We all see our dogs chewing their toys or other items we have given them such as filled Kong's or 'bones' and although they look like they are enjoying chewing we may think it seems a nice way to pass time.  Our view may be different when we get a new puppy and their chewing is directed at our personal belongings or furniture!  Then both you and your dog are focused on redirecting their chewing onto appropriate items and suddenly we realize that puppies love to chew!. Also older adolescent dogs who perhaps lack confidence may chew some of your precious belongings too!

It is generally thought that chewing releases endorphins which are considered nature's feel good hormones. Dogs who may be stressed or anxious are often thought to be chewing more to release some of their stress through this activity.  Dogs use up lots of energy by chewing and for many dogs using their teeth and mouth can release pent up frustration . A much better way to do this than  with a suitable chew toy than your lovely furniture!  So consider how your dog releases his or her stress as they cant tell us , or write to us and for dogs who love to chew it actually may be a necessity to deal with how they feel.. Adult chewing of home items can often be related to boredom or anxious so if you think that this might be the case consult a professional who can help you. 

The M25 is a manically busy motorway, with lots of traffic. This would NOT be a good place to have your first driving lesson!
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You need to learn somewhere quiet to practice changing gear, using the brake and accelerator, before you could put all these behaviours together when your instructor takes you on a main road, let alone a busy motorway.

"Reward the Stroke of Genius!" says Sarah Whitehead. I love this as it celebrates how brilliant dogs truly are.
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Frans de Waal’s new book ‘Are you smart enough to know how smart animals are?’ explores the answer to that question and opens our eyes to their complex and intricate minds. We know more than ever about their cognitive and scent abilities with dogs excelling in medical detection and anti-poaching tasks in places like Africa. Elephants showing how they classify humans by age, gender and language is truly astounding and challenges everything you thought you knew about animal-human intelligence.

“We are ALWAYS training because animals are ALWAYS learning!” Never was a truer word said by superb trainer, Kay Lawrence!

I want you to think about that statement in relation to where you are training your dog. Consider the environment you are training in and what additional learning your dog may be experiencing as you train together. Can your dog learn easily, and have you set them up for success? Are there other dogs too near for him to successfully perform for you or do you need to be more considerate where you are training your dog?  Maybe what you are teaching your dog demands individually training him in that environment.