Chewing Furniture or Household Items

Chewing furniture, shoes or whatever takes a dog’s fancy can be one of the most frustrating issues for pet owners – especially when they come home and find a trail of doggy-destruction.

Chewing is often due to separation anxiety and boredom. There is more information about this on vetopia.com.hk here Separation Anxiety in Dogs.

But chewing is also quite a natural and normal behaviour, especially for puppies as they are developing their teeth. Puppies should be allowed to chew – it is important for their dental development, but of course they should be directed towards socially acceptable chewing.

There are a number of good chew toys and products that can help distract a pup, and many of these are more ‘interesting and desirable’ for the dog than chewing on a slipper.

A range of our favourite products can be found here.

Feeding a dry kibble dog food and some chewing bones and treats will also really help. This will allow a dog to chew and give their jaw a workout naturally. A great selection of chewing bones are here, and dry puppy dog food is available here.

Lastly, avoidance is also a great strategy. Sometimes a pup just wants to chew the wrong things, and if the shoes are put away or taken out of their reach it can help prevent an incident before it’s even started.