Why Would a Dog Chew on Things?

 Dogs are really a wonderful thing to have around.  Not only do they provide us with companionship and love, sometimes they're silly antics can keep us in stitches.  One thing, however, that a dog can do that is not funny at all is to chew on things.  There are many different reasons that a dog might chew.  Figuring out why your dog is doing it in the first place is the first step to take when you're trying to correct the problem.  Here are some of the reasons and some suggestions on how to get them to stop.

The first thing is to determine whether your dog is chewing because they are teething.  It's no secret that babies, when they are cutting their teeth, like to chew on something cold in order to relieve the pressure.  The same is true with a puppy that is teething.  They will chew anything and everything just to stop their teeth from hurting.  The best thing to do in this situation is to get them a teething toy and to keep them out of reach of other things when you're not around.

Another reason that many dogs chew on things is because they have nothing better to do.  If your dog has to stay home for long periods of time by itself it will get bored.  You will need to do one of two things in order to correct the situation.  You need to find something for them to do. It could be finding them a special toy to play with or possibly finding some way for them to get companionship during the day.  This should alleviate the boredom problem immediately.  Another thing that many people find is needed when their dog is at home alone is a crate.  Some people consider this cruel, but a dog that is crate trained will not only go into the crate on command, it will be its own little comfort zone and will go there on its own. 

If your dog likes to chew on personal items, such as shoes or socks, then this might be for another reason.  Although it could be doing it this because it is bored it might also be a behavioral response showing that they are part of the pack with you.  They would chew on these personal items because they contain your scent.  You either need to keep these items out of reach or teach your dog not to chew on them.  One effective way of training them not to chew on these items is to make them unpleasant by putting sour tasting oil on them or perhaps cayenne pepper.  You would also never want to give your dog something that mimics one of these items to play with.  For example, if your dog has a problem with chewing on shoes do not give them an old shoe to chew one.  This does not solve the problem, it reinforces the behavior.

Getting to the root of your dogs chewing problem may take some time.  You will also need to be persistent in your training and very patient with your dog as they learn not to chew on things.