There are many reasons for destructive behaviors such as chewing. Unfortunately, the reasons pets do destructive things can usually be traced back to the situation we put our pets in.
Many new and first time dog owners find that they experience a dog that chews incessantly, destroying their possessions (and their sanity!). How did they get themselves into this situation? What was supposed to be a joyful experience, adding man's best friend to the family, has quickly become a nightmare.
You can stop dog chewing and get your best friend back with a little bit of knowledge and an even smaller amount of patience if you understand what is going on and how you can remedy the situation. As with many things, a little education can go a long, long way towards eliminating a problem. Knowing that little bit of information is a great place to start. If dogs naturally want to chew on things, then it makes perfect sense to make sure that they have plenty of their own interesting playthings to chew on rather than your brand new pair of $200 shoes.
All pupplies chew a lot. It is a search to relieve the pain of teething. Many dogs stop after they gain maturity, while others continue into adulthood becoming more destructive.
An example that I like to use has to do with a dog that urinates in the house. NOT a good thing. What do you do? Rub his nose in it? Just because you rub a dog’s nose in urine doesn’t mean your dog will understand why you are doing that, or learn not to urinate inside! In fact, punishing your dog in such a way without him understanding why, will frustrate him and will stunt his learning, making it impossible to get him trained! The same holds true with any kind of dog misbehavior, including inappropriate chewing. So it's imperative not to PUNISH your dog when caught in the act of chewing something inappropriate, but rather diverting his attention to something more rewarding for him.
Each dog has their own preference when it comes to chew toys so you will need to try a variety of things. I prefer not to use rubber toys because if a piece is torn off and cannot be digested... that could spell disaster. Rawhide can also spell disaster if a large piece gets lodged in the intestine. So pick a toy or a treat that is safe for your dog.
Boredom is a common problem with dogs that chew. If you consider how restless , or antsy, you get when you have nothing to occupy your time, then it is not hard to understand a dog going just a bit wacky if they are in a situation where they have little or no company. One thing that many dog owners don't fully understand is that dogs are pack animals by nature and are very social, just like humans, and need to have interaction with you and the family. With work schedules as they are in today's world, it's seldom possible for us to be with our furry friends all the time, so making sure the dog is confined during our times of absence will help eliminate the dog having the opportunity to chew something that is inappropriate. Confine your dog in a portable crate or single room inside the house and provide it with bowl of water and some new chew toys. (a kong filled with peanut butter works wonders!) The purpose of confining your dog in a room or crate is to avoid it from chewing other items on your house and will likely help it develop the habit of chewing only the toys you provide. Again...there are many chew toys available in the market today. Just choose chew toys that are made of natural products and ones that are safe if digested.
Also.... keep your valuables put up so the dog can't get to them! That is your responsibilty as a dog owner.
One reason that many find the chewing problems so troubling is that they don't understand the mentality of a dog. They think that a dog can reason and understand that you are correcting them for something that has happened hours ago when you were gone. Bad deeds (unaccepetable behavior) MUST be caught IN THE ACT in order to correct them.
The chewing problem is not insurmountable, whether your dog is a puppy or an adult, it doesn’t matter, you can change/correct your dog’s behavior. You don't have to hire a professional dog trainer either. With the right information and techniques anyone can stop dog chewing and keep their sanity.