How to stop excessive chewing in Bull Terriers

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A very typical behavior for puppies is using their mouth to explore the world around them.
Parents of a baby or toddler probably know the situation: Everything needs to be secured. Besides electricity, risk comes especially from small objects that can be swallowed.

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Just as babies, puppies do explore the world around them mainly using their mouth. This is even more important to know, because despite babies, who at some point stop using their mouth and start using their hands instead, puppies will continue to use their mouth when exploring even when they mature.
We all know that dogs can’t learn how to use their paws to grab and hold things the same way humans use their hands for. But even some dog owners are not aware that this is the reason why the mouth remains the dog’s “hand” even through its entire adult life.

Chewing is also a good way for dogs to fight boredom

This is why many things in a dog’s life can succumb to chewing – simply to satisfy curiosity and the urge to explore things OR to fight boredom.

Bull Terriers are very active dogs also with very active minds that need a lot of attention and interaction. That means a Bull Terrier needs sufficient and appropriate physical exercise on a daily basis, PLUS mental exercises.

This is very important for this kind of dogs, because if they are not provided with sufficient attention, diversion and exercise, they can become very destructive in a household and even against themselves (chewing their paws etc.).

Another sign that a dog that does not get enough or not the right exercise or not enough attention is excessive barking.

If your dog barks and chews a lot, chances are that changing some routines – more/other exercises and calming games – could improve the situation.

In addition there are other options, such as providing your dog with chew treats from time to time, training the dog which objects it is not supposed to touch and managing the dog during your absence from home.

If you have some furniture or objects you really cherish, try to not expose them to your dog while unsupervised. If necessary, clear a room for your Bull Terrier to stay in when you are out of the house for a few hours or crate-train your Bull Terrier and lock her in when you need to leave for a short while.

If you have to leave the house every day for an entire work shift and are not able to take the dog with you, it is wise to find a dog sitter or a doggie day care to leave your Bull Terrier under supervision instead of a small crate or box.

A crate or box is not an option for a Bull Terrier to stay in for longer periods of time every day. Because then boredom, fear or frustration again can lead to self-destructive behavior, which can result in bigger health problems.

You are in command

Try to establish a stop command during obedience training and use this command every time you catch your Bull Terrier touching or sniffing things out she is not supposed to touch.
She will quickly get it and probably leave those things alone soon.
Bull Terriers are very smart and perfectly able to learn the difference between their and our belongings.
However, there is usually no way to teach them a “general rule”, which is why even trained Bull Terriers at some point may find an object they think of and treat as “theirs” and managing still remains necessary. But training “mine and yours” can be very successful on an “object-to-object” basis.

The “new toy factor”

Some owners become desperate while trying to find the right toy for their dog. Because the dog rips apart every new toy she gets immediately.
Most of the time this happens with Bull Terriers, who are left unsupervised with new toys and who succumb to the temptation of “wanting to see what’s inside”.

Often dogs even just don’t know any other way of playing than just dismembering things. But dogs can also learn how to play properly.

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