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DESTRUCTIVENESS – CHEWING
Why do dogs chew?
Dogs, especially puppies are extremely playful and
investigative. While play with people and other dogs is an
important part of socialization and social development,
exploration and object play are important ways for dogs to
learn about their environment. Therefore it is a normal
behavior for puppies to investigate their environment by
sniffing, tasting and perhaps chewing on objects throughout
the home. Dogs that chew may also be scavenging for food (as
in garbage raiding), playing (as in the dog that chews apart
a book or couch), teething (dogs 3 to 6 months of age that
chew on household objects), or satisfying a natural urge to
chew and gnaw (which may serve to help keep teeth and gums
healthy). Some dogs may chew because they receive attention
(even if it is negative) or treats from the owners each time
they chew, but the owners are inadvertently rewarding the
behavior. Chewing and destructive behaviors may also be a
response to anxiety. Dogs that are confined in areas where
they are insecure may dig and chew in an attempt to escape.
Dogs that are in a state of conflict, arousal or anxiety,
such as separation anxiety, may turn to chewing and other
forms of destructiveness as an outlet. (See our handout on
‘Separation anxiety’ for this specific problem).
How can chewing be treated?
First, determine why the dog is chewing. If the dog is a
puppy or young adult dog that is chewing a variety of
objects in the household, it is likely that play and
investigation (and perhaps teething) are the motives. Dogs
that raid garbage and steal food off counters are obviously
motivated by the presence and odor of food. Dogs that chew
at doorways or the doors of a cage may be attempting to
escape confinement while others may be chewing as an outlet
for anxiety. Determining the cause and motivation for
chewing is therefore essential in developing a treatment
strategy. One of the best ways to determining why the dog is
chewing and how the behavior might be resolved is to keep a
diary of the pet’s daily activities to determine when and
where it is chewing, what occurred immediately prior to the
behavior and what do family members do when they catch the
dog chewing. In addition, the diary can help to determine
whether the dog’s daily schedule provides enough enrichment
and a regular routine that serves all of the dog’s needs.
Although the goal of treatment is to stop undesirable
chewing, the focus should be on providing sufficient
enrichment and outlets and in rewarding desirable behavior.
If the chewing occurs while you are gone, a videotape may
help determine is anxiety is the cause of the behavior.
Directing the chewing into appealing alternatives,
sufficient play and exercise, and prevention of
inappropriate chewing are needed for the exploratory dog.
You must ensure that you are not inadvertently rewarding the
behavior. Ignoring the dog, or using a device to interrupt
the chewing may be useful for these dogs. If the dog is a
puppy this behavior may decrease in time, provided you
provide enough daily play and exercise and you direct the
chewing to proper outlets. Dogs that are garbage raiding or
food stealing need to be treated by supervision, prevention
by keeping food inaccessible and booby-traps, since the
behavior itself is self-rewarding. Dogs that are destructive
when trying to escape from confinement must learn to become
comfortable and secure with the cage or room where they are
to be confined (see our handout on crate training).
Alternatively a new confinement area may have to be chosen.
Dogs that are destructive due to anxiety will need to have
the cause of the anxiety diagnosed, and the problem
appropriately treated. (See our handout on ‘Separation
anxiety’).
How can proper chewing be encouraged?
Before considering how inappropriate chewing might be
discouraged the real key is to provide some appropriate
outlets for your dog’s “needs,” not only the chewing but
also all of its requirements for physical exercise, social
and object play and exploration. To get your dog’s chewing
headed in the right direction, begin with a few toys with a
variety of tastes, odors, and textures to determine what
appeals most to the pet. Although plastic, nylon or rubber
toys may be the most durable, products that can be torn
apart such as rawhide or pig’s ears may be more like the
natural prey and wood products that attract most dogs.
Coating or stuffing toys with liver or cheese spread or
peanut butter or bits of food may also increase their
desirability. There are numerous durable rubber toys now
available that are designed so that they can be stuffed or
filled with food or treats, which your dog will then need to
chew or manipulate to obtain its “rewards”. There are even
new flavored products that have been designed to stuff into
the toys. Placing soup, meat products or canned dog food
into the toys and freezing them, can make them retain their
interest and last a lot longer. In fact, if you are looking
for ways to keep your dog occupied and amused when you
cannot play or supervise, then it might be useful to provide
some or all of your dogs meals inside these feeding toys, so
your dog can work (and play) for its food.
Another option that might help reduce your dog’s undesirable
chewing as well as to help maintain healthy teeth and gums
is to provide toys, food and treats that are designed to
promote good dental hygiene. Although some dental foods and
treats contain ingredients that help to reduce tartar; the
ones that are likely to be the most beneficial to the dog
with a need to chew are the ones that have a texture,
consistency and size that promotes chewing and gnawing. Food
and treats that are soft, small enough to be swallowed
whole, or break apart with little or no chewing, are less
likely to satisfy the chewing need.
To ensure that your puppy is encouraged and rewarded for
chewing on its own toys, and discouraged from chewing on all
other objects, it must be supervised at all times. Whenever
supervision is not possible, you should prevent access to
any object or area that might be chewed, other than the
pet’s toys.
How else can my dog’s chewing activity be reduced?
In addition to providing ample opportunity to explore and
play, you should insure that your pet has a regular
(predictable) daily routine that provides, social activity
times, where the pet gets play, training and exercise and an
opportunity to eliminate. For many dogs a daily walk can be
very calming and provide exercise and activity. In between
these social times, especially if the owner cannot supervise
the pet will need to be placed in its bed, crate or room for
a nap, or placed in a room or confinement area where it has
appealing feeding, play or chew toys.
Many of the breeds obtained as family pets have been bred
for a variety of working tasks. This means that they are
mentally and physically capable and “programmed for”
activities such as retrieving, herding, hunting or sledding.
Therefore the requirements of these breeds can and should be
met by providing either work or an equivalent amount and
type of play. Games such as tug-of-war, retrieving, catching
a ball or Frisbee, jogging, pulling a cart, flyball, or even
long walks are excellent alternatives for expending energy,
while socially interacting with family members. However, the
type and amount of play may vary with the breed, age and
health of the pet. Obedience training, agility classes and
training your dog to a few simple commands and tricks are
not only pleasant interactive activities for you and your
dog, but they also provide some stimulation and “work” to
the dog’s daily schedule.
How can I stop the chewing on household objects?
Access to all areas that the dog might chew must be
prevented unless the owner is present to supervise, or the
area is effectively booby-trapped. Your dog can only be
punished for chewing if it is caught in the act. Even then,
punishment must be humane, immediate and effective.
Punishment administered directly by the owner can lead to
fear and defensive reactions in some dogs, or may serve as a
form of attention and reinforcement to others. A shake can,
alarm (audible or ultrasonic), or even verbal reprimand is
preferable to techniques that use physical contact of any
type. Since a hand reaching for your dog should always mean
affection or treats, a hand reaching to punish can have the
opposite effect. Punishment of any type, when the owner is
in direct sight, can deter the pet in your presence, but the
pet will quickly learn that the behavior is not punished in
your absence. Therefore, remote punishment (where the owner
is out of sight while administering punishment) may teach
the dog that the behavior itself is inappropriate (See our
handout on ‘Canine punishment’). A head halter and long
remote leash pulled each time the dog chews, a water rifle,
remote citronella collar or one of the audible or ultrasonic
alarms may be effective. However, none of these products are
practical when the owner is absent or cannot supervise.
Arriving home and punishing a pet for an act that is already
completed will only serve to increase the pet’s anxiety.
The only way that chewing might be deterred when your dog
cannot be supervised is to booby-trap the areas where the
dog might chew. To be successful the punishment must be
noxious enough to immediately deter the pet. Taste or odor
aversion is often the simplest and most practical type of
booby trap but many pets will have to be conditioned in
advance to detest the smell or taste by squirting anti-chew
spray (e.g. bitter apple, Ropel) into the pet's mouth or
across its nose. A small amount of cayenne pepper mixed with
water, oil of citronella or commercial anti-chew sprays may
also be successful as deterrents. Alternatively, the spray
could be placed on any object that the dog might chew and a
fishing line can be attached from the object to a stack of
empty cans on a nearby table or counter. At the instant
chewing begins the stack will come crashing down. Most dogs
are then conditioned after a few events to avoid the
particular taste or odor for fear of another "can attack".
An alarm mat, motion detector alarms, indoor citronella
avoidance units or a motion detector spray can, are a few
other examples of environmental punishment (See our handouts
on ‘Behavior management products’ and ‘Canine punishment’).
What if the dog continues to chew household objects?
Whenever you cannot supervise or monitor your dog’s
behavior, he or she should be confined to a cage or
dog-proof room with any potential chewing sites effectively
booby-trapped. If chewing is continuing the underlying
motivation may not have been accurately determined and the
reasons for chewing should be revisited.
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Cherokee Trail Hours:
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday thru Friday
8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Saturday
Appointments Preferred |
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