Photo courtesy of Tracy Krulik
Champ
Does your dog have a problem chewing up all the wrong things? Tracy Krulik has some answers.
When she came home and found her designer pillows de-stuffed, she knew her puppy, Champ, was a chewer. It didn’t take long for Alexandria resident Marisa Eickenhorst to designate a "dog-proof" room for Champ and load him up with a bunch of toys.
“Squeakectomies are his forte,” Eickenhorst says of the Lab-Pointer mix. No one loves to dissect a stuffed animal more than Champ.
Why dogs chew
Chewing is to dogs what reading books and watching movies are to people. It’s fun! It can also be great exercise for their jaws and soothing to puppies. And while humans understand that chair legs exist to hold a seat up and that the stuffing is meant to stay inside couch cushions, to dogs, these things are toys!
You might think your pup disemboweled your pillows and corn-cobbed that table leg because he was mad at you, but it’s more likely that he was simply being a happy, normal dog.
What to Do About Chewing
The trick is to teach dogs what is and what is not "legal" to chew, and to give them plenty of activities to keep them from becoming bored. “A tired dog is a happy dog,” says Anna Fitzgerald, owner of the store The Dog Park. Moreover, a happy and tired dog doesn’t have the need or the energy to chew up the home.
While you house train your dog, it's also an opportunity to “chew” train him or her. Set up a space that is void of anything the pup might want to chew but shouldn’t (curtains, rug edges, table legs, shoes, bags, etc.). A gated-off kitchen works great, or an exercise pen for smaller dogs. Then add in a sampling of different types of toys.
A World of Chew-Toy Options
Puppies need hard rubbery toys to chew on. Stuffed Kongs are always a good go-to. Fitzgerald also recommends toys made by West Paw and Planet Dog, both of which have a one-time replacement guarantee. The brand Fluff and Tuff makes super-sturdy stuffed toys to challenge even the best surgeons — like Champ. And, while puppies shouldn’t chew on anything harder than a Bully Stick when they are young, Fitzgerald says, once they are at least six months old, you can give them tougher chews such as antlers and marrow bones.
Catching Mistakes
If you catch your dog starting to chew something he shouldn’t, please do not scold him. He’s just being his normal doggy self. Instead, happy talk him away and give him his favorite chew toy. He’ll learn soon enough that it pays to play with his approved toys — not that other stuff.
Separation Anxiety
One final note: Many dogs are terrified to be left home alone. A common symptom of this phobia is chewing things like crate wires as well as door and window frames. These dogs will likely also bark, howl, pace frantically, have accidents and possibly even try to escape through windows when left alone. If you suspect that your dog has separation anxiety, please reach out (tracykrulik.com/separation-anxiety) for help.
