Destructive Chewing

If your guy has the habit of destructive chewing, it can not only be annoying, but rather expensive!

The act of chewing seems to be a matter of individual preference among us dogs: some of us 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.

"These choppers can do some damage!"

As for me, my destructive chewing only includes food and treats - not the Destructive Brown Dog - anymore, anyway!

The phrase “destructive chewing” may sound redundant, because – by its very nature all chewing is destructive. Your guy has strong jaws full of sharp, pointy teeth: just about anything he 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 possessions and household items, instead of on your dog’s own designated toys and chews.

The three main reasons why dogs chew (destructive chewing notwithstanding):

• 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, chewing on something that tastes good!).

• Chewing provides a nervous, bored, or lonely guy with an outlet for his emotions. To an anxious dog, the repetitive act of chewing is soothing – it’s the doggie equivalent of comfort food (sounds like meatloaf!).

• Underexercised dogs often use chewing as a way of burning up nervous energy and giving themselves something to do.

How to Prevent Destructive Chewing

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 fella in the world, there’s still no reason to test his self-control – after all, we explore the world with our mouths.

   Dog-proofing your home means taking whatever you don’t want to end up in his mouth, and making it unavailable. Consider his size and agility when deciding whether something’s out of reach: can he jump? Can he climb, or leap onto something else to reach the desired object? How tall is he when standing on his back legs?

   Common destructive chewing 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 we 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 your guy from learning the joys of illegal chewing. The more times he manages to snatch a jawful of a forbidden substance – a chair-leg, a pillow, a running shoe – the more readily he’ll target those items in future. If you can prevent him from chewing your stuff in the first place, it’s a lot easier for your guy to understand what you expect of him. Practically speaking, this means confining him in a dog-proofed area until you’re confident of his understanding of the house rules.

3. Don’t set your guy up for failure by blurring the boundaries between his 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 him to be able to tell the difference between your current shoes and the one he’s got in his mouth that you gave him five minutes ago.

4. Provide him with lots of tasty alternatives to your stuff. If his environment is relatively barren of attractive, appropriate chewing objects, you can hardly blame him for targeting your possessions. Remember, most dogs need to chew; if he’s an adolescent (under three years) or a puppy (under one year), his needs will be even more pronounced. Go on a toy and chew shopping spree, then give your guy two or three to play with at a time. Rotating the available toys every few days will keep things novel and interesting for him - we love variety!

5. Spend lots of time in active supervision. Yes, it might be easier for you to just keep your fella penned up in his crate, run, or the yard – but that’s boring and horrible for him, and hardly much fun for you either (if you wanted a pet that you don’t need to interact with, you’d have gotten a goldfish, right?). He can’t learn what you expect of him if he’s spending all his time boxed up in the dog-proof zone: he needs the opportunity to explore the boundaries of your expectations, so he can understand what’s appropriate and what’s not.

6. When you catch your guy in the act of destructive chewing, interrupt him by making a loud noise: clap your hands or make an “Ah-ah-aaaah!” noise. Then, immediately hand him a tasty and dog-appropriate alternative (a rawhide bone or other chew toy); as soon as his jaws close around it, praise him lavishly (we dig this!). There is no better way to get your dog to understand that chewing “his” toys equals praise from you, but everything else equals trouble.

Maintain a Productive Attitude

Particularly in the early stages of your relationship, he’s still learning the ropes: it’ll take awhile before he’s completely reliable (and even then, if he’s left by himself for too long or feels neglected, he may choose your stuff over his to occupy his time and jaws with). Remember to give your fella time to learn the rules, and plenty of ‘you-time’ to help him learn faster – and don’t forget to take precautions and keep things out of reach until he’s got the hang of the chewing rules!

For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like destructive chewing), check out SitStayFetch. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning.

Back to Dog Training Made Easy!

Back to Home Page