Chewing and Other Destructive Behavior

Why Does It Happen?

The majority of destructive and neurotic behaviors in dogs originates from loneliness, boredom, and a lack of physical and mental activity.

Dogs are geared toward human companionship. Genetic, fossil and DNA evidence leads us to believe that humans began to domesticate wolves between 15,000 and 100,000 years ago.

A lot of dogs lead sad, lonely lives - the occasional pat on the head, a bowl of food, and a weekly walk is the most some get from their owners. Other dogs are slightly better off, but still spend upwards of eight hours a day on their own.

When you think about it, it’s quite obvious that dogs are not designed to be left by themselves or cooped up for long periods of time. They’re social pack animals, many with strong working instincts and the need for plenty of exercise each day.

Leaving such an animal by itself, either inside a house, shut in a yard, or boxed up in a crate or kennel, is positively unnatural for the dog. Her instincts are calling out for company, for social interaction and the ability to sniff around and roam - even when dogs have a large backyard at their disposal, it’s still not the same as being able to explore new territory.

The resulting combination of loneliness and mental and physical frustration frequently results in the onset of destructive chewing in a dog.

To explain, when we say “destructive chewing,” this refers to the chewing that originates because your dog needs something that she’s not getting - like company or exercise - as opposed to the chewing that takes place simply because your dog likes to chew. We can also refer to it as “problem chewing.”

Below are some tips for preventing destructive behavior in the first place.

Exercise and Companionship are Paramount

The best prevention available for destructive behaviors such as chewing is to combine exercise with companionship. Active time together, spent walking, jogging, or playing fetch, is much better than time spent just hanging out together at home - clearly both have their time and a place, but time spent exercising together fulfils three of your dog’s instinctive needs at the same time: the need for companionship, the need to follow the leader (you), and the need to roam.

Figure out your dog’s exercise needs and make sure you’re fulfilling them. All dogs have different exercise requirements depending on their breed, age, and level of physical health, but you should be able to get a fair idea from a bit of quick research. Take a look at the Kingdom of Pets breed library (http://www.

kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/dogbreeds/),browse online, or ask your vet.

As a general rule of thumb, most dogs need a minimum of half an hour to an hour’s vigorous exercise every day. Old or injured dogs, and some of the more sedentary breeds, are the exceptions.

A dog that’s well-exercised is much less likely to need to occupy her time with destructive behaviors such as chewing. As the saying goes, “a tired dog is a good dog,” so make sure you tire your dog out as much as possible!

Clearly, most of us have to work - unfortunately, we don’t all have the luxury of prioritizing our dog’s happiness over earning a living! However, there are ways for you to help your dog adjust to a less social lifestyle:

Get up earlier and take your dog for a walk. This is literally the best

● thing you can do for your dog before leaving in the morning: she gets to spend time with you, AND get in some mileage at the same time.

If you live within walking or driving distance of work, come home on

● your lunch break and check up on your dog. Take her out for a 15 minute walk, or just play a quick game of Frisbee. You can eat your lunch at your desk afterwards.

When you come home from work, grab a quick snack and head out to

● the park with your dog. Dinner can wait until you get home.

Redirect Your Dog’s Chewing

Some people make the mistake of thinking of chewing as something that a dog will only do if she’s bored or lonely. This is simply not true: chewing is a pleasurable activity in itself for most dogs.

However, it is fair to say that dogs chew MORE when they’re lonely or bored - they need something to occupy their time, and chewing is a soothing activity that helps the time go by for a lot of dogs.

A dog that’s pining for your company is also more likely to target items that she associates with you - things that smell like you, in particular. This is why so many owners come home from work to find their pillows, bedding, or favorite jacket shredded: it’s not the dog “seeking revenge” on you for leaving her behind, it’s an instinct to chew (a soothing activity in itself) on something that reminds her of you.

In most cases, if you don’t provide your dog with a fantastic variety of chews and toys to occupy her time, mind, and jaws with, she WILL turn to whatever else is available: your sofa cushions, the shrubbery, your favorite sneakers.

Investing in about ten to twelve chews of varying sizes, shapes, and textures is a good way to safeguard your own personal possessions, and to minimize the desire to target your own stuff before it becomes an issue.

Chewing Do’s and Don’ts DO:

Buy a lot of chews and toys: ropes, an assortment of rawhide chews,

● Kongs®, hard rubber toys, soft latex toys, squeakies, and marrow bones.

Rotate these toys every couple of days: put the old ones away, and

● bring out one or two new ones. This keeps things interesting for your dog, and lessens the likelihood of your possessions being targeted out of boredom.

Spend time observing your dog around the house. You want to be sure

● that she's not going to target any of your possessions before leaving her alone with them. If she ever does choose something of yours over one of her own toys, correct her immediately: loudly say "Ah-ah-ah!"

or "NO!," or shake a soda can with a couple of dimes inside (the loud rattle is scary for most dogs). The quicker you react, the faster she'll learn the lesson. Straight away, substitute a chew for the item and praise her as soon as she takes it in her mouth.

For items that your dog's already displayed a marked preference for,

● you may need to take steps to make these items unappealing. A great way to do this is to use Bitter Apple, which is a non-toxic chew deterrent designed especially for use with dogs. It comes in a cream or spray, and can be purchased from pet stores and some supermarkets.

For a dog that chews from anxiety, loneliness, and/or boredom, leaving

● the radio on or the TV tuned to a talk-show will give the illusion of company. Of course, this won't work as a sole preventative, but used in tandem with one or more of the other solutions listed above it's quite effective.

DON’T:

EVER tell your dog off for destroying property unless you’re able to

● actually catch her in the act. If you come home and something’s been destroyed, it will do no good at all to tell off or punish your dog unless you come home while the destruction is taking place. Dogs have no accurate concept of time, and you really do need to catch her red-handed - or at least within 30 seconds of the action taking place - for the reprimand to have any effect. Yelling at a dog that’s shredded something out of boredom and loneliness at some point earlier in the day might seem like a necessary vent at the time, but in reality it’s actually pretty cruel: she won’t understand you. (And, after all, it really is your responsibility to provide your dog with chewing alternatives that are more attractive than your possessions.)

Expect to be able to train your dog not to chew. Chewing is as natural

● to dogs as breathing. The best you can aim for is to channel your dog’s chewing towards appropriate objects, not to stop it altogether.

Serial Destroyers

If your dog has been trained consistently and from a young age that certain objects are appropriate for chewing and others are not, then you should have little trouble with destructive chewing.

In some cases, however, dogs are a bit confused about what they’re “allowed”

to chew and what they’re not. The actions of owners can sometimes contribute to this confusion, which in turn can lead to rapid and widespread destruction in the home.

OPTIONS FOR SERIAL DESTROYERS

Restrict your dog’s chewing activities to designated dog-toys ONLY.

● Dogs can’t tell the difference between your old, cast-off slippers and the shoes that you still wear every day: to her, they smell and look the same. Be consistent and simplify things as much as possible when teaching her what she can and can’t chew. This means no old towels, no cast-off clothes or pillows - she is no longer allowed to chew ANYTHING but dog-toys.

Build a dog run in your yard which is big enough for your dog to stay

● in for a couple of hours, while you’re away during the day. Make sure that there’s enough room to run about a bit, and that there’s a kennel included which is both waterproof and safe from the elements so she’ll be snug and cozy in cool or wet weather.

You’ll probably need to invest some time in teaching your dog the

● difference between “chewable” and “non-chewable” items in the household. This means spending a fair amount of time in the beginning just hanging out at home with your dog and actively supervising her.

If she starts mouthing something that’s off limits, you’ll need to leap in with a “NO!” and then substitute with an appropriate chew or toy straight away. Praise her as soon as she closes her mouth on the chew.

You can booby-trap certain objects around the house. Corrective

● behavior that involves scare-tactics is more effective when the correction seems to be a direct result of her own behavior, rather than a correction that comes from you.

For example: some dogs LOVE to chew telephone wire. A good way

● to put a stop to this behavior is to disconnect the jack from the wall, and tie the loose end of the cord to a can that’s got a few dimes inside it. Put the can out of reach on a table or shelf. When the pup starts to chew, the can will fall down and scare the living daylights out of her. You can also rely on your own vigilance using the can: follow her around the house and give it a good shake when you see her mouthing something inappropriate. A water pistol is another good alternative to this - the colder the water the better.