Chewing is a normal and healthy activity for your dog to do when it is not destructive.

It is always very important to understand why your dog is chewing things in the first place.
One thing is for sure: REMEMBER that your dog is not angry at you when he is chewing your shoes, furniture or any of your belongings. And nor does your dog act out of spite or hatred towards you.

Now you might ask: “But if my dog is not angry at me OR chewing things behind my back to spite me, WHY then is my dog chewing everything?”

Well, you are not alone! Destructive chewing is a common complaint I get on a very regular basis among dog owners. Not only is it frustrating for the dog owner, but it can also be a very expensive problem, especially when a dog chews designer furniture, shoes or plants in a landscaped garden.

There may be a number of reasons why your dog chews. Let’s look at some of those reasons.

When do puppies stop chewing everything?
Explore
It is normal for puppies to chew things as they explore the exciting brand new world around them via smell, sound, sight and taste.

DID YOU KNOW?
We as humans touch with our hands but dogs touch with their mouths!

Puppies use their mouths as a means to explore the beautiful new world around them and the different textures of things.

When a puppy walk around and wants to “eat” or chew every single thing he comes across, it might look a lot like chewing to us, but in actual fact your dog FEELS or TOUCH with his mouth. Your puppy is therefore not CHEWING your shoes, furniture or carpet.

Your puppy is only EXPLORING the new world around him by smell, sound, sight and taste.

When your puppy is chewing a variety of objects, it is likely that your puppy is in a very playful mood and he is also investigating his surroundings. We can easily mistake this TOUCH for chewing. Chewing is a normal behavior for puppies.

It is when this chewing behavior becomes undesirable, that is when you HAVE TO Contact Us .

Teething
Much the same as human babies, when puppies lose their baby teeth they need to chew on things.

The puppy’s teeth will erupt between the ages of three to eight weeks. When your puppy is around the age of four to six months, the adult teeth will replace the baby teeth and the adult teeth will start to set in. It is during this time that your puppy needs to chew more than ever.

Teething is a very painful process for your puppy because his gums are very irritated and chewing things relieves that discomfort.
It is during this teething stage when it is of the utmost importance to get only the best possible help, Executive Dog Training!

I can definitely help you to discover the great advantages of having a well trained puppy that will make your life so much easier and enjoyable to start with.

Being on Executive Dog Training’s program and we fast forward a few years from now, you should not need to ask yourself the question: ”Why is my older dog chewing suddenly ?” Unless your dog has a medical problem.

I want only the best for you and your dog especially because chewing the wrong objects can be very harmful for your dog. It can cause you extensive and expensive damages to your property, belongings and your vet bill. Not to even talk about all this from a medical point of view, for you and your dog.

My eyebrows sometimes lift up to my hairline and it amazes me how quickly puppies can get something in their mouths to chew on. O Yes and do not underestimate and forget about your adult dog! If you have an older dog with this destructive chewing behavior and you haven’t yet handled it, your puppy is likely to learn very quickly from your adult dog and your puppy will do exactly the same. Iron sharpens iron, as they say.

Just for fun
Puppies, as we all know, are extremely investigative and playful. Adult dogs can simply find the activity of chewing very enjoyable.

Separation Anxiety
This is usually when a dog suffers from social isolation or dogs that are confined in an area where they are insecure and from where they want to escape from.

If chewing occurs when you are not at home, you might highly likely have a dog that suffers from separation anxiety it can make the chewing problem even worse. But on the contrary, I have also seen this chewing behavior in dogs whilst the owners are at home!

Separation Anxiety is a psychological distress the dog experience when left alone for long periods of time, with or without their families/owners present.

Dog with separation anxiety usually can turn to chewing in an attempt to self-medicate in order to ease their anxiety. Dogs that suffer from separation anxiety are in a constant state of emotional conflict and stress.
Together with Executive Dog Training, I help you and we address this underlying issue of chewing and digging behavior.

Boredom
One of the ways dogs relieve boredom in an unstimulated environment is by chewing in order to remedy his situation. By chewing they release stress and energy

Odor and taste
Dogs like the taste and they also like the odor of the things they chew. For example in your home, your dog will find your odors very attractive, especially when it comes to shoes. Shoes have an intense smell. Shoes are extra special for dogs when they are made from leather. The shoe texture specifically is very inviting!

Medical issues
PICA = is the instinct to eat non-food items. The cause for PICA is nutritional deficiencies. Feed your dog good quality and nutrient-filled dog food!!
Some dogs chew things in order for them to vomit which then relieves the discomfort of gastrointestinal issues – Especially when the dog started his chewing behavior suddenly.

Motivated by food
A dog that usually raids a garbage bag or a garbage bin, or a dog that steels food off the kitchen counter, is motivated by food and the smell of food.

These dogs are scavenging for food.
If you dog’s food does not have sufficient nutrients, your dog will feel hungry all the time and this is a very negative domino effect that are about to take place. Make sure you feed your dog a high quality, high nutrient dog food and not garbage.

DID YOU KNOW?
Your dog has THAT “guilty look” only because he does not like being scolded. It is not that he understands you when you ask him: “Max what did you do? OR “Was this you who did this?”
Your dog is actually saying in dog language, that he is scared or submissive, “I do not want you to hurt me.”

It is vital to know the signs and symptoms your dogs will show when they have swallowed something.

This would need your immediate attention or perhaps an emergency visit to vet.

If inappropriate chewing behavior is not handled and corrected, it can lead to a wide range of expensive destruction to your personal property and it can also affect your dog’s health and that in itself can become a very costly vet bill affair. Not to even mention about the negative relationship that would start developing between you and your dog.

How to stop a dog from chewing rugs, shoes, furniture and plants?

TAKE ACTION NOW!
And that is not buying more and more toys for your dog!

Take action and enroll your dog with Executive Dog Training. LOOK at our very happy and satisfied client reviews here

I help you to identify why your dog is engaging in the chewing behavior and then develop a treatment strategy in order to avoid future suffering and expenses. Excellent results have been obtained by Executive Dog Training’s programs. By implementing preventive and corrective approaches, I have helped numerous families with their doggies and allowing their dogs to develop healthy positive behavior and relationships.

With me and Executive Dog Training, I help you to give you dog every chance to behave his very best. You will be well on your way to having a puppy and adult dog that is a bundle of joy to live with and a lifetime of friendship between you and your dog.

Do you have a dog how participate in destructive chewing behavior? Executive Dog Training is here to come to your rescue. If not handled, your dog’s chewing can become an obsessive compulsive behavior.
Executive Dog Training’s obedience training is a great and pleasant interactive way for you and your dog to bond better. Learn all About Us here!
Let’s do this!! Enroll your dog with Executive Dog Training and together we are setting your dog up for success.

How can I help you?

Jeanette Vockerodt

Your Dog Trainer
Call Me on 072 479 8103