Is it possible to change a dog's eating habits?

Question

I just adopted this really sweet cute spotted dog. The problem is he eats anything; he's eaten two pairs of my shoes, a pair of eyeglasses, and even the new dog house I bought for him. Is this normal behavior in dogs? If not, can he be trained gently to stop this? Or should I just learn to live with it?

Answer 1

buy him some chew toys... reward him when he eats the dog bones (positive reinforcement leads is the FASTEST way to train a dog, negative reinforcement will go away after time)

Answer 2

First off try to keep him away from those things, And yes there is probably a way to get him to stop without aggravating him or you. You can also talk to your vet about the things he is eating. Also when getting him toys do not get the stuffed kind because your dog will eat right through those. Try to stick to toys like Kongs and every once and a while a rope toy. Hope I helped.

Answer 3

Of course it's normal behaviour! Dogs aren't born knowing what they can and can't do - they all need to be trained! You'd best buy yourself a very simple, basic book about training dogs right away.

Answer 4

Try crate-training...when the dog is being left alone, put it in a crate. When he is bad, tell him, and put him in the crate to punish. My dog was also adopted, and had these issues...he was worried i was going to leave him, i think...within a year i could leave him out all day, he doesnt get into anything. But if he does, he runs straight into his crate because he knows he did wrong. It helped alot, i hope it helps you...good luck!

Answer 5

try crate training, also buying him chew toys will keep him or her busy and not want to chew your stuff up. also more excersie if you keep your dog busy it will not chew on your stuff as much