It’s completely normal for puppies and dogs to chew on objects as they explore their world. Chewing serves multiple purposes for dogs—from relieving teething pain in young pups to keeping jaws strong and teeth clean in adults. It also combats boredom and can help relieve mild anxiety or frustration. However, when your dog starts destroying your favorite shoes, furniture, or household items, it becomes a problem that needs addressing.
Understanding the Root Causes of Destructive Chewing
Before you can effectively stop your dog from chewing inappropriate items, you need to understand why they’re doing it. Several underlying issues can trigger destructive chewing behavior.
Separation Anxiety
Dogs who chew to relieve the stress of being left alone typically only engage in destructive chewing when you’re away. These dogs often display other signs of separation anxiety, including:
- Whining or barking excessively
- Pacing and restlessness
- Urinating or defecating indoors despite being house-trained
If you suspect separation anxiety is causing your dog’s destructive chewing, addressing the underlying anxiety is crucial for solving the chewing problem.
Fabric Sucking Behavior
Some dogs develop a habit of licking, sucking, and chewing on fabrics. This behavior often stems from being weaned too early—before seven or eight weeks of age. While occasional fabric chewing might seem harmless, if your dog engages in this behavior for extended periods and is difficult to distract, it may have become compulsive. In such cases, consulting a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB), board-certified veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB), or Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) with specialized training in compulsive behaviors is recommended.
Hunger-Related Chewing
Dogs on calorie-restricted diets may chew and destroy objects in an attempt to find additional food sources. This type of chewing typically targets items related to food or objects that smell like food. Ensuring your dog receives adequate nutrition and appropriate treats can help redirect this behavior.
Effective Strategies to Manage Destructive Chewing
Managing Puppy Teething
The combination of natural curiosity and teething discomfort drives puppies to chew. Like human babies, puppies experience pain as their baby teeth fall out and adult teeth emerge. This intense chewing phase typically subsides by six months of age. To help your teething puppy:
- Offer ice cubes or frozen wet washcloths to chew
- Provide special dog toys designed to be frozen
- Use gentle guidance to teach your puppy to restrict chewing to appropriate toys
Supporting Normal Chewing Behavior
Chewing is a natural, healthy behavior for dogs of all ages. Wild and domestic dogs alike spend hours chewing bones to keep their jaws strong and teeth clean. While you can’t—and shouldn’t—eliminate chewing entirely, you can redirect it toward appropriate items.
Essential Tips for Managing Chewing:
1. Dog-Proof Your Home
Create an environment where your dog can succeed by putting valuable items out of reach. Store shoes and clothing in closed closets, keep dirty laundry in hampers, and place books on high shelves. This simple step prevents problems before they start.
2. Provide Appropriate Chew Toys
Give your dog plenty of their own toys and inedible chew bones. Pay attention to which toys keep them engaged longest and rotate toys every few days to prevent boredom. When selecting chew items:
- Only give natural bones specifically sold for chewing
- Never offer cooked bones (including T-bones or chicken wings), as these can splinter and cause serious injury
- Monitor intense chewers who might chip pieces off natural bones or damage their teeth
3. Offer Edible Chews
Safe edible options include bully sticks, pig ears, rawhide bones, and pig skin rolls. However, always supervise your dog with edible chews, as they can pose choking hazards—especially if your dog tends to bite off and swallow large pieces. Keep other dogs separated during chew time to prevent competition that might lead to gulping.
4. Use Puzzle Toys
Identify times when your dog is most likely to chew and provide puzzle toys filled with treats or part of their daily food ration. This engages their mind while satisfying their need to chew.
5. Apply Chewing Deterrents
Spray inappropriate items with chewing deterrents, but use them correctly:
- First, apply a small amount to tissue or cotton wool
- Gently place it in your dog’s mouth to let them taste it
- Most dogs find the taste unpleasant and will spit it out
- Once they associate the taste with the smell, spray deterrent on items you want to protect
- Reapply daily for two to four weeks
Remember that deterrents alone won’t solve destructive chewing—dogs need to learn what they CAN chew as well.
6. Supervise and Redirect
Monitor your dog during waking hours until their chewing behavior improves. When you catch them chewing something inappropriate:
- Say “Uh-oh” calmly
- Remove the item from their mouth
- Immediately offer an appropriate chew toy
- Praise them enthusiastically when they take the acceptable item
If your dog shows signs of aggression when you remove items from their mouth, seek professional help from a qualified behavior specialist.
7. Manage When You Can’t Supervise
When you can’t watch your dog, prevent inappropriate chewing by:
- Using a crate or small, dog-proofed room
- Removing all items they shouldn’t chew from the confined space
- Providing plenty of appropriate toys and chews
- Limiting confinement to no more than six hours
- Ensuring plenty of exercise and quality time outside of confinement
8. Provide Adequate Exercise and Stimulation
Boredom is a leading cause of destructive chewing. Ensure your dog receives:
- Daily walks and outings
- Off-leash play with other dogs
- Interactive games like tug and fetch
- Training sessions and classes
- Dog sports such as agility or flyball
- Meals fed through food puzzle toys
9. Address Stress and Frustration
Dogs may chew when stressed or frustrated. Common triggers include:
- Being crated near a dog they don’t get along with
- Teasing from children when confined
- Watching exciting activities they can’t participate in
To reduce stress-related chewing:
- Avoid exposing your dog to situations that cause distress
- Anticipate frustration and provide appropriate toys for shaking and tearing
- In class settings, carry a tug toy for your dog to hold
- Tie rope toys to fences or gates where your dog gets frustrated by animals on the other side
10. Avoid Confusing Signals
Help your dog learn appropriate versus inappropriate chewing by never offering old shoes or discarded cushions as toys. It’s unfair to expect your dog to understand that some shoes are okay to chew while others aren’t.
Special Considerations
Dirty Laundry and Garbage
Some puppies and juvenile dogs are particularly drawn to dirty underwear, sanitary napkins, and tampons. Always keep dirty laundry in closed hampers, and dispose of sanitary items in containers your dog can’t access. Swallowing sanitary products can be extremely dangerous, as they may expand in the digestive tract.
Shelter and Kennel Environments
Dogs in shelters or kennels may grab and shake blankets or bowls when people walk by, seeking attention. When they don’t receive it, frustration can lead to destructive behavior. Providing toys and chew bones, and teaching calm behavior to solicit attention, can help reduce this issue.
What NOT to Do
When addressing destructive chewing, certain punishment-based approaches are not only ineffective but can harm your dog and damage your relationship:
- Never show your dog the damage and punish them after the fact. They cannot connect punishment with behavior that occurred hours or even minutes ago.
- Never use duct tape to hold your dog’s mouth closed around a chewed object. This inhumane practice teaches nothing and has resulted in dogs dying.
- Never tie damaged objects to your dog. This cruel method doesn’t teach appropriate behavior.
- Never leave your dog crated for extended periods (more than six hours) simply to prevent chewing.
- Never use a muzzle to prevent chewing.
Conclusion
Destructive chewing is a common but manageable behavior in dogs of all ages. By understanding the underlying causes—whether teething, boredom, anxiety, or natural chewing instincts—you can develop an effective strategy that works for your dog. The key lies in providing appropriate alternatives, managing the environment, ensuring adequate exercise and mental stimulation, and using positive reinforcement to teach your dog what they can and cannot chew.
Remember that patience and consistency are essential. Most dogs can learn to redirect their chewing habits with proper guidance. If despite your best efforts the behavior continues or seems compulsive, don’t hesitate to seek help from a certified professional who specializes in dog behavior. With the right approach, you can protect your belongings while allowing your dog to engage in the natural, healthy behavior of chewing—just on the right things.
References
- American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). “Destructive Chewing.” ASPCA Pet Care.
- American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. “Position Statements.”
- Overall, K.L. (2013). Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats. Elsevier Health Sciences.
- Horwitz, D.F. & Mills, D.S. (2009). BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioural Medicine. British Small Animal Veterinary Association.
- Landsberg, G., Hunthausen, W., & Ackerman, L. (2013). Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat. Saunders Elsevier.