The act of chewing seems to be a matter of individual preference among dogs: some have an innate desire to chew as a pleasurable activity in itself, and some seem to have no need to chew whatsoever unless they’re driven to it out of sheer boredom.
The phrase “destructive chewing” may sound redundant, because – by its very nature! – all chewing is destructive. With a mouthfull of sharp, pointy teeth: just about everything will show the effects of her chewing. So just to clarify, when I use the phrase “destructive chewing”, I’m referring to inappropriate chewing: the kind of chewing that’s focused on your own possessions and household items, instead of on your dog’s own designated toys and chews.
The three main reasons why dogs chew:
– Most dogs have a natural desire to chew. And really it’s fun and passes time a self-rewarding, self-reinforcing activity.)
– Chewing provides a nervous, bored, or lonely dog with an outlet for her emotions. To a dog the repetitive act of chewing is soothing just like we eat comfort food.
If dogs are not exercised to burn up their excess energy they often turn to chewing to give themselves something to do.
– How to prevent destructive chewing -
Dogs are perfectly capable of learning not to chew although it may take a little work at first.
1. Take control of the situation: manage your own possessions. Your first step should be to dog-proof your home. Even if she is well-behaved there is no reason to test her self-control – after all dogs explore the world with their mouth.
Dog-proofing your home means taking whatever you don’t want to end up in her mouth, and making it unavailable. Consider how tall she is and her agility when deciding whether something’s out of reach:? Can she climb, or leap onto something else to reach the desired object? How tall is she when standing on her back legs?
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 she can be when there’s food at stake!), put all food into containers or the pantry. Make sure you scrape out plates and rinse them before leaving them by the sink.
2. Don’t let her learn the joys of illegal chewing. The more times she gets to have forbidden substances such as a pilow, shoes and carpet runners the more readily she will grab them in the future. If you stop her from chewing your stuff she will understand what is expected of her. In other words, this means confining her in a dog-proofed area until you are confident of her understanding the house rules.
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. Provide her with lots of tasty alternatives to your stuff. If her environment is relatively barren of attractive, appropriate chewing objects, you can hardly blame her for targeting your possessions. Just think, most dogs need to chew; especially if she’s an adolescent or a puppy. Go on a toy and chew shopping spree, then give her two or three to play with at a time. Rotating the available toys every few days will keep things novel and interesting for her.
5. Spend a lot of time in one on one supervision. Yes it is easier to keep her penned in her crate but horrible for her, and hardley any fun for you either?) She 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 appropriate and what’s not.
6. Make a loud noise like clapping your hand or make an “Ah-ah-aaaah” when you catch her chewing something you don’t want her to chew!” noise. Then, immediately hand her a tasty and dog-appropriate alternative (a rawhide bone or other chew toy); as soon as her jaws close around it, praise her lavishly. There is no better way to get your dog to understand that chewing “her ” toys is good but that everything else is bad.
– Maintain a productive attitude -
Above all, remember to keep your expectations realistic. You’re not perfect, and neither is your dog: there’s likely to be at least one incident where a cherished item is damaged by her curiosity.
In the early stage of your relationship, she is still learning the ropes: it will take a while before she will be completely reliable.) You need to give her time to learn the rules, and a lot of time with you, then she will learn faster but don’t forget tto keep things out of her reach!
For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like chewing), check out Secrets to Dog Training. A complete manual to fast-track your dog’s learning.
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