Chewing is a natural action for all dogs. In fact, chewing is an important activity for most dogs; it’s just a part of the way they are wired. However, excessive chewing can quickly become a behavior problem if your dog causes destruction.
The most common reasons dogs chew:
- Puppy teething
- Boredom or excess energy
- Anxiety
- Curiosity (especially puppies)
How to fix it?
- Keep personal items away from your dog.
- When you are not home, keep your dog crated or confined to an area where less destruction can be caused.
- Encourage your dog to chew on the right things by providing plenty of appropriate chew toys.
- Offer your dog to chew his/her toy immediately you notice chewing your personal stuff, furniture or anything that should not be chewed.
- If you catch your dog chewing the wrong thing, quickly discreact your dog with a sharp noise. Then, replace the item with a chew toy. It can be any hard chewing toy, favourite toy or any other entertaining toy like snuffle matt.
- One of the most important things you can do is to make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise so it can wear off energy and be stimulated in that way rather than turning to chewing.
