Imagine you come home after a long hard day at the office and find that your little bundle of love has inflicted damage through his teeth. They have destroyed your furniture, items that are valuable to you and even inflicted a sort of pain to themselves during the process. A very tough pill to swallow, but you have to deal with this situation some day or the other in a very positive manner.
This may come to you as a surprise, but the fact of the matter is that dogs have a great sense of vision and sense of smell to explore the world. One of the best ways for them to dig out new information is by putting their mouths to work. Hence, it is very important to correct the inappropriate dog chewing, and ensure that the bad or destructive dog chewing stops very quickly.
It is normal for puppies to chew as it assists them to explore the world. Due to their inquisitiveness to learn and explore new things they chew, dig and eat pretty much anything and everything they can find. They chew because of teething problems during their formative years. It soothes their mouths. Give appropriate toys to puppies for chewing otherwise they will chew items that are inappropriate. Always rotate the chew toys on a regular basis, so that it maintains the interest in the minds of the puppy.
Adults also indulge in chewing behaviour. But the reason is mental and physical stimulation and to keep their jaws and gums healthy. There are certain dogs that chew when they are bored or stressed. These dogs chew to relieve stress whenever they are left alone. One way to handle unwanted doggy chewing is through good management like making them exercise more in short bursts.
So, if you see your tyke involving in destructive dog chewing then the possible reasons can be:
- As a puppy, they were not taught what to chew and what not to chew
- He is bored
- He suffers from separation anxiety
- He seeks attention
- His behaviour is fear related
Note: There are certain anxious dogs that would need medical treatment hence, take the help of the veterinarian in such cases.
Tips To Ponder
- A bored dog will always do something to amuse himself. This would not necessarily make you happy. So, give him lots of physical and mental exercise, according to their age, health and breed characteristics. Remember, a tired dog is a good dog. Use a Kong-type toy with a kibble.
- Coat the furniture and other valuable items in your house with a taste deterrent to make them unappealing. There would be certain dogs who would chew an object, even if it has been coated with a taste deterrent. Reapply the deterrent regularly to retain their effectiveness.
- If you find that your doggy has put an inappropriate item in his mouth, add the command “give” as their cue to release the object in lieu of a yummy treat.
- Never offer shoes and socks as toys to the dogs because that would make them presume that shoes and socks can be chewed.
- Never keep your clothing, books, trash, remote controls, eyeglasses and shoes at a spot where the doggy can reach them.
- Until and unless your canine has learned the house rules properly never leave them unsupervised. Dog proof the house and ensure that safe toys are always accessible to them. If your doggy is crate-trained place them in a crate for short bursts.
Be patient. With time your pooch will understand the house rules and will chew only those things that are appropriate for him.
Conclusion
Even if you find that your doggy has chewed an important stuff do not ever punish them. Because dogs associate punishment with what they are doing at the time of being corrected. In reality, dogs cannot reason the reaction that you give and so they give submissive gestures if they feel threatened.
If you punish them after the act it will fail to correct the undesirable behaviour. But it would provoke more undesirable behaviours. So, the best way to deal with the situation is to take out the undesirable object and give the appropriate item for the dog to chew. With time, he would understand that it is not good to chew everything seen in the house!!!
