Why is my dog chewing things up when we leave the house?

Question

My dog is almost 2 years old. We started leaving her out of her cage when we leave about 6 months ago and in the last month every time we leave the house even for like 5 minutes she chews something up. We had to start putting her back in her cage when we leave, i dont like her being in her cage and we have tried everything we can think of but she just keeps chewing. Does anyone have any suggestions.

Answer 1

It's due to separation anxiety.

Answer 2

Because she is probably bored or scared. I'd say it's probably because she's scared, or doesn't want to be alone.
You can try and maybe get her a playmate?
Or leave on a TV or radio, and give her many chew toys.

Cowhooves work well. Dogs love to chew them, and they will never stop chewing it until it's destroyed, which takes a while.

You could also put the dog in a small room like a bathroom or utility room with a child gate in the doorway, so she can see out, but she is confined. This gives her more room to walk around, and use the bathroom in a corner on the newspaper instead of in the same place she sleeps (a crate), rather than being stuck in a cage all day.
She also won't have access to anything she can chew up.

Good luck.

Answer 3

She's mad because she got left at home. You could try locking her in a room where she can't do much damage. I leave my dog in the kitchen, with the trash can removed and the chairs put up on the table. I also make sure she has gone for a long walk and has peed and pooped before I have to leave her alone for a while. Some chew toys that the dog only gets when she's alone could be helpful, too.

Answer 4

Some common reasons why dogs and puppies chew are; boredom, teething, enjoyment (its fun to tear stuff up), or an inadequate or improper diet. Remember that dogs are intelligent. They are inquisitive, especially during their puppy phase.

The key is to direct the majority of your efforts toward teaching the dog to chew on appropriate items and then reward him accordingly. Dogs do not have an inherent sense of what a chew-toy is, nor, can they differentiate between a chew-toy and a family heirloom. Therefore, the owner must teach the dog the difference.

The chew toys selected should not resemble other household items. For example, Nylabones, Gumabones, and Kongs, do not resemble valuables in most homes. However, rawhide is a leather product, similar to leather shoes or gloves. Buddha ropes are similar to the tasseled ends of rugs. Fuzzy plush toys are similar to carpeting and stuffed animals or throw pillows. Rubber or plastic squeaky toys are similar to children's toys. Use a combination of food baiting, praise, petting and play to encourage the dog to pick up and chew on the correct toys. The chew toys need to become the major source of interaction between the dog and all the family members.

To effectively manage a dog being treating for inappropriate chewing, you must teach the owner to set up an environment in which the dog has no chance of making poor chewing choices. The dog or puppy must be prevented from chewing on inappropriate objects at all times, whether you are around or not. Crates for inside dogs and dog runs for outside dogs provide areas where it is impossible for a dog to chew on inappropriate objects.

Another way to set the dog up to succeed is to make inappropriate items less attractive or tasty by treating the items with an anti-chewing deterrent. The anti-chewing deterrent must be applied without letting the dog see you do it and prior to the dog having access to the item. Bitter Apple spray is a popular anti-chewing deterrent and is quite distasteful to most dogs. Bitter Apple is an alcohol-based repellent and must be re-applied at least once every 24 hours to assure its effectiveness. Some anti-chewing deterrents are not alcohol-based (i.e. water based) and will last longer and have a different set of instructions for their use. Please make sure to read the product directions thoroughly before using for the optimum effectiveness.

A proper diet is another important component in managing inappropriate chewing. You might be asking yourself, how is diet a factor in dealing with chewing? Well, dogs that are not receiving proper nutrition, in other words, a puppy that has been put on adult dog food or a dog that is being fed a diet that has insufficient nutrients might look for what is missing in his diet by chewing on inappropriate objects. Also, a dog that is being fed a strictly soft food diet may not be getting enough hard chewing activity during mealtimes and may resort to chewing on inappropriate objects to stimulate healthy teeth and gums.

If you see your dog chewing on something inappropriate, it is best to just walk away, or better yet, run away from the dog. More often than not, this will intrigue the dog and cause the dog to drop the object and run after you, consequently forgetting all about what they were chewing on. When the dog is close enough, trade him for an appropriate toy. This technique is extremely effective if you have worked, even a little, on fixating the dog on this toy. Once the item has been replaced with an appropriate chew toy you should then take the inappropriate item out of the dog's sight and out of the dog's way. This should discourage the dog from finding the object again to chew on.


Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Give her lots of things she can chew on to keep her occupied while you are gone. Hide some biscuits around the house for her to find while you are gone to keep her from getting bored. Stuff a kong toy with some peanut butter and freeze it then give it to her before you leave. Should keep her occupied for awhile. Also things like denta bones are good to leave for her to find and chew up. Close all the doors to rooms you don't want her to go into so there is less stuff to pick from to destroy. Try not to leave her alone for more then 3 or 4 hours. Excersice her before you leave so she's less hyper. Give her some rope toys to chew.

Answer 6

Need to think about house training when you are out of the house...

I think you need to figure out why she is doing the chewing and there could be many factors:
http://dogtime.com/chewing-digging-behavior.html

You come home to find your slippers chewed to bits or your rose bushes dug up and strewn all over the yard. Though your first thought may be that your dog is punishing you for leaving her home alone all day, these acts are never done out of spite or revenge -- that's just not the way dogs operate. Dogs do, however, find ways to occupy themselves in the absence of toys and social interaction, so it's important to provide plenty of appropriate forms of amusement before your pup comes up with her own.

Answer 7

Your local vet calls it separation anxiety. Your dog doesn't want to be alone.

We went to the local Petsmart and picked up what is called a Kong. It comes in different sizes depending on the size of your dog. It's open at one end and before we leave we put a little peanut butter inside the Kong and it keeps her busy for hours. You can put just about anything you want inside the Kong that your dog loves to eat. They won't lay it down as long there is a mission for them to accomplish, and that's getting that peanut butter out of there. The Kong is made of very strong rubber and it's just about impossible for the dog to destroy the Kong.

Good luck.

Answer 8

My Rotty who is a very big and very good boy started chewing phone books, wood, anything paper related. It was his dog food!!
I realized that before this "new" behavior started, I had changed his food from IAMS because he had gas so horrible it stung my eyes, My fiance' bought some dad's brand and that is when it started. I immediately changed that to bentiful and no problems since!

Answer 9

Learning how to train your dog will improve your life and hers, enhance the bond between you, and ensure her safety and it can be a lot of fun. Dogs are usually eager to learn, and the key to success is good communication. Your dog needs to understand how you’d like her to behave and why it’s in her best interest to comply with your wishes. Check here to learn how to train your dog properly https://tr.im/fba88

Answer 10

Sounds as if she has "Separation Anxiety Syndrome", which is a condition brought about by being left alone.
There are treatments available, behavioral modifications mostly, but also tranqualizing medications that help.

Answer 11

I have heard that sometimes they start chewing when they have anxiety. Maybe for what ever reason she is worried that you wont come back?