Understanding Your Pet’s Chewing Issues

If you are beginning to feel like an endangered species
surrounded by the chewed up remnants of your previous existence,
fear not. First of all you are not alone. There are dog owners
like you suffering the same fate and having the same problems
getting their otherwise delightful pet to cease and desist from
devouring hearth and home. Not only that, but people,
experienced dog owner type people, have spent a great deal of
time and energy on solving the problem.

Your first step in the direction of rehabilitation is the same
as it is with any such process. You need to establish the exact
nature of the problem. If your pet is a newly acquired puppy
then rampant chewing goes with the territory. It is a natural
response to teething. If your pet is past puppy-hood and showing
no sign of quitting or, if your mature pet inexplicably begins
chewing away at stuff, this is a sign of a more serious problem
that needs attention.

Pets of all kinds can be divided into aggressive chewers and
non-aggressive chewers. Aggressive chewers annihilate what they
chew and sometimes swallow the pieces - often in one sitting.
Non-aggressive chewers gnaw, play and mouth toys without
actually breaking them. Many theories attempt to pinpoint
certain dog breeds as most likely to chew aggressively but, the
fact is, it’s more personality related than it is breed related.

If your dearly beloved pet is still a puppy you will need to
work out which category of chewer he or she is as this is an
important fact to take into consideration when shopping from the
broad range of dog toys available. If your dog is an aggressive
chewer you will need to buy dog toys that are chewy and rubbery
as well as super strong and durable. Because aggressive chewers
are inclined to bite and then swallow toys that are brittle,
they must be literally unbreakable. Some manufacturers actually
sell toys with an impressive 100% product replacement if the
animal manages to destroy it. Aggressive chewers need their own
type of toy made of tough rubber and rawhide. They need to be
kept well clear of toys that lesser chewers would be safe with.

Black Kongs are ideal for these enthusiastic chewers, so are
toys like the jumbo retriever rolls otherwise known as ‘chronic
chew toys’. These are wound out of several feet of rawhide
compacted into one giant roll. Even the most vociferous of
chewing pets can do no better than wear away at the exterior
leaving the tightly wound core still intact. Pressed rawhide
bone-shaped toys are also good options for the aggressive chewer
who must be protected from his or her own capacity to reduce an
innocent toy to sharp, dangerous shards that may injure the
pet’s esophagus when swallowed.

If your mature pet is chewing and she is past teething and
puppy-hood then there is a possibility that the chewing may be
the symptom of a displaced anxiety. Here’s where you will need
to play dog psychologist and spend time with your pet to discern
what is troubling him or her. Are you spending enough time with
your pet? Does he get enough attention? Exercise? Has there been
a recent disturbance in the household routine that the pet may
be responding to?

Your pet is a barometer for any stress or disruption in the
environment. Taking up chewing becomes a comforting action for
the disturbed dog. You will need to spend more supervised time
with your pet reeducating him or her on the rewarding
consequences of desirable behavior. Pets are very much like
children in this way; they will do anything to get attention
even if it means demolishing the surrounding environment. Don’t
be slow to enlist the aid of an expert when tackling chronic
chewing problems. A fresh and educated viewpoint may save
everyone a great deal of frustration.