The destructive chewing habit of the pet is a common concern of dog owners. Dog owners are aware of the puppy's propensity to chew especially if it is teething. Aside from strengthening the jaws, puppies chew a lot to ease the soreness of the gums when they are teething. Puppies are by nature very curious and because they do not have hands that can be used to investigate, the mouth is used instead.
The puppy will start chewing at 3 months when the permanent teeth start to come out. The chewing habit will persist until the puppy is about six to ten months old. At 10 months the puppy is expected to have finished teething. The pet's inclination to chew anything will be lessened to a great extent as there will be no need to soothe sore gums. In other dogs, the desire to chew will worsen. The dog will be more destructive as the strong teeth can now chew almost anything.
In older dogs, destructive chewing can be due to other reasons. Boredom is the most common reason for the dogs destructive chewing behavior. Being social animals, dogs would need interaction with other dogs or attention from the human family. Dogs that are left alone at home all day with no toys and no other pets to play with will become bored. The dog can bark a lot and disturb neighbors; it can "unlearn" its housebreaking lessons and create a mess inside the home. Another manifestation of the dog's boredom is excessive chewing that results to the destruction of the belongings of the family.
Dogs are known to form strong attachments with the owner thus when separated from the family they normally suffer separation anxiety. This condition happens when the dog's owner died or when the owners travel leaving the pet behind. Dogs trying to cope with the change in routine often develop destructive habits.
The chewing habit of the pet can be prevented if it was trained since it was a puppy what can be chewed and what cannot be chewed. Dogs are not expected to know the difference between an old shoe that is already discarded and a shoe that is newly bought. Discriminate chewing training is one of the tasks an dog owner has to undertake to prevent the dog from being destructive. The pet must be given chew toys instead of things that are no longer used by the family.
The puppy will start chewing at 3 months when the permanent teeth start to come out. The chewing habit will persist until the puppy is about six to ten months old. At 10 months the puppy is expected to have finished teething. The pet's inclination to chew anything will be lessened to a great extent as there will be no need to soothe sore gums. In other dogs, the desire to chew will worsen. The dog will be more destructive as the strong teeth can now chew almost anything.
In older dogs, destructive chewing can be due to other reasons. Boredom is the most common reason for the dogs destructive chewing behavior. Being social animals, dogs would need interaction with other dogs or attention from the human family. Dogs that are left alone at home all day with no toys and no other pets to play with will become bored. The dog can bark a lot and disturb neighbors; it can "unlearn" its housebreaking lessons and create a mess inside the home. Another manifestation of the dog's boredom is excessive chewing that results to the destruction of the belongings of the family.
Dogs are known to form strong attachments with the owner thus when separated from the family they normally suffer separation anxiety. This condition happens when the dog's owner died or when the owners travel leaving the pet behind. Dogs trying to cope with the change in routine often develop destructive habits.
The chewing habit of the pet can be prevented if it was trained since it was a puppy what can be chewed and what cannot be chewed. Dogs are not expected to know the difference between an old shoe that is already discarded and a shoe that is newly bought. Discriminate chewing training is one of the tasks an dog owner has to undertake to prevent the dog from being destructive. The pet must be given chew toys instead of things that are no longer used by the family.
About the Author:
Why do dogs chew? This innate habit can be a real problem. At Sarah's Dogs however you can learn more about this and other dog behaviours. Like why do dogs do it and what to do when your dog chews.
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