Chewing and destructive behaviour in dogs

Chewing is normal behaviour for dogs of every age. It becomes a problem when the dog chews the wrong things, and the answer is to provide the right ones and to deal with the reason behind it.

Why dogs chew

• Teething: puppies lose their milk teeth and grow adult teeth between about three and six months, and chewing eases sore gums.
• Exploration: young dogs investigate the world with their mouths.
• Adolescence: a second, more destructive phase often occurs between about six and twelve months as the adult teeth settle into the jaw.
• Boredom and surplus energy in dogs with too little exercise or occupation.
• Distress at being left: damage that happens only when the dog is alone, typically around doors and windows.
• Enjoyment: chewing is calming and satisfying in its own right.

Managing the house

A dog cannot chew what it cannot reach. Shoes, remote controls, children's toys, spectacles and cables are kept out of the way, rooms are closed off, and a pen, stair gate or crate is used when the dog cannot be watched. This matters for safety as well as property: swallowed socks, stones, corn cobs and pieces of toy are a common reason for emergency surgery.

Giving the dog something to chew

The dog is given a choice of chew items in different textures and sizes, and these are rotated so that they stay interesting.

• Tough rubber toys that can be stuffed with food, and frozen for teething puppies.
• Rope toys and nylon chews sized for the dog.
• Edible chews, given under supervision and counted as part of the day's food.

Cooked bones splinter and are not given. Very hard items such as antlers and weight-bearing bones break teeth; a chew is too hard if it cannot be dented with a fingernail. Rawhide can swell and block the gut. Old shoes and socks teach a dog that all shoes and socks are fair game.

Teaching what is allowed

When the dog picks up something it should not have, it is calmly offered a chew toy or a treat in exchange and praised for taking it. Chasing the dog turns the theft into a game, and snatching things away teaches it to guard or swallow them. Teaching "drop" and "leave" as part of everyday training makes these moments easy.

Punishment after the event does not work. A dog scolded when the owner comes home to a chewed chair cannot connect the scolding with something done an hour earlier; it learns only that homecomings are frightening.

Exercise and occupation

A dog that has had a proper walk, some training and a chance to sniff is far less likely to dismantle the furniture. Food scattered in grass, puzzle feeders and short training games tire the mind as well as the body.

When it is more than chewing

Destruction that occurs only when the dog is alone, together with barking, howling or soiling, points to distress at separation and needs a gradual programme of building up time alone, with help from a qualified behaviourist if necessary. A dog that eats non-food items persistently, or an adult that suddenly starts chewing, is checked by a vet for dental pain, digestive trouble or other illness.

The signals dogs give when anxious are described under dog behaviour and body language.