Dogs: Destructiveness - Chewing

Why do dogs chew?

Dogs, especially puppies, are extremely playful and exploratory in their behaviour. While play with people and other dogs is an important part of socialisation and social development, exploration and object play are important ways for dogs to learn about their environment. It is a normal behaviour for puppies to investigate their environment by sniffing, mouthing and perhaps even chewing on objects throughout the home environment. 

There are a wide variety of reasons why dogs may destructively chew, for example:

• scavenging for food (as in raiding rubbish bins),
• playing (as in the dog that chews on objects that may suddenly spring forth feathers or foam such as cushions or sofas),
• teething (dogs 3 to 6 months of age may chew on household objects),
• satisfying a natural urge to chew and gnaw, which may serve to help keep teeth and gums healthy. An increase in the urge to chew often occurs at around 8 to 10 months of age and owners may find this frustrating as they have just gone through the teething process and expect those sorts of behaviours to be behind them! Being prepared for this phase enables owners to provide appropriate items for their dog to chew and avoids them getting annoyed with their dog for something that is entirely normal!
• satisfying an urge to gnaw and chew which may indicate that the dog has insufficient roughage in the diet
• seeking attention (even if it is negative) or treats from the owners each time they chew. In this case the owner may be inadvertently rewarding the behaviour.
• indicating an underlying problem of anxiety, fear or panic. For example: dogs that are insecure or frightened may dig and chew in an attempt to escape. Dogs that are in a state of conflict, high arousal or anxiety may also turn to chewing and other forms of destructiveness as an outlet for their emotional responses.

Since there are such a range of possible motivations for dogs to chew it is important to identify the reason or reasons why your dog is chewing. If the dog is a puppy or young adult that is chewing a variety of objects in the household, it is likely that play and investigation (and perhaps teething) is the motive. Dogs that raid bins and steal food off counters are obviously motivated by the presence and smell of food. But in some cases professional assistance may be required to determine the cause of the problem and identify the most effective treatment or management options for your dog.

How can appropriate chewing be encouraged?

Before considering how inappropriate chewing might be discouraged, the real key is to provide some appropriate outlets for your dog’s chewing “needs.” Begin with a few toys with a variety of tastes, smells, and textures to determine what appeals most to your pet. Although plastic, nylon or rubber toys may be the most durable, products that can be torn apart such as rawhide or pigs’ ears may be more appealing to other dogs Coating toys with liver or cheese spread may also increase their desirability as may soaking the toy in meat juices. Durable chew toys such as foraging devices with hollow centres are ideal as their appeal can be greatly enhanced by placing a piece of cheese or liver inside and then filling them tightly with dog biscuits. This encourages the dog to "work" to get its reward. Placing soup, meat juices or soaked dog kibble into these toys and freezing them before giving to the dog can increase interest as well as provide comfort for teething puppies and hot summer days. Adding cheese and then microwaving the toy (check manufacturers instructions) can also increase interest as well as increase the time the dog chews on the foraging toy. There is a growing market of mental stimulation toys and these not only provide activity but also encourage the dog to use his mind to obtain some of his daily food ration.

To encourage and reward your puppy for chewing on his toys, and discourage your puppy from chewing on all other objects, your puppy needs to be well supervised initially. Whenever supervision is not possible, you must prevent access to any object or area that might be chewed. 

How can inappropriate chewing be treated?

Treatment depends to some extent on the cause, but some general guidelines are possible:

1. Provide your dog with several chew toys and change them daily to maintain interest- dogs like variety too!

2 Direct the chewing into appealing alternatives, e.g. providing your dog with a new chew toy covered in cream cheese or peanut butter, can help redirect the behaviour into an acceptable form.

3. Check that your dog is not getting too much energy in his diet, and that you are providing sufficient play and mental as well as physical exercise,

4. Check that your dog gets sufficient roughage in his diet (remember his ancestors were scavengers). He may be chewing to help fill an empty stomach but do see your veterinarian for advice before changing your dog’s diet,

5.  Prevent inappropriate chewing by denying him access to chewed items and areas. This should only be done once appropriate outlets for the behaviour have been provided and trained,

6.  Try not to inadvertently reward the behaviour by reacting to your dog when he is chewing an inappropriate item but do praise your dog when he is chewing on appropriate toys. 

If your dog is still a puppy the chewing behaviour may decrease in time, provided you direct it into proper outlets. In the case of dogs that are raiding bins or food stealing, the behaviour itself is self-rewarding and associating the bin or food with an unpleasant stimulus, such as taste or sound, may be necessary but it is very important to be nearby so that you can immediately reward your dog for avoiding the bin. Close supervision and prevention of access are obviously also needed. Dogs that are destructive in an attempt to escape confinement must learn to become comfortable and secure or at least cope with the place where they are to be confined. Dogs that are destructive as an outlet for anxiety, will need to have the cause of the anxiety fully assessed by a professional, and the problem appropriately treated. Following such assessment, medication or a synthetic analogue of a chemical produced by dogs which has a calming effect (Dog appeasing pheromone - DAP) may be recommended to ease your dog’s anxiety and help speed up the behaviour therapy for the condition. 

How else can my dog’s inappropriately directed activity be reduced? 

The needs of most working dogs are usually satisfied with daily work sessions (retrieving, herding, sledding, etc.), while non-working house-pets will require alternative forms of activity to meet their requirements for work and play. Games, such as retrieving and catching a ball or Frisbee, and exercise, in the form of long walks or jogging, are often acceptable alternatives to work, allowing the dog an opportunity to expend energy and benefit from your attention. Obedience training, agility classes and simply teaching your dog a few tricks are not only pleasant interactive activities for you and your dog, but they also provide some stimulation and "work" to the dog's daily schedule.

How can I stop the chewing on household objects?

Access to all areas that the dog might chew must be prevented initially unless you are present to supervise. Aversion training should only be attempted once your dog has been actively rewarded for chewing on appropriate items, so your dog now knows what choice is available and needs to be used with caution. It should only be used when you know the underlying cause for your dog chewing.

Effectively booby-trapping the area may be an option, but in this case you should be present nearby so that as soon as the booby trap is triggered you can call the dog and redirect his attention to an appropriate chew item or reward him for an alternative behaviour. Taste (e.g. chilli sauce) or conditioned smell aversion (pairing a physical booby trap with a specific odour that can then be used to label other items) are options but they need to be used with caution. Your pet will need prior conditioning, to learn the association and establish that the aversive really works.

"Effectively booby-trapping the area may be an option, but in this case you should be present nearby so that as soon as the booby trap is triggered you can call the dog and redirect his attention to an appropriate chew item or reward him for an alternative behaviour."

Punishment for chewing should only ever be associated with the act and must be immediately followed by reward for appropriate behaviour. Even then it is essential that the punishment is humane, immediate and effective, i.e. associated with the behaviour and not the presence of someone to deliver it. Punishing a dog with an anxiety disorder may exacerbate the problem. Seek professional advice if you are considering the use of aversion therapy as it is very possible that with help you will be able to avoid these techniques altogether.

What not to do

• If there is any association between punishment and an owner you run the risk that your pet will learn not to chew in your presence, and the behaviour will to continue, and may even become worse, in your absence. 
• Arriving home and punishing a pet for chewing that has occurred in your absence will only serve to increase your pet’s anxiety and increase the risk of more serious problems.