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. 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 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. It’s fun, it
passes the time, and it’s a
self-rewarding,
self-reinforcing activity
(for example, if she’s
chewing on something that
tastes good.)
- 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 – it’s
the doggie equivalent of
comfort food.
- Underexercised dogs often
use chewing as a way of
burning up nervous energy
and giving themselves
something to do.
- How to prevent
destructive chewing -
Dogs are perfectly capable
of learning not to chew your
stuff – you just have to put
in a little effort first,
that’s all.
1. Take control of the
situation: manage your own
possessions. Your first step
should be to dog-proof your
home. Even if you have the
best-behaved dog in the
world, there’s still no
reason to test her
self-control – after all,
dogs explore the world with
their mouths.
Dog-proofing your home means
taking whatever you don’t
want to end up in her mouth,
and making it unavailable.
Consider her size and
agility when deciding
whether something’s out of
reach: can she jump? 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. Rinse your dirty
plates clean of any food
scraps before leaving them
by the sink.
2. Prevent her from learning
the joys of illegal chewing.
The more times she manages
to snatch a jawful of a
forbidden substance – a
chair-leg, a pillow, a
running shoe – the more
readily she’ll target 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.
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.
Remember, most dogs need to
chew; if she’s an adolescent
(under three years) or a
puppy (under one year), her
needs will be even more
pronounced. 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 lots of time in
active supervision. Yes, it
might be easier for you to
just keep her penned up in
her crate, 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?) 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. When you catch her
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
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 equals
praise from you, but
everything else equals
trouble.
- 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.
Particularly in the early
stages of your relationship,
she’s 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 her time to learn the
rules, and plenty of
‘you-time’ to help her learn
faster – and don’t forget to
take precautions and keep
things out of reach until
she’s got the hang of the
chewing rules!
For more information on dog
training techniques and how
to deal with problem dog
behavior (like chewing),
check out Secrets to Dog
Training. It’s the complete
manual for dog ownership and
is designed to fast-track
your dog’s learning.
Learn
more
Secrets to Dog Training
here!
