Why Does My Dog Chew Everything?

Why Does My Dog Chew Everything?

The TLDR: 

Dogs don't chew up the house because they're trying to misbehave. You just need to give them something that matches what their brains are craving. A bully stick in a holder is the ultimate solution.

The short answer

Your dog has chewing needs, and it's likely a combination of stress, boredom, and access to stuff that feels good to chew on and destroy.

Dogs don’t sit there plotting revenge because you (are busy...left for work...are trying to eat). They find something that scratches the chew itch, and unfortunately that might be your chair, couch corner, pillow, or windowsill. Your house is full of wonderful things to wreck and you have to give something that competes with that. 

Why random toys often don’t work

This is where the “just leave toys out” advice kindof falls apart.

A lot of dogs do not want a random chew toy when what they really want is resistance, texture, tear, feedback, and something that changes as they work on it. Furniture has corners. Wood pushes back. Cushions rip. If the replacement chew is boring, too easy, or gone in five minutes, the furniture wins.

The chew has match what they want

I think bully sticks are the perfect match for what they want. They start out pretty hard, then the dog’s saliva softens the chewing end, so the dog can keep working and worrying on it instead of blasting through it instantly. That changing texture matters.  Bully sticks are also fibrous so the dog gets to pull and tear the softened strands.  And they last longer than any dental chew.

The safety part is the most important

A long-lasting chew only helps if it stays safe!

The real danger point with bully sticks is the stub. Once it gets short, a lot of dogs will try to gulp it, especially if they feel like someone might take it away. My dog Eva gagged on the end of one, and that changed my life essentially. I pulled it out of her throat, but it lead to inventing the SafetyChew holder. The holder matters just as much as the chew.

Another hidden problem: guarding

Another thing people miss is that some dogs get possessive about chews.

That can show up as freezing, hovering over it, giving you the side eye, or trying to swallow the chew when you walk over. I saw that with my own dog, and trained her that if she gives me the chew, I reward her with affection and give the chew back to her. With guard training, an advantage of our holder is that gives you a way to take control of the chew without getting your fingers right next to their teeth. And from a training standpoint, that opens a lot up. You can calmly take it, give it back, praise.....

Make the chew part of training

I also like when the chew setup works more like an interactive tool and not just a thing you toss on the floor.

You can build little routines around it. A little take-and-return. A little calm handling. A little structured trade practice. Even a little play (like tug-of-war).  Note:  you can't play tug of war with any holder but the SafetyChew holder--with the other clamp styles the dog will pull the stick free. 

What actually fixes it

TLDR: Dogs don't chew up the house because they're trying to misbehave. You just need to give them something that matches what their brains are craving. A bully stick in a holder is the ultimate solution.