You’ve heard the horror stories about power chewers. “My dog chewed a recliner.” “My dogs ate a mattress.” “My dog chewed his way through sheetrock.” The first two are actual things my brother’s dogs did. The last horror story came from a pet community I belong to. Even my own Moose managed to chew some holes in an empty dog food can.
Power chewing can often be attributed to boredom or separation anxiety.
A bored dog can easily become a destructive dog. If your dog isn’t getting enough exercise and stimulation, she may start chewing out of sheer boredom. Make sure your dog gets plenty of outside time, play time, and walks. Give her appropriate things to chew, like rubber toys, rawhides, and stuffed toys. She may be able to entertain herself for hours if you buy a Kong or similar toy that you can put food or treats inside. Working to get the treats out keeps even power chewers like my brother’s dogs occupied for a long time.
A dog with separation anxiety may be destructive to your belongings or to herself! If you come home to find that your dog has torn things apart or done damage to the wood around your doors and windows, she may be experiencing separation anxiety. You may also notice that she has chewed or licked herself bare during your absence — to the point of creating large and painful sores!
Separation anxiety is more common among small breeds, because they tend to be cuddled and coddled more than large dogs. However, if your dog never learned (as a puppy) to spend time alone and always had human company, she may have separation anxiety regardless of size. The more dependent your dog is on you, the greater chance she has of experiencing separation anxiety when you are away.
If your dog is experiencing separation anxiety and doing damage while you are away from home, you may want to try distracting her with food and toys. Giving her appropriate things to chew and occupy her time can help ease her anxiety while you are away — and the treats will make being alone into a positive experience, instead of a negative one. You may also want to find a safe room to leave her in, so she doesn’t have free run of the house while nobody’s home.