Destructive Chewing

If your dog is being destructive, the first thing you need to do is ask yourself, "What is the reason for this behavior?" It is important to understand and acknowledge that every behavior has a reason. Once you understand the reason, it will be much easier to correct the behavior.

• Is your puppy teething?
• Are your puppy's adult teeth coming in?

Dogs usually engage in destructive chewing the most between five to eight months of age.

• Is your dog an older dog that has learned bad habits?
• Is your dog bored?
• Is your dog anxious?
• Is your dog getting enough exercise?

These are common reasons why a dog can be destructive. How do you get your dog to stop chewing? The first step is to establish a proper behavior pattern. You must be diligent with supervision or consistent with confinement to a safe area in order to do this. A crate, baby-gated area or an exercise pen are all possible options to safely confine dogs. You have to go by what works best for your dog.

A young puppy should be crated at first for their own safety and for proper housebreaking as well. Some older dogs who are housebroken and only chew furniture or clothing (they stay away from walls, cabinets or wires), can be kept in a room with a baby gate or confined to an exercise pen (provided they do not jump out).

Wherever you have the dog confined, there should be proper chew toys for him. This means toys that are safe for them to chew when you are not present. We recommend the rubber Kong, nylabones or hard bones that do not splinter or crack. Your dog needs to get in the habit of chewing these items only. Also, rotate his toys so that your dog does not become bored. A bored dog can be a destructive dog. Kongs or hard hollow bones can be stuffed with a small amount of peanut butter or cream cheese and will provide hours of constructive chewing entertainment. Kongs can even be filled with a little chicken broth and water mixture and frozen. There are so many options you can experiment with. Be creative!

When your dog is supervised, have a leash and collar on him in order to give you better control. Again, make sure you have proper chew toys available. Encourage your dog or puppy to play with these toys by setting the example and playing with them too. Dogs learn many things through play.

Make sure to avoid toys that are similar to materials in your home, such as toys made out of cotton or rawhide, which is a leather material. Do not give your dog an old shoe or clothing and expect they will know not to chew on new ones. You do not want to establish a destructive behavior pattern of your dog chewing items made of materials that are in your home.

Basic obedience training is very important in giving destructive dogs some structure. If they are taught appropriate behaviors, they will learn to listen when they do something inappropriate. They will learn to seek your approval and will be less bored. Basic obedience should be used for real-life situations which will establish proper behavior patterns. Dogs should be taught proper behaviors such as sitting for attention and sitting at doors. The "stay" command is good for teaching your dog to focus and listen longer. The "down stay" command is good to utilize when you are eating, working, or relaxing. This way, you will know where your dog is. Keep in mind that "a well-trained dog can be a free dog."