily “emptied out” through chewing on a favorite toy (which destructive behavior can become a bit extreme).
You must always remember that dogs are very sensitive if you do something that upsets them. It could be being left alone, stuck in the house for too long, neglected, or not having a friend to have fun with.
Lack Of Exercise
Some pets might not receive good mental stimulation as well as physical activity. Lonely dogs search for methods to entertain them, and biting is one possibility.
To minimize harmful chewing, ensure that your pet has lots of opportunities for exercising both his physical stimulation and mental faculties.
Attention Seeking
Suppose your pet discovers that biting anything banned (for example, the TV controller) causes people to jump up and run around the house.
In that case, the pet will quickly realize that the behavior is an excellent method to attract your fascination.
Boredom
Dogs are alone for too long, without attention or play: Boredom is the most common cause of dog biting.
Dogs often look for objects to bite and chew when alone or unattended. In addition, this is also a way to expect attention from the owner.
How To Prevent 9 Month Old Dog Chewing
Provide Your Dog Own Toys And Chew Bones
Buying dog toys is one of the most effective ways to prevent dogs from biting into furniture.
There are many toys on the market that dogs can freely chew, gnaw, and bite, and they choose durable, tear-resistant materials such as solid rubber to protect their baby teeth.
Note when you see dogs playing with their rope toys, praise them by saying “Good” or “That’s right” or petting them.
Keep an eye on the objects he enjoys biting on for extended periods and keep providing those.
To prevent your dog from being tired of the same old games, changing or adding new items to his chew toys daily is best.
(Take care: Only provide your dog with organic bones for chewing. Offer him raw bones instead, as they can shatter and cause considerable harm to your pet.
Also, keep in awareness that those who chew extremely hard may be able to break tiny fragments off of real bones or even their very own teeth.
Consult the veterinarian who treats your pet if you are unsure what’s appropriate for feeding him.)
Give 9 Month Old Dog Chewing Some Edible Things
Despite having pets occupied, chewing and sucking promote relaxation in dogs.
In reality, science has demonstrated that dogs’ minds produce hormones and neurotransmitters when they lick or eat, which collectively reduce the amount of anxiety and stress they have.
To be certain that chewing and toys don’t include pollutants or other potentially dangerous components, verify that you get them from a trustworthy retailer.
However, before purchasing any food for your pet, it’s an excellent idea to study the list of components on the container.
Determine Chewing Time Of 9 Month Old Dog
Find out whenever your pet is most inclined to bite and offer him an engaging toy and some nutritious treats during those times. You can put a portion of your pet’s regular diet allowance in the toys.
Use The Deterrent
Many bitter sprays are on the market with safe ingredients to prevent your dog from biting furniture. You can spray the outside of shoes, compartments, or shelves to prevent dogs from biting.
Applying chewing deterrents on improper or dangerous items will prevent chewing. Apply a tiny amount of the repellent on some cotton yarn or napkin before using it.
It should be placed softly on the dog’s tongue. Swallow it out after letting them try it.
Your dog may toss his head around, drool, or become senile if the flavor offends him. He won’t take the tissue or woolen out of his pocket again.
He may have discovered the link between the deterrent’s scent and taste, making him more inclined to refrain from chewing things that smelled like it.
All items you intend for your pet to chew should be treated with a deterrent. Apply the obstacle once more daily for the next four weeks or so.
Provide Your Dog With Physical Exercise
Exercising to release energy is essential for any dog. Good exercise routines help keep the dog’s spirit happy and excited, enabling it to direct the dog’s attention through positive activities.
Dogs will no longer be bored and anxious to bite and destroy furniture. Moreover, a tired dog will not engage in any activities, such as munching on your footwear.
Note: you can put your dog in the cage, kennel, or fence and provide some toys to prevent them from biting the household items while you can’t supervise them.
However, this is only temporary, don’t keep them in the cage for more than 1 hour/per day, as the dog will easily become stressed and more likely to bite the acceptable item.
Don’t Do This With Your 9 Month Old Puppy Chewing
Shouting and hitting are unscientific training methods that you should not apply to dogs because they will not realize what they have done wrong and do not know why they are being punished.
Also, dogs can be hurt, scared, anxious, or angry, and their chewing behavior can be more serious. So it would help to be careful, patient, and gentle with your dog.
Use hands or muzzle to limit chewing in dogs. Never use a harness or tape a dog’s muzzle; it is extremely cruel.
Pay Attention When Training 9 Month Old Dog Chewing Behavior
When you see puppies biting and destroying your things, you will think: “How do you punish a dog for chewing on things?” Could you not rush to hit or punish it?
Let the dog understand that such puppy chewing is wrong, and avoid scolding, which will hurt the spirit and cause the dog to panic and will try to destroy things.
It would help if you refrained from waving your arms and legs in front of your dog because doing so can make the dog think you are encouraging them.
In addition, playing with the dog is also a way to connect you and your pet. The dog will be more obedient and limit biting.
It would help to avoid tugging at things when your dog is gnawing. This will make the dog think that you are playing, so the dog will play and jump to get the item, gradually forming a bad habit.
Train your dog to behave gently and regulate the appropriate bite force. If they don’t learn bite control, they can bite too hard.
Not only do they bite and tear things in the house, but they can also hurt you when you play or when you fight back.
So, when you see a dog violently biting at a toy, help them regulate with the “stop” command. Or if you play with puppies, let them bite your hand.
Keep playing like this until the dog bites you too hard. Immediately cry out in a high-pitched voice as if you were injured.
This will usually startle your dog and make it stop biting. Praise him if he stops or licks your hand.
Instructions To Protect Furniture In Your House From 9-Month Old Puppy Chewing
Use Tin Foil
Tin foil can be used as an effective vandalism deterrent. You can place a few pieces of tin foil on the seat cushion to create a crunching sound effect. The dogs will automatically stay away from this area.
Do Not Play In Places Where There Is Furniture That Dogs Often Bite
It is best to place their toys in a fixed place, away from the site where tables, chairs, bookshelves, and shoe racks… Let’s play with them right there to create a sense of fun.
They will feel this is an interesting place. Wherever they are, they will tend to return there to play.
Use A Water Sprayer
There are two uses for water sprayers. You can spray your puppy with water every time he jumps on the sofa, or you can also wet the couch. They will automatically search for a drier place.
In addition, you can use bitter apple spray to spray on things that dogs often bite and gnaw. However, this method may affect you when using those items.
Store Valuables Object
Wallets, jewelry, or dangerous objects such as cutlery are out of sight of the puppy.
FAQs
Should I Have To Purchase Expensive Chews For My Dogs?
No. You do not buy an item too expensive for your pet. However, you should collect various chews to help your dogs use them daily. The following chews are recommended below:
- Kong
- Racks
- Dental chew
- Rawhide twist
When Should I Give My 9 Month Old Dog Chews?
Dogs chew due to their urge to explore new objects and suffer from teething.
Like young children, dogs go through a phase during which they drop their developing teeth and feel discomfort as their permanent teeth erupt.
By at least six months of age, the period of excessive chewing should be over. Some advice is feeding dogs freezing moist washcloths, freezing dog goods, or ice blocks to chew on to ease chewing pains.
Even though dogs must chew on everything, careful training may instruct your dog to limit his destructive chewing to acceptable objects, such as the dog’s toys.
When Dog Bite, Should I Hit The Muzzle To Remember?
When your dog bites, you should not scold or hit them in the mouth. This causes the dog to get hurt, panic, and even become aggressive and attack you.
Besides, the dog’s muzzle has a lot of sensitive nerves. When you can’t control it, you can injure the dog.
Conclusion
The undesirable behavior of a 9 month old dog chewing objects is natural. Applying the above measures will limit some of their bad habits.
What they chew is up to you, and it is your responsibility and patience to teach your dog how to know what can be chewed and what should not.
