How to Stop a Dog From Chewing His Bed
Dogs are awesome. They’re loving, protective, and loyal to a fault. However, sometimes, they can cause a lot of havoc too. One example is excessive chewing, especially once he decides to destroy his own bed. Today, we are going to put a stop to that by teaching you how to stop a dog from chewing his bed.
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Aside from that, we are also going to share with you the possible reasons why your dog chews his bed, the things that you shouldn’t do to stop your dog from bed chewing, and later on, more tips to stop your dog’s destructive chewing.
Why Your Dog Chews His Bed
Before talking about how to put a stop to your dog’s excessive chewing habits, allow to share with you the reasons behind it first. So, why does your dog chew his bed (and other things)? There are three usual reasons:
● Anxiety
Dogs get stressed out too. Separation anxiety is one of the main factors, but it can also be caused by changes in his environment that makes him unsure, nervous, and uncomfortable. When this happens, dogs usually look for a way to relieve themselves of this stress, which can then lead to compulsive chewing.
● Boredom
Yes, dogs do get bored too. What happens if your dog has a lot of pent-up energy? He finds a way to release it, usually in the form of chewing on things or digging the bed.
● Hunger
Obviously, one other reason why dogs chew on things is that they’re hungry (and even more so if there’s a yummy-smelling stain on his bed from yesterday’s dinner!).
How to Stop a Dog from Chewing His Bed Because of Anxiety
Finding the reason why your dog is chewing things up is the first step to finding a solution. The third reason is really simple to remedy. You may just increase the frequency or serving size of his meals and clean that stain off. The first two reasons, on the other hand, can be quite tricky.
Here are some steps that you can do to reduce your dog’s anxiety and to stop his destructive chewing:
● Find out the why.
The first thing you can do is find out what stresses your dog out and then eliminate it. Small changes to his environment, such as a new dog, will just pass. Allow your dog to adjust to these changes and let him feel that he has nothing to worry about. For instance, if you’re finding yourself spending more time with the new puppy and have not paid attention to your old friend that much, then it’s time to get things back to normal.
Some stressors may be hard to eliminate, for sure, such as loud noise coming from outside (for example, due to thunder or fireworks). They are out of your control. What’s not beyond your control is moving your dog to a quieter place and constantly reassuring him that there really is nothing to worry about.
● Apply dog pheromones to his things.
There are artificial pheromone sprays that mimic the calming pheromones that mothers release for their puppies. These are odorless to us but are a potent scent for dogs.
Spray it to your dog’s collar, leash, bed, and every object that he interacts with every day. It can take quite a while for the spray to work, and you would need to reapply it monthly, but it’s really efficient.
● Leave the music on when you’re gone.
Leaving music on will give your dog a sense of companionship and may calm him down a bit if he’s constantly struggling with separation anxiety.
● Take your dog to therapy.
Yes, there’s a shrink for dogs too. Find one experienced in helping dogs with extreme anxiety or those who suddenly show signs of anxiety even with no apparent change in his immediate environment.
Stopping Boredom-Induced Dog Bed Chewing
What about dogs who are not stressed, but bored instead? Here are some helpful tips:
● Exercise!
This should be something that you already do, since exercise is very important to dogs. However, if you’re not doing so yet, then now is the best time to start. If you’re already doing it, then try making your walks more frequent and exciting. Your dog is in desperate need of stimulation!
● Get interactive dog toys.
This is especially important if there are no other dogs around to bond with, and you simply can’t accommodate some time to play with your dog at the moment.
● Use a deterrent spray.
If there’s a spray that can calm your dog down, then there’s a spray that can tell him to “go away” too. We recommend using this product with care, though, and still find a way to remedy his boredom instead of just his chewing.
Finally, remember that chewing is a natural behavior for dogs. There are times when there really is nothing wrong with him. He just needs something to nibble on every once in a while. That, or it’s time to get yourself a chew-proof dog bed.
What You Shouldn’t Do to Stop Your Dog from Bed Chewing
During the process of teaching your dog to not chew his bed, here are some things that you shouldn’t do for both you and your dog’s sake:
- Use a muzzle. Muzzles are not meant to stop chewing and certainly not designed to be worn for an extended period. Also, whatever you do, please don’t use duct tape to force-close their muzzle.
- In addition, you also shouldn’t forget to remind your dog that it’s bad to chew his bed to shreds as he’s doing it and not after when he has already forgotten about it.
- Don’t leave them alone and unattended in a small space for more than six hours to prevent anxiety and extreme boredom.
More Tips to Stop Your Dog’s Destructive Chewing
And that’s it! You should be able to stop your dog’s bed-chewing habits with the steps we have provided above. To give you even more information before we finally draw this article to a close, here are a few more tips.
- Train him on the things that he can and cannot chew on.
- Supervise your dog until he gets the house chewing rules sorted out.
- Start this training while he’s still young, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t literally teach old dogs new tricks—or habits, for that matter!
Conclusion
To end, just remember to be realistic. Your dog is still a dog no matter how smart he is, and he will chew on things. That’s simply a part of being a dog owner. So, embrace it and love your dog. Good luck!