Guide: How to Stop Your Dogs Destructive Chewing When Left Alone?
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Your dog is suddenly chewing up stuff because they are either teething or sick. This is to get your attention and tell you something is wrong. When it comes to leaving dogs home alone, some will do just fine on their own, while others may develop anxiety or destructive behaviors.
The results of these tests will indicate whether your dog is able to digest its food properly and is absorbing the nutrients that it needs from the food. If your dog is older when these behavioral problems start, your veterinarian may order a computed tomography scan or a magnetic resonance image of your dog's brain. If no medical problem is found, your dog will be diagnosed with having a behavioral problem. If your dog continues to chew, don’t allow him to chew on any old personal items such as socks, shirts, or kids’ toys. This will only confuse him about what he's allowed to chew and what is off limits.
reasons why your dog is suddenly being destructive
Separation anxiety is distress induced by the absence of you and/or a family member or from being isolated. Chew toys are a great way to help your dog expend some energy and hopefully avoid inappropriate chewing. There are many different types of chew toys available, so finding a chew toy that your dog likes should be easy. This is important for all dog owners with this problem to keep their dogs contained in a section of the house.
Please see our article, Finding Professional Behavior Help, to locate one of these professionals in your area. Always consult with your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist before giving your dog any type of medication for a behavior problem. Give your dog at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity every day. Try to exercise your dog right before you have to leave him by himself. This might help him relax and rest while you’re gone. During your sessions, be sure to wait a few minutes between absences.
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They set strict laws for the dog that must be followed. Another mentally tiring activity for your dog is training, which I’ll be discussing next. Your dog will have to move lids or remove some parts to get to the treats. Some toys have to be moved around to make the treats fall out. Take a long walk with your dog in the morning before you leave for work. It’s going to tire them out, and they’ll sleep most of the day.
A dog with separation anxiety might try to escape from an area where he’s confined when he’s left alone or separated from his guardian. The dog might attempt to dig and chew through doors or windows, which could result in self-injury, such as broken teeth, cut and scraped front paws and damaged nails. If the dog’s escape behavior is caused by separation anxiety, it doesn’t occur when his guardian is present. A key aspect to curbing your dog’s destructive chewing is changing your own schedule to ensure they are properly exercised before your leave each day. A long hike or play session when you return home from work is wonderful, but cannot take the place of stimulation first thing in the morning. Like I mentioned above, a lack of mental and physical exercise is so commonly the issue behind destructive chewing.
Can Dogs Stay Home Alone?
We often reward this behavior by simply directing our attention towards the negative behavior, thereby reinforcing the dog's attention-seeking behavior. If this is the case, you’ll need to reprogram your dog’s expectations. You’ll need to give them more attention in general.
In short, give them things to do in order to stop their boredom. One of the best things about having a dog is the bond your create. Sometimes, this bond is so strong that your little furry friend might not know how to be independent. About 10% of all puppies and older dogs experience some level of separation anxiety.
Can Westies be left home alone?
Maybe you’ve tried everything you can think of, and your pup still chomps the minute you’re out the door. I have to admit that we had several things destroyed by various dogs over the years. We finally got a large crate in which to keep one of our last dogs when we would leave the house. I could just imagine returning home to find the place ransacked by an anxious or bored doggo. Your explanations make absolute sense, and I like that you disabuse people of the notion that their dogs are admitting guilt The faces they make are cute though.
Normally with their human around, dogs are less likely to react to the stimuli. But left to their own devices, the sights and sounds going on in the world beyond the house may be too much for them to handle. So if spite or revenge isn't on your dog's agenda, what is causing him to act destructively when left alone in the first place?
It may not be entirely possible to have one without the other. But the good news is, your dog’s chewing doesn’t have to be destructive! I still mourn the loss of my expensive slippers to our lab’s puppy chewing and my prescription sunglasses that were destroyed by our 4-year-old husky.
The dog took a section of the drywall and insulation. He was scared of it, and no one was around to comfort him. This dog parent shares her frustrations on a forum.
If your dog has long nails, this can cause them to split and crack, and in extreme cases, they can be torn off entirely. Anxious dogs can be under a great deal of stress, and this can be mentally damaging for your dog if you don’t get to the route of the problem and find a way to help your dog. However, if your puppy has destructive behavior problems, and they persist into adulthood, there’s likely another underlying cause. Once your dog reaches three months old, they can usually hold it for an hour for each month they've been alive.
It’s unfair to expect your dog to behave while alone all day without a good walk, run, or play session before you are leaving them for any length of time. Separation anxiety can also be brought on by a sudden change in schedule, a change in owner or caregiver, or a major change in the home . In this case, patience and setting your dog up for success with a chew-proof environment when you are away will be most important for curbing destructive chewing.
If you find someone you trust, a short visit to your home where the sitter can visit with your pet can make a difference. If your furbaby is less likely to have anxiety and suffers more from boredom, a dog walker is also a good idea. If you have a particularly anxious canine, you can also consider stress-reducing sprays. There are many calming sprays available that you can use in their crate and around the confinement space. Not only will it help keep them mellow, but it can also help reduce their need to chew.
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