Why is my Dog Destructive?
Have you ever come home to a mess? Your dog has chewed up his own comfy bed and some of your favourite cushions. He may have scratched the paintwork off the door and upended a pot plant or two. You may have scolded him, “Bad dog!” and if so, he would have given you that ‘guilty’ look.
Well guess what? He’s not actually feeling guilty. He’s feeling like he is about to get punished, so he’s giving an appeasement look. (It’s called ‘whale eye’, when you can see the white of his eyes.)
And he doesn’t have a clue why he is about to be punished, so he’ll probably just get really low (a submissive gesture) to try and placate you. He doesn’t know he has been ‘naughty’.
And just so you know, if you do tell your dog off for destroying the house or digging up the garden, unless you catch him in the act, he will not be able to associate the telling off with the chewing/digging. Dogs live in the moment. Conversely, you will only be instilling in him more fear and confusion.
What he was doing, by chewing up the house, was alleviating stress and boredom.
We need to ask, why was he stressed and bored?
Was he locked in the house for a long time on his own?
Was he full of energy when you left?
Was he suffering from some separation anxiety?
Was he scared by loud noises or environmental stress?
Dogs chew when they are stressed because the very act of chewing releases pheromones which calm. So cleverly, they are self-soothing. (In the absence of something to chew on, some dogs have been known to chew their own limbs.)
To prevent destructiveness, do the following:
Give your dog plenty of physical and mental exercise on a daily basis. Minimum 1 ½ hrs of activities. And try and split this up into smaller chunks throughout the day, rather than giving him a 1 ½ walk in the morning and then leaving him to do nothing else for the rest of the day.
Hire a dog walker to take him out in the middle of the day if you are not going to be around.
When leaving him on his own, make sure he has something to chew on.
Teach relaxation in a crate. (Read how in my next blog.) The crate MUST be introduced in a positive way, and you should never leave your dog in a crate for more than a couple of hours max, during the day.
Do not leave him for longer than he can cope with. Install a pet cam, and watch how long it takes before he goes over threshold and starts to soothe or entertain himself.
Read my blog about separation anxiety and how to help your dog cope.
Visit the vet to check there are no underlying symptoms such as dental disease, which might cause excessing chewing.
The bottom line is - the next time you come home and your dog has chewed up the carpet, instead of chastising the dog, chastise yourself for putting him in this situation.