Why
do dogs chew?
Dogs,
especially puppies are extremely
playful and investigative. While
play with people and other dogs
is an important part of socialization
and social development, exploration
and object play are important
ways for dogs to learn about
their environment. Therefore
it is a normal behavior for
puppies to investigate their
environment by sniffing, tasting
and perhaps chewing on objects
throughout the home. Dogs that
chew may also be scavenging
for food (as in garbage raiding),
playing (as in the dog that
chews apart a book or couch),
teething (dogs 3 to 6 months
of age that chew on household
objects), or satisfying a natural
urge to chew and gnaw (which
may serve to help keep teeth
and gums healthy). Some dogs
may chew because they receive
attention (even if it is negative)
or treats from the owners each
time they chew, but the owners
are inadvertently rewarding
the behavior. Chewing and destructive
behaviors
may also be a response to anxiety.
Dogs that are confined in areas
where they are insecure may
dig and chew in an attempt to
escape. Dogs that are in a state
of conflict, arousal or anxiety,
such as separation anxiety,
may turn to chewing and other
forms of destructiveness as
an outlet. (see our handout
on ‘Separation anxiety')
for this specific problem).
How
can chewing be treated?
First,
determine why the dog is chewing.
If the dog is a puppy or young
adult dog that is chewing at
a variety of objects in the
household, it is likely that
play and investigation (and
perhaps teething) is the motive.
Dogs that raid garbage and steal
food off counters are obviously
motivated by the presence and
odor of food. Some dogs are
attempting to escape confinement
while in others chewing may
be an outlet for anxiety. Determining
the cause and motivation for
chewing is therefore essential
in developing a treatment strategy.
Directing the chewing into appealing
alternatives, sufficient play
and exercise, and prevention
of inappropriate chewing are
needed for the exploratory dog.
You must ensure that you are
not inadvertently rewarding
the behavior. Inattention or
disruption devices may be useful
for these dogs. If the dog is
a puppy this behavior may decrease
in time, provided you direct
the chewing to proper outlets.
Dogs that are garbage raiding
or food stealing need to be
treated by supervision, prevention
and booby-traps, since the behavior
itself is self-rewarding. Dogs
that are destructive to escape
confinement must learn to become
comfortable and secure with
the cage or room where they
are to be confined. Alternatively
a new confinement area may have
to be chosen. Dogs that are
destructive as an outlet for
anxiety, will need to have the
cause of the anxiety diagnosed,
and the problem appropriately
treated. (See our handout on
‘Separation anxiety').
How
can proper 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, odors, and
textures to determine what appeals
most to the 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 like
the natural prey and wood products
that attract most dogs. Coating
toys with liver or cheese spread
or peanut butter may also increase
their desirability. The Kong™
is a durable chew toy, but its
appeal can be greatly enhanced
by placing a piece of cheese
or liver inside and then filling
it tight with biscuits. Placing
soup items or food into the
Kong and freezing it, or freezing
food items in "Popsicle"
makers and placing them in the
dogs food bowl may provide a
little longer durability to
the treats. Since the development
of the Kong there are now a
wide variety of durable toys
that can have food stuffed or
frozen inside or placed into
small grooves in the toy, so
that the dog needs to "work"
to get its reward (see our handout
on ‘Behavior management
products'). Another group
of dog toys have compartments
that can be filled with food.
The dog needs to manipulate
the toy by rolling, chewing
or shaking to get the food treats
to fall out. To ensure that
your puppy is encouraged and
rewarded for chewing on its
toys, and discouraged from chewing
on all other objects, it must
be supervised at all times.
Whenever supervision is not
possible, you must prevent access
to any object or area that might
be chewed. Although play periods
and chew toys may be sufficient
for most pets, additional activities
such as self-feeders, other
pets, interactive toys, and
even videos may help to keep
pets occupied.
How
else can my dog's 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 tug-of-war, retrieving,
catching a ball or Frisbee,
jogging, or even long walks
are often an acceptable alternative
to work, allow the dog an opportunity
to expend unused energy, and
provide regular attention periods.
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 unless
the owner is present to supervise,
or the area is effectively booby-trapped.
Your dog can only be punished
for chewing if it is caught
in the act. Even then, punishment
must be humane, immediate and
effective. A shake can, verbal
reprimand, or alarm (audible
or ultrasonic) can deter the
pet in your presence, but the
behavior will continue in your
absence. Remote punishment (where
the owner is out of sight while
administering punishment) may
teach the dog that the behavior
itself is inappropriate (see
our handout on ‘Canine
punishment'). A head halter
and long remote leash pulled
each time the dog chews, a water
rifle, remote citronella collar
or one of the audible or ultrasonic
alarms may be effective. However,
none of these products are practical
when the owner is absent or
cannot supervise. Arriving home
and punishing a pet for an act
that is already completed will
only serve to increase the pet's
anxiety.
The
only way that chewing might
be deterred when your dog cannot
be supervised, is to booby-trap
the areas where the dog might
chew. To be successful the punishment
must be noxious enough to immediately
deter the pet. Taste or odor
aversion is often the simplest
and most practical type of booby
trap but many pets will have
to be conditioned in advance
to detest the smell or taste
by squirting anti-chew spray
(eg. bitter apple, RopelÔ)
into the pet's mouth or across
its nose. A small amount of
cayenne pepper mixed with water,
oil of citronella or commercial
anti-chew sprays may also be
successful as deterrents. Alternatively,
the spray could be placed on
any object that the dog might
chew and a fishing line can
be attached from the object
to a stack of empty cans on
a nearby table or counter. At
the instant chewing begins the
stack will come crashing down.
Most dogs are then conditioned
after a few events to avoid
the particular taste or odor
for fear of another "can
attack". A shock or alarm
mat, mousetrap trainers, indoor
invisible fencing (citronella
spray or "shock"),
or motion detectors are a few
other examples of environmental
punishment (see our handouts
on ‘Behavior management
products' and ‘Canine
punishment').
What
if the dog continues to chew
household objects?
Whenever
you cannot supervise or monitor
your dog's behavior, he
or she should be confined to
a cage or dog-proof room with
any potential chewing sites
effectively booby-trapped. Alternatively,
a basket type muzzle can be
used for short departures.
This
client information sheet is
based on material written by
Debra Horwitz, DVM, DACVB and
Gary Landsberg, DVM, DACVB.
© Copyright 2002 Lifelearn
Inc. Used with permission under
license. March 11, 2004.
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