What should I do if my dog chews on walls, shoes or furniture?
This behaviour may be related to a fear of loneliness, health problems, or the fact that a healthy dog cannot stay awake for long periods of time without doing something. This problem is best known to those who have recently acquired a dog.
There is another reason underlying this unpleasant process, and that is innate instinct. The point is that predators, having caught their prey, tear it to pieces. The dog tries to do the same. This normal behavioural norm in an adult dog can be corrected at a young age by using some familiar tools.
For puppies:
A very small dog should have its own separate corner, a room where it can only reach certain things. Do not leave it in complete isolation. He is small and afraid of being left alone. Prepare his place so that he can see and observe what is happening around him.
A puppy, or a young dog, needs to have toys. A puppy quickly gets bored of toys, so don’t give him everything at once, but leavegypsum. When you get tired of one, give a new one, hide the old one for now, and so on.
When the dog plays with his toys, praise him, pat him.
If you notice a dog picking up an object that it is about to chew on, it is possible to distract it at that very moment with a sound, a voice, a squeak, a sniff, and give it a toy that can be chewed. However, you need to be attentive, because if you squeak, slam later, when the dog is already gnawing, then he may think that it is a game and that it is interesting.
Don’t let your dog chew on old shoes or slippers that we throw away anyway. No, a dog cannot tell the difference between a shoe that can be chewed and one that cannot.
If you catch a dog at the scene of a crime, at the very moment when it is chewing on a toy that is not its own, it must be scolded, and can be gently scolded by the scruff of the neck, as mothers do for their dogs. Not for long, just grab the leash and firmly say no.
Very effective are the puppery preparations sold in pet shops in the lids.
In a word, a puppy needs toys and attention like a child. In addition, toys need to be bought new periodically when the old ones become uninteresting. In fact, dogs, like small children, sleep a lot, so they don’t need much attention.
If the dog is an adult
It’s a matter of gnawing on things, which means he’s lonely, doesn’t spend much time outdoors, doesn’t play, doesn’t interact much. Fear of loneliness appears immediately after the owner leaves or after a few minutes. But if the bad behaviour occurs after a long period of time, a few hours, it means that the dog is looking for something to occupy itself, it is trying to realise its energy, it wants to play.
What to do?
Take your dog for a walk before you leave it alone in the house. At least an hour to let him run, play and get tired. After the walk, feed him.
Stop bad behaviour as soon as you see the process, not after it has happened. At that point, say Can’t! But ONLY at the moment when the dog takes the forbidden object in his teeth.
shuand have a large space at home where they can move around easily.
Give your dog a few toys. These should be toys that the dog likes and is used to playing with. You can get the dog used to playing with them by using a game of fetch or fight for the object. Leave a few more toys right before you leave the house.
Leave the TV or radio on, without sound, just to create a presence effect.
The dog’s owner, or the dog’s future owner, should be aware that it is essential to let the dog go for walks outside during the day. For an adult dog this is at least three times a day, for a puppy five to ten times a day. This is vital for a healthy adult dog.
The destructive behaviour of adult dogs can take on incredible, terrifying proportions: barking when left alone, tearing up furniture, ripping up linoleum, chewing walls. Think in advance about whether you will be able to give your dog enough time, go for walks and play with him,