Lifestyle: why a dog at any age needs to chew something
Photo source: 123rf.com
The dog is designed to chew. Its jaw can crush bones and rip open packages to get at the food hidden inside. We'll tell you why a dog chews everything and how to wean him off it.
Dogs have a reputation for chewing anything they find in the house. Mostly puppies and young dogs chew on everything because their teeth itch. However, older dogs also do this. Chewing is extremely important for dogs for many reasons.
Reasons Why Your Dog Needs to Chew
Maintaining dental health. It is important for dogs to have chew toys or hard bones that they can chew on because it helps them keep their teeth healthy. When they chew something hard, it helps them clear food debris from their teeth and gums.
Stimulating tooth growth. For puppies and young dogs, chewing bones can help stimulate the development of their teeth. Chewing something hard not only promotes tooth growth, but can also relieve the discomfort that occurs when a tooth emerges from the gum.
The dog chews a bone. Photo source: 123rf.com
Relieving tension, stress or boredom. Another reason why dogs start chewing is boredom and stress. If your dog spends most of his time at home alone, he may get bored and go looking for something to do: it could be anything that catches his eye. That is why we advise, if possible, to remove before you leave everything that the dog cannot chew, and put in a visible place what the dog can “destroy.” This could even be, for example, a cardboard box (or several) in which you can put a treat to attract the dog’s attention.
What can you do to stop your dog from chewing everything?
Give your dog a good walk before leaving the house. This walk should be active so that the pet has time to lose excess energy and become “exhausted.” In this case, part of the time after you leave for work, the dog will just sleep.
Give your dog an alternative. To prevent her from damaging your shoes, sofa or TV remote, provide her with an alternative: buying special toys for chewing, interactive toys (sniffing mats, feeding puzzles) where you can hide treats for your pet can solve the problem of loneliness. The dog loves to sniff and search, and this is the opportunity you will provide him with in full.
Workout. Teach your dog what he can and cannot chew. If you see that a dog has grabbed your slipper, for example, tell it a firm “No” or “No” and take it away from your pet. At the same time, we remind you that you must provide her with an alternative: immediately give her something that she can chew in return. Be patient: after some time (all dogs are individual and some learn faster, some slower) your dog will definitely understand and learn the desired behavior. The main thing is that training is regular.
So, chewing is an instinctive characteristic of dogs, so you need to give them something that they can chew safely instead of your furniture or clothes. With attention and training, they will learn to chew the “right” things.