Dogs and puppy’s chew objects around the house at different ages for many different reasons. This blog will give you reasons behind your dog’s mischievous behavior and give you tips on how to combat it.
Normal Behavior
It is perfectly normal a puppy to want to chew things around the house. Chewing is how they explore the world around them and can also be a sign of teething. Similar to when teething babies seem to want to put everything in their mouths! Teething occurs between the ages 14-28 weeks. Puppies tend to grow out of this behavior; chew toys will help soothe and loosen the gums around teeth. Allowing baby teeth to fall out and adult teeth to grow through. Exploratory chewing occurs between the ages of 28-52 weeks. (However every dog is different so if your dog doesn’t chew between these times or chews for a bit longer this is perfectly normal). In the meantime giving your pup a chew toy will give them the same satisfaction of chewing without damaging your house!
However for some unlucky owners this destructive chewing continues into adolescence.
Reasons for continued chewing:
- Attention Seeking-If you are constantly telling your puppy off for chewing and being naughty but good behavior is not rewarded with attention, then your puppy will start to associate chewing with getting your attention. They will chew things knowing it will get you to chase them round the room. Some dogs crave attention whether this is good or bad.
- Boredom-if your puppy is left on their own for long periods of time thought the day, dogs are similar to people and can get lonely. Give your puppy toys that are different sizes, tastes, textures that make different noises and rotate them so they won’t get bored of the same ones.
