Chewing or gnawing is one of the instinctive behaviors of dogs which may cause inconveniences for us humans. As part of the development process and their exploratory nature, dogs may try chewing on furniture, shoes and any other items that come along their way. If not properly checked or regulated on time, dog chewing can become extremely destructive to not only your dog, but to the surroundings. I've seen dogs actually chew through doors and destroy furniture, etc.
Dogs do not chew simply to be annoying. They do it because they are dogs. A dog is born with a desire to chew. When they are lonely, bored or anxious, they are more likely to participate in chewing - often with destructive results. Some dogs may also chew themselves - such as obsessively chewing on their paws or limbs. Chewing can be a form of stress relief for dogs. When they are anxious, they find something to chew in order to relieve their anxiety. Lack of exercise and boredom are can be huge contributing factors for the destructive dog behavior. Make sure your dog has plenty of exercise and GOOD things to chew on (kongs filled with peanut butter, bully sticks, nylabones...etc.)
Please don't punish your dog for chewing, and when your dog has a dog chewing problem, you cannot just go out and buy special dog chewing remedies. You need to find out what is causing your dog to chew and do everything possible to alleviate any cause of anxiety, loneliness or boredom. You will need to put some effort into helping to stop your dog's destructive behavior. With some good chew toys and extra attention from you, you can stop dog chewing - and help your dog feel less anxious as well! I have found Bitter Apple to be pretty useless...
Be more responsible about where you leave items. Put your shoes in the closet and shut the door. Put books and other items on the kitchen counter or some other out-of-reach location. Don't leave things that might tempt your dog on end tables or coffee tables... and shut the doors of rooms where she can't get into the room and FIND something to chew! If you see her headed for something you don't want her to have... divert her attention with something better that she CAN chew on.
Do not leave her alone unattended. If you aren't at home... crate her. Crate her at night.
There are two valuable commands you can teach her. One is the "LEAVE IT" command... when you see her headed towards something unacceptable... say "LEAVE IT" and when she stops and looks at you, reward her with a treat to divert her attention... say "Good leave it.... good leave it with emphasis on the words "leave it".
The second command is the DROP command... for when she actually has something in her mouth you want her to drop. Say "DROP"... and in the beginning she won't know what you mean, so you walk over to her... remove the item from her mouth... and give her a treat ... "good drop... good drop... with emphasis on the word "drop". Eventually she will learn that DROP brings forth good stuff!! What you have for her must be better than what she has in her mouth.
Until her chewing behavior has been corrected, THE most important things you can do are:
1) Make sure she's exercised and not bored
2) Make sure everything is up out of reach that you don't want her to get into.
3) Make sure she has GOOD stuff to chew on.
4) Teach the LEAVE IT command
5) Teach the DROP command
I don't know how old your dog is, but it's likely that as she ages, the chewing will decrease. However, I have known dogs to be old and still chew. It's good to nip it in the bud at an early age.
Good luck to you!!
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