Why Dogs Engage in Destructive Chewing by g. marlett

The act of chewing seems to be a matter of individual choice among dogs: some have a desire to chew as a pleasurable activity in itself, and some seem to have no need to chew at all unless they’re bored.


The phrase “destructive chewing” may sound redundant, because – of course! – all chewing is destructive. Your dog has powerful 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 to clarify things, when I use the term “destructive chewing”, I’m referring to inappropriate chewing: the kind of chewing that destroys your own possessions and household items, rather than your dog’s designated toys and chews.


Three basic 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, reinforcing activity (for example, if he's chewing on something that tastes good.)

- Chewing may provide a nervous, bored, or lonely dog with an emotional outlet. To an anxious dog, the repetitive act of chewing may be soothing – it’s like the dog equivalent of a comfort food.
-Underexercised dogs may use chewing as a way of burning up nervous energy and as an outlet for activity.

- How to prevent destructive chewing -


Dogs are capable of learning not to chew your possessions – you just have to put in a little effort to instruct them, that’s all.

1. Take control of the situation: manage your possessions. The 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 his self-control – remember, dogs naturally explore the world with their mouths.

Dog-proofing means making your prized possessions, 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 of opportunity in the home may include books, eyewear, clothing, shoes, garbage, and small crunchy appliances like cameras, cell phones, remote controls and of course, food.

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 possessions, in the first place, the easier for her to understand what you expect . 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 clothing, 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 lots of tasty alternatives to your possessions. If her environment is relatively devoid of attractive, appropriate chewing objects, you can hardly blame her for targeting your stuff. 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.

5. Spend 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 bad for her, and hardly much fun for you either (if you wanted a pet that you don’t need to interact with, you could have gotten a goldfish, right?) She can’t learn what's expected 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.

- Always maintain a productive attitude -

Above all, remember to keep realistic expectations.. 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, while 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 revert to choosing your stuff over hers, to occupy her time and jaws with.) Remember 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!

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