Why Your Dog Chews Everything

So you’ve had it up to here because your dog chews everything, huh? Your dog chews everything from your expensive running sneakers, to the wires in your house.

You’ve bought more shoes than you care to count because your dog has chewed the heels off of them.  Don’t despair.  Chewing is natural for dogs.

Even the best trained dogs will chew. The difference between a trained dog, and a dog that chews everything, is that the trained dog has had proper obedience training and knows what’s appropriate to chew on and what’s not.

Keep in mind, you’ll never get rid of dog chewing permanently.  Like I said, it’s natural.  You just want your dog to chew on appropriate things.  In this article, I’ll explain why your dog chews everything.  Then I’ll give you 3 quick tips you can use to prevent your dog from chewing on inappropriate items.

3 Reasons Your Dog Chews Everything

1.  Puppy Teething

When your puppy starts teething, he’ll chew because his teeth are coming in and he needs the action of chewing to relieve the discomfort in his mouth. The best way you can help him to relieve his sore mouth and gums is by freezing some chew toys and giving him those periodically.  Another item you can freeze is a pull rope toy. Soak the rope in water before placing it in a plastic bag to put in the freezer. The rope will stay cold longer than the plastic chew toys.

 

2. Unspent Energy

If you find that your dog chews everything when he’s home alone, it’s because all of his unspent energy is being used by getting into things he shouldn’t – and, of course, chewing on anything he can put his jaws around.

Your dog needs a certain amount of exercise per day.  Some dogs need more exercise depending on the breed.

Exercise

You’ll need to exercise your dog at least 1 hour every day to keep him physically and mentally healthy, alert, and happy. If your dog isn’t getting enough exercise, you can look forward to coming home to frayed slippers, stuffing pulled out of your couch, frayed cords and more.  In other words, you’ll have a dog that chews everything in your home.

Quick Tip

Get in the habit of spending at least 1/2 hour with your dog before leaving your home for a few hours. Whether you give him a brisk walk or indulge in a heavy romp with your dog in the backyard, the physical activity will benefit you by having a dog that will probably need to nap when he gets inside.

If he chews an inappropriate item when you’re home, a firm “No” and removal of the item is needed. Immediately replace the item with a chew toy and give praise when he chews on it.

3. Boredom

Boredom is usually a direct result of not enough interaction with the family or being left alone too long and often. Any interaction is better than none.  But half an hour of exercise or training before leaving your dog for long periods of time will help with his boredom.

 

 

 

Spending Time With Your Dog

Your dog chews everything, partially because he wants to spend time with you. Destructive chewing , in this case, is as a result of having too much time alone without something constructive to do.  Dogs need to stay busy.  Have a variety of toys for him to play with while you’re gone. Try buying toys that are interactive or that move and make noise.

If a family member or friend is able to stop by and give him some attention while you’re gone for hours on end, that would benefit your lonely and bored dog.  Some owners leave the radio on in a room of the house to give the dog a voice to listen to.

2 Highly Recommended Dog Training Books Online

Any, or all, of these methods will help to keep your dog’s chewing everything to a minimum.  If your dog is teething, it means he’s no doubt in the stage where he needs housetraining and dog obedience training as well.  I’ve written an in-depth honest review of the best dog training books online.  One of the best dog training books online  is The Dog Training Mastery Multimedia Package System.

It’s a 3-in-1 dog training package that covers dog obedience training, dog health, and house training.  so you get 3 separate books in one package for dirt cheap.  I highly recommend it.

Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer

Another really great book is Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer.  I wrote an in-depth review of this dog training book and why I think it’s one of the best online.  You’ll be sure to solve your dog chewing problems with either of these dog training resources.