How Do I Stop My Dog From Chewing Wood?

If you are a dog owner then maybe you have run into this problem. You leave your home for whatever reason and return later to find that your dog has chewed on some part of your wood furniture. Or you're outside with your dog and he/she immediately begins to find a piece of wood in the backyard to chew on.

After noticing this behavior you wonder, "Are they crazy?" Or you think, " What's up with the wood?" Of course you try your best to scold them into releasing the wood from their mouth. But to no avail. They continue to chew on it! Well let's get to the bottom of this, shall we?

First of all you have to realize that ALL dogs chew on things! ALL DOGS! It's as normal to them as many of us biting our fingernails. But their chewing will be taken to a new level under certain circumstances. We will talk about two of those circumstances in this hub.

So to answer your question,"How do I stop my dog from chewing up wood?" You have to first understand why they are doing it. Understanding the reasons behind your dog's behavior will be the key to developing a healthy owner/dog relationship.

As I stated above, there are reasons why your dog chooses to chew on wood. One of the first reasons is that he or she maybe teething. That's right, dog's do teeth! Except in their world it's known as "erupting." Same concept, different species.

Your dog's baby teeth or "milk teeth" begin to come in at around 4 weeks of age. During this time they will be just like a toddler. Exploring the world by putting everything in their mouth! But it doesn't stop at 4 weeks! The teething or "erupting" can continue all the way up to 8 months when those same "milk teeth" are replaced with their permanent teeth. By this time they will have discovered the beautiful relief of chewing on wood.

First of all, your dog chews on things at this age to relieve some of the pressure and pain associated with the teething. To alleviate this pressure they will chew on almost anything that they can get their little paws on. But wood is among their favorite things to chew on. Why?

There is something about wood to a dog like there is something about the girl next door to you. It tastes good to them. They like the texture of the wood. They way it feels against their tongue or teeth. But you should try to curb this behavior as soon as you notice it. Why?

Because wood splinters. I don't have to tell you how painful a splinter can be in your finger. Now imagine that same splinter in between your dog's teeth! Plus some of those same splinters can end up in your dog's stomach. Where they can possibly wreak havoc by doing what splinters do...getting stuck where they don't belong!

Now that we know one of the reasons why your dog is chewing on wood, let's get to the other one...Please keep reading!

Reason #2 as to why your dog is chewing on wood is a little more complicated than reason #1. The short version is that your dog may have separation anxiety. What is separation anxiety?

Basically it's when your dog cannot stand to be alone or away from you and will act out when you're away. Your dog might bark repeatedly while you're away. Thus disturbing the neighbors. He might start acting uncontrollable when he knows that you are about to leave the house. And when you're gone he might start chewing on wood or whatever else he can get. Most dog's affected by separation anxiety will react this way.

They might be chewing up things that remind them of you. Like your favorite pair of shoes. Why? Because it smells like you! It is a part of you! They don't do this because they are mad at you. They do it because they miss you. What causes separation anxiety? No one knows. But there are plenty of theories.

One theory states that since all domesticated dogs are descendants of the wolf. They miss that family and closeness of the wolf pack. That feeling of oneness that they had while in the wolf pack. And since they don't have that anymore, they look to you, their owner to replace it.

You are their leader now, and what do you do? You leave them in the house for 8 or 9 hours at a time. You leave them in the house with nothing to do. Not knowing when you will come back. Think about it: If I left you in the house for 8 or 9 hours at a time with nothing to do, wouldn't you be bored? Yeah, you would! And since you have no thumbs to grab stuff with, I'll bet you that you would chew on everything too, right?

You have to understand that dogs are just like us in many ways. They are very smart animals that have emotions and likes and dislikes. They get tired, they get sick, they love you and they miss you. Separation anxiety is taking that "missing you" syndrome to the nth degree. What can you do about it? Keep reading please...

We went over some of the reasons why your dog maybe chewing the wood in or around your home. Now you want to know what can you do to stop it. Well you have a couple of options depending on the situation. Based on the above 2 reasons, both of these situations can be fixed very easily. Let's get to it...

Reason #1 - You have a puppy that is teething!

A very easy situation that can be remedied with the help of the chew toy. Since your little buddy is chewing wood to relieve the pressure and pain from the teething. Buy him/her lots of chew toys.

Along with the chew toys use positive reinforcement. When he begins to chew on them say,"Good Boy!" or "Good Dog!" This reinforces in his mind that you want him to chew on this and NOT your table leg! For added reward, place a few of the chew toys in the freezer. The coldness against his gums will make the chew toys irresistible!

Reason #2 - Your dog has separation anxiety!

You can use chew toys as well to help with separation anxiety but they will only be a temporary fix. To deal with this unique problem you will have to get to the root of the problem. One technique that is used to deal with separation anxiety is the old "52 fake-out" method. What's that?

If you know that as soon as you leave your dog is going to start going off because or she thinks that you are leaving for a long period of time. Leave for short periods instead. Leave out through another exit and return through another one unfamiliar to him. If he begins to get anxious every time he hears you grab your keys. Have another set made and use them instead.

The "52 fake-out" is a temporary fix, but it works. The trickery will throw him off, if only for a little while. The real fix is to spend quality time with your dog and to try your best not to leave him home alone with nothing to do. If you have no choice then have someone you trust to house sit while you're gone. Or take him outside to the backyard before you leave the house.

The point is...dog's are just like kids. If you leave them alone with nothing to do, expect trouble when you get back home. Get them out of the house, play with them. Give them plenty of exercise and activities and in no time you will have a loving, well adjusted and grateful dog!