How to Stop your Dog from Destructive Chewing Behaviors
It’s a fact of life with a dog- they chew! Some dogs are more focused on chewing than other dogs. Dogs with a lot of nervous energy are more likely to chew, and more importantly, chew inappropriately. But some dogs may not chew at all. For the rest of us (and our shoes), there is hope!
Let’s talk about destructive chewing for a minute. It may sound redundant, since the very act of chewing is destructive. Your dog has strong jaws full of sharp, pointy teeth: just about anything she starts to chew on is probably going to show the effects of it inside of a minute. So what we’re really talking about is innapropriate chewing- chewing on shoes, furniture legs, the carpet, basically, the dog chews on anything she can get her front teeth around.
The three main reasons why dogs chew:
- Most dogs have a natural desire to chew. It’s fun, it passes the time, and it’s a self-rewarding, self-reinforcing activity (chewing something that tastes good will make her want to chew more). You like gum, don’t you?
- Chewing provides a nervous, bored, or lonely dog with an outlet for her emotions. To an anxious dog, the repetitive act of chewing is soothing – chewing and gnawing is like a pacifier for dogs
- Dogs who don’t exercise enough chew and gnaw on things because they have a lot of pent up energy- chewing is the dog equivalent of bouncing your leg, drumming your fingers, or chewing(!) on a pencil!
How to prevent destructive chewing
Dogs and puppies can learn what is and isn’t appropriate to chew. It takes work, but you can do it!
1. Dog-Proof your Home.
Dogs are a little like toddlers- they’re low to the ground, and they like to put things in their mouths. So, like for a toddler, you need to dog-proof your home.
Dog-proofing your home means taking whatever you don’t want to end up in her mouth, and making it unavailable. This means different things for dogs of different sizes and temperments- a roly-poly pug puppy won’t need the counters to be empty, but a full-grown mastiff might. When you’re considering
what your pooch can reach, consider their height on two legs as well as four, and whether she’s a jumper.
Common targets in the home include books, eyewear, clothing, shoes, garbage, and small crunchy appliances like cameras, cell phones, and remote controls. It should go without saying that all food needs to be put securely away: don’t leave snacks on low tables (or even countertops – you’d be surprised how acrobatic your dog can be when there’s food at stake!), put all food into containers or the pantry. Rinse your dirty plates clean of any food scraps before leaving them by the sink- and consider how to secure your garbage can.
2. Prevent her from learning destructive chewing behaviors.
The more times she manages to chew on your stuff– a chair-leg, a pillow, a running shoe – the more readily she’ll try to chew on those items in future. If you can prevent her from chewing your stuff in the first place, it’s a lot easier for her to understand what you expect of her. Practically speaking, this means confining her in a dog-proofed area until you’re confident of her understanding of the house rules. (Crating is not a dirty word- there’s a way to do it right!)
3. Don’t set her up for failure by blurring the boundaries between her stuff (OK to chew) and your stuff (not OK to chew).
Don’t offer your dog cast-off clothes, shoes, or towels to chew and play with: realistically, you can’t possibly expect her to be able to tell the difference between your current shoes and the one she’s got in her mouth that you gave her five minutes ago.
4. Give your dog lots of tasty and exciting alternatives to your stuff to chew on.
If her environment is relatively barren of attractive, appropriate “chew toys,” you can hardly blame her for targeting your possessions. Remember, most dogs need to chew; if she’s an adolescent (under three years) or a puppy (under one year), your dog will not only have more of a need to chew, but she will also have less discipline and self-control to guide her chewing choices. Go on a toy and chew shopping spree, then give her two or three to play with at a time. Rotating the available chew toys every few days will keep things novel and interesting for her.
5. Spend lots of time in active supervision.
Yeah, it might be easier for you to just keep your puppy cooped up in her crate, dog run, or the yard – but that’s boring and horrible for her, and hardly much fun for you either (if you wanted a pet that you don’t need to interact with, you’d have got a goldfish, right?) Your dog can’t learn what you expect of her if she’s spending all her time boxed up in the dog-proof zone: she needs the opportunity to explore the boundaries of your expectations, so she can understand what’s OK and what’s not.
6. Catch Your Dog in the Act!
When you catch your dog chewing something inappropriate, interrupt her by making a loud noise, clap your hands or make an “Ah-ah-aaaah!” noise. Then, immediately hand her a tasty, exciting, and dog-appropriate alternative (like a rawhide bone or other chew toy); as soon as those doggie jaws close around it, praise her lavishly. There is no better way to get your dog to understand that chewing “her” toys equals praise from you, but everything else equals trouble.
Be Positive- And Realistic. You can do it!
Listen, you’re not perfect, and neither is your dog. Mistakes will be made- your dog will get a hold of something you love and tear it to shreds because it looked interesting, or tasted delicious. Particularly in the early stages of your relationship, your dog is still learning the ropes: it’ll take awhile before she’s completely reliable (and even then, if she’s left by herself for too long or feels neglected, she may choose your stuff over hers to occupy her time and jaws with.) Remember to give your puppy time to learn the rules, and plenty of attention and exercise to burn up energy and help her learn faster – and don’t forget to take precautions like doggie-proofing and keep things out of reach until she’s got the hang of the chewing rules!
