Does your dog chew through just about everything, including your furniture, shoes, and books? Here’s what you need to know to change this behavior.
Reasons Dogs Chew
Chewing is a healthy and normal behavior, but when it becomes destructive, it’s a problem. Destructive chewing may occur because the dog:
- Is stressed out
- Has too much pent-up energy
- Is teething
- Enjoys chewing and doesn’t have better options
Correcting Chewing
Here’s how to correct destructive chewing:
- Buy your dog chew toys that they like
- When your dog stops chewing and looks at you, praise them and give them a chew toy they love
- Make sure you rotate the chew toys to keep them interesting
- Make sure your dog can always access chew toys
- Make a quite, low “no” sound to mimic a mother dog’s growl – this only works for puppies!
- Praise your dog when they chew their chew toys
- Increase the frequency of your dog’s exercise or training
- If you can’t watch your dog, move all possible chewable items away from your dog’s reach
- If you won’t be home, consider keeping your dog in a crate or in a safe room until they learn not to chew
Do’s and Don’ts
While working on correcting chewing:
- DO provide plenty of toys
- DO keep calm
- DO provide lots of exercise
- DO supervise your dog carefully
- DON’T mistake curious mouthing behavior for chewing
- DON’T yell at, shout, or hit your dog; this will make them anxious and cause more problems in the future
- DON’T blame your dog for chewing – they’re doing what feels natural!
Feature Image Source: Pixabay