Chewing relieves stress. Pit Bulls chew for a variety of reasons but stress relief is the most important for you to understand because it leads to less behavior problems over time.
One example of how dogs chew to relieve stress can be observed when watching service dogs.
Service dogs chew enormous amounts of items during the days and nights because they are basically not allowed to be dogs while working.
They have to relieve that stress some how and as a service dog trainer my first recommendation is giving them a chew toy during their break times.
Pit Bulls that have long sleepy days should also be left with good quality chew toys to chew when they arise from the slumber because they have built up stressful energy that unless it is released it will turn into a destructive behavior or possibly a compulsive behavior.
Another thing that owners should do is pick up the chew toys when the dog stops showing interest in the toy and put the toy away for later.
This teaches them to continue chewing until they are gone and it keeps you from having to get up and go through the house on a scavenger hunt for partially chewed items.
If you leave your Pit Bull outside for several hours during the day drop a fresh meaty bone out there to give them something to do. A raw meaty bone is a safer alternative to rawhides or other "unnatural" chew toys that are hard to digest and could cause him or her to choke.
This also helps if you have a dog that destroys stuff out in the yard. Pick up the toys and non-appropriate items and drop a good sized meaty bone down and you might find your yard cleaner and all the toys and items intact when you return home.
Stress busting also helps during obedience training.
Less stress equals more attention.
A few appropriate chew toys that are popular among Pit Bull owners are bully sticks (do not leave them down for dogs when you are not watching them), filled Kongs, raw meaty bones that are not big but not small either, and nylabones.
It's important to give your dog a lot of ways to relieve their stress. Chewing is the first and more effective way. Add running and exercise to the mix and you have a 1-2-3 combination for stress busting.
For more information on training your Pit Bull try visiting PitBullLovers.com where you will find helpful information like breed facts, Pit Bull photos, and general Pit Bull articles.
On the Web:
PitBull and Stress
PitBull and Stress
