10 reasons why Dogs chew

As a dog owner it is important to understand your dog’s behavior in relation to chewing. Doing so will help you minimize your dog’s destructive chewing and reduce your frustration. Below are some points explaining why dogs chew.

10 reasons why dogs chew

1.Testing: Dogs chew on anything and everything as a way to figure out what comes out of it. For example, a shoe to your dog is an exciting thing to test out and discover.

2.Instinct: It would be great if your dog chewed only what you gave it, but dogs are hardwired to chew. Their instincts tell them that chewing is needed to protect themselves, their family and also to hunt.

3.Teething: Milk teeth start coming out as puppies reach two months old and are replaced by adult teeth around 4-6 months old. During these two periods, dogs are chewing constantly to help relieve the tenderness of their teeth and gums.

4.Cleanliness: Chewing helps dogs to keep their teeth and gums clean and strong.

5.Loneliness or boredom: When a dog feels lonely or bored, to keep itself occupied, it starts chewing anything around it. 

6.Exercise: Chewing is a good exercise for a dog’s jaw muscles. It is especially important for a puppy because it needs to strengthen its jaws so that it can chew harder objects as it enters adulthood.

7.Hunger: Dogs may start chewing on things when they are hungry. This is a time when they experiment chewing your belongings, so stay aware. 

8.Relief: Chewing relieves a dog from tension or anxiety. It keeps their mind busy and keeps them distracted from anything that might be bothering them.

9.Treating your items as toys: When you start playing with your dog using one of your items as a toy, don’t be surprised to see your dog chewing on that item later on. When you give the impression that playing with any item is okay, he is going to take it seriously.

10.Disorders: Some dogs might have disorders that compel them to chew.   

These are some of the reasons why dogs chew things but it is up to you to teach them what’s okay to chew and what’s not. Give a Tibetan Dog Chew to your dog to chew on. It lasts long and satisfies his chewing need and urge. You can buy it here.

To prevent your dogs from becoming destructive, you must understand the underlying reason behind his chewing and address it accordingly.

If there is anything you want to add or comment on the above list please leave it down in the comment section.