| K9 Clicking: Chewing |
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Look at the pictures closely. What do they all have in common?
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at the pictures above and come to the conclusion that
dogs enjoy having things in their mouth. What do pet stores sell? Toys for dogs to chew on.
Bones for dogs to chew on. Treats for dogs to chew on. Are you seeing a theme yet?
Dogs like to chew. It makes them happy. It's fun. It relieves stress. It relieves boredom. Dogs
explore their world with their nose and their mouth. It's what they do.
So why is it baffling to people when their puppy chews up their shoes?
Many people feel that their dog chews their shoes out of spite. "Fifi was mad at me because I went
to work and left her home so she chewed up my favorite shoes"! Although I am sure that Fifi is
really smart, I doubt that she has the mental capacity to think, "I am mad at mom because she left
me here all day and I know that she loves those running shoes so I am going to chew them up
because I know that will make her mad. I'm going to show her!"
The reality of the situation is that:
* The dog is bored and chewing relieves boredom.
* The puppy is teething and chewing relieves discomfort.
* The dog is stressed. Our shoes are loaded with our scent. Our scent is comforting to the
dog. Chewing something that is laden with our scent makes a stressed dog feel better.
* Dogs like to chew; there wasn't a toy or bone handy, but there were these shoes lying there...
* The dog needs more exercise.
* The dog may have a nutrition deficiency or intestinal parasites. Talk to your vet and take
a closer look at what your are feeding your dog.
* Your dog needs more attention. Some dogs will pick things up and run with them simply to
* get some attention.
* And a whole list of other reasons that we may discover if we ever learn to speak dog.
So what do we do when our dog is chewing on our stuff?
A dog can't chew it if he can't get to it. So many people feel that the puppy "should know
better". Let's put this in a human perspective. If you have a toddler, do you leave your prize
crystal on the coffee table because the toddler "should know better"? No, you baby-proof your
home. If you don't want it chewed, put it away where he can't get to it.
Provide many acceptable items to chew on. We have established that dogs love to chew.
Give him lots of alternatives besides your shoes (which are stowed away in the closet, right?). Pet
stores are overflowing with things that are acceptable for a dog to put in his mouth. Go stock up
and leave them where ever your puppy will be. Be generous!
Make the chew toys more interesting. There are numerous toys out there made for you to
stick yummy things inside. KONGS are fantastic! They are made of hard, durable rubber and are
hollow so you can stuff them with peanut butter, canned dog food, cream cheese, and any other
tasty treats that you can fit in them. Buster Cubes, Tricky Treat Balls, Tug-A-Jugs, and a whole
slew of other toys are designed to hold kibble that will fall out piece by piece as your dog rolls
them around and plays with them. You could feed your dog's entire meal in one of these toys and
your dog will get mental exercise while he eats his breakfast!
Sterilized femur bones also make great chew toys for most dogs. These are the white bones you
find at the pet store. I prefer these bones over the ones with the brown, yucky flesh still on them
because the yucky ones can harbor salmonella and other bacteria. I don't recommend rawhide
because it is processed with nasty chemicals (such as bleach and formaldehyde) and is very
unhealthy for your dog. I could write a whole other article on rawhides! And of course, don't give
your dog any cooked bones from your dinner. Cooked bones can splinter and pierce your dog's
GI tract.
Supervision, supervision, supervision! If you have a little carpet shark that is chewing
everything in sight, don't let him out of your sight! If you can't be directly watching your puppy,
confine him to a crate.
Make a trade. Nobody likes a thief. If your dog has something and you walk up and take it
away, that is what you become. This creates a dog that 1) runs and plays "Catch Me if You Can!"
or 2) a dog that swallows things quickly as soon as he sees you coming. The former is annoying
and the latter is dangerous. Having been a vet tech for several years, I can tell you that dogs can
and will swallow some pretty amazing things and not all of them come out OK in the end. Many
people have spent thousands of dollars removing various items from inside their dog. Not every
dog lives to chew another shoe.
So next time you see your puppy chewing on your shoe or running off with your underroos, don't
run up and snatch it out of his mouth. Reach down and pick up one of the many toys that are now
scattered around your house and make a trade: toy for forbidden item. You will get your
underroos back and the puppy will be learning what is acceptable to chew on.
There is another great side effect to trading with your dog. If you constantly trade treats or toys
for forbidden objects, your dog will start to bring forbidden objects to you to see if you want to
trade! Instead of running away from you with that tissue you dropped, your dog will be more likely
to pick it up and bring it to you. Let's put this into human perspective. If I walked up to you and
said, "gimme $20 now", and took your money and walked away, you would not be happy. You
would think I was a thief and a bully and would avoid me next time you had any money. But if I
walked up and said, "gimme $20 and I will trade you for this $50 bill", you would hand over the
cash really quick. Next time you had a $20, you may seek me out to see if I wanted to trade. You
might even bring me a $50 to see if I'd trade you for a $100.
Teach the cue, Drop It. This cue is essential for all dog owners and is really easy to teach.
When your dog has something in his mouth, give the cue "drop it" and place a yummy treat at the
end of his nose. He will drop whatever is in his mouth in order to eat the treat. If he doesn't drop
it, it means that the treat you are offering is not as rewarding as whatever he has in his mouth.
Try again with something tastier. If your dog has something in his mouth that is his, give the cue,
present the treat, and when he is done chewing, give him back his toy. He will learn that drop it
means good things may happen.
Don't allow your puppy to learn to be destructive with his toys. I can't tell you how many
people I have talked to who say their dog will eviscerate any plush toy in about 3.5 seconds. If
that dog decides to perform an operation on your couch, it won't be pretty. Instead, teach your
puppy from the start how to play nicely with his toys. If you see him starting to rip something open,
calmly walk over and make a trade with another toy. If he does not get to practice destroying
things, he will not get the chance to learn how fun it is!
Exercise your dog. A tired dog is a happy owner! Exercise can help relieve stress and
boredom. If your dog is tired and content, he will be less likely to chew.
Take a closer look at your dog's diet. Is your dog getting a balanced diet? If your dog is not
getting his nutritional requirements, he may be trying to "supplement" his diet. Go to
dogfoodanalysis.com to take a closer look at what you are feeding your dog. You may be
surprised at what gets put in a bag of kibble!
Scent your dog's toys. Dogs navigate their world with their nose. Place a tiny dab of vanilla
extract on each of your dog's toys. Your dog will quickly learn that things that smell like vanilla are
fair game.
So just remember, your dog is not chewing your shoes as part of an evil master plan to get back at
you. Your dog is simply... being a dog!
Your dog is simply... being a dog!
dogs enjoy having things in their mouth. What do pet stores sell? Toys for dogs to chew on.
Bones for dogs to chew on. Treats for dogs to chew on. Are you seeing a theme yet?
Dogs like to chew. It makes them happy. It's fun. It relieves stress. It relieves boredom. Dogs
explore their world with their nose and their mouth. It's what they do.
So why is it baffling to people when their puppy chews up their shoes?
Many people feel that their dog chews their shoes out of spite. "Fifi was mad at me because I went
to work and left her home so she chewed up my favorite shoes"! Although I am sure that Fifi is
really smart, I doubt that she has the mental capacity to think, "I am mad at mom because she left
me here all day and I know that she loves those running shoes so I am going to chew them up
because I know that will make her mad. I'm going to show her!"
The reality of the situation is that:
* The dog is bored and chewing relieves boredom.
* The puppy is teething and chewing relieves discomfort.
* The dog is stressed. Our shoes are loaded with our scent. Our scent is comforting to the
dog. Chewing something that is laden with our scent makes a stressed dog feel better.
* Dogs like to chew; there wasn't a toy or bone handy, but there were these shoes lying there...
* The dog needs more exercise.
* The dog may have a nutrition deficiency or intestinal parasites. Talk to your vet and take
a closer look at what your are feeding your dog.
* Your dog needs more attention. Some dogs will pick things up and run with them simply to
* get some attention.
* And a whole list of other reasons that we may discover if we ever learn to speak dog.
So what do we do when our dog is chewing on our stuff?
A dog can't chew it if he can't get to it. So many people feel that the puppy "should know
better". Let's put this in a human perspective. If you have a toddler, do you leave your prize
crystal on the coffee table because the toddler "should know better"? No, you baby-proof your
home. If you don't want it chewed, put it away where he can't get to it.
Provide many acceptable items to chew on. We have established that dogs love to chew.
Give him lots of alternatives besides your shoes (which are stowed away in the closet, right?). Pet
stores are overflowing with things that are acceptable for a dog to put in his mouth. Go stock up
and leave them where ever your puppy will be. Be generous!
Make the chew toys more interesting. There are numerous toys out there made for you to
stick yummy things inside. KONGS are fantastic! They are made of hard, durable rubber and are
hollow so you can stuff them with peanut butter, canned dog food, cream cheese, and any other
tasty treats that you can fit in them. Buster Cubes, Tricky Treat Balls, Tug-A-Jugs, and a whole
slew of other toys are designed to hold kibble that will fall out piece by piece as your dog rolls
them around and plays with them. You could feed your dog's entire meal in one of these toys and
your dog will get mental exercise while he eats his breakfast!
Sterilized femur bones also make great chew toys for most dogs. These are the white bones you
find at the pet store. I prefer these bones over the ones with the brown, yucky flesh still on them
because the yucky ones can harbor salmonella and other bacteria. I don't recommend rawhide
because it is processed with nasty chemicals (such as bleach and formaldehyde) and is very
unhealthy for your dog. I could write a whole other article on rawhides! And of course, don't give
your dog any cooked bones from your dinner. Cooked bones can splinter and pierce your dog's
GI tract.
Supervision, supervision, supervision! If you have a little carpet shark that is chewing
everything in sight, don't let him out of your sight! If you can't be directly watching your puppy,
confine him to a crate.
Make a trade. Nobody likes a thief. If your dog has something and you walk up and take it
away, that is what you become. This creates a dog that 1) runs and plays "Catch Me if You Can!"
or 2) a dog that swallows things quickly as soon as he sees you coming. The former is annoying
and the latter is dangerous. Having been a vet tech for several years, I can tell you that dogs can
and will swallow some pretty amazing things and not all of them come out OK in the end. Many
people have spent thousands of dollars removing various items from inside their dog. Not every
dog lives to chew another shoe.
So next time you see your puppy chewing on your shoe or running off with your underroos, don't
run up and snatch it out of his mouth. Reach down and pick up one of the many toys that are now
scattered around your house and make a trade: toy for forbidden item. You will get your
underroos back and the puppy will be learning what is acceptable to chew on.
There is another great side effect to trading with your dog. If you constantly trade treats or toys
for forbidden objects, your dog will start to bring forbidden objects to you to see if you want to
trade! Instead of running away from you with that tissue you dropped, your dog will be more likely
to pick it up and bring it to you. Let's put this into human perspective. If I walked up to you and
said, "gimme $20 now", and took your money and walked away, you would not be happy. You
would think I was a thief and a bully and would avoid me next time you had any money. But if I
walked up and said, "gimme $20 and I will trade you for this $50 bill", you would hand over the
cash really quick. Next time you had a $20, you may seek me out to see if I wanted to trade. You
might even bring me a $50 to see if I'd trade you for a $100.
Teach the cue, Drop It. This cue is essential for all dog owners and is really easy to teach.
When your dog has something in his mouth, give the cue "drop it" and place a yummy treat at the
end of his nose. He will drop whatever is in his mouth in order to eat the treat. If he doesn't drop
it, it means that the treat you are offering is not as rewarding as whatever he has in his mouth.
Try again with something tastier. If your dog has something in his mouth that is his, give the cue,
present the treat, and when he is done chewing, give him back his toy. He will learn that drop it
means good things may happen.
Don't allow your puppy to learn to be destructive with his toys. I can't tell you how many
people I have talked to who say their dog will eviscerate any plush toy in about 3.5 seconds. If
that dog decides to perform an operation on your couch, it won't be pretty. Instead, teach your
puppy from the start how to play nicely with his toys. If you see him starting to rip something open,
calmly walk over and make a trade with another toy. If he does not get to practice destroying
things, he will not get the chance to learn how fun it is!
Exercise your dog. A tired dog is a happy owner! Exercise can help relieve stress and
boredom. If your dog is tired and content, he will be less likely to chew.
Take a closer look at your dog's diet. Is your dog getting a balanced diet? If your dog is not
getting his nutritional requirements, he may be trying to "supplement" his diet. Go to
dogfoodanalysis.com to take a closer look at what you are feeding your dog. You may be
surprised at what gets put in a bag of kibble!
Scent your dog's toys. Dogs navigate their world with their nose. Place a tiny dab of vanilla
extract on each of your dog's toys. Your dog will quickly learn that things that smell like vanilla are
fair game.
So just remember, your dog is not chewing your shoes as part of an evil master plan to get back at
you. Your dog is simply... being a dog!
Your dog is simply... being a dog!
| Dogs explore their world with their nose and their mouth. It's what they do. |
