What to do if your dog chews your shoes

Quadrupeds, without a doubt, have earned a number of clichés attached to them. The dog chews shoes, drools, makes puddles - all these are expected “side effects” of puppyhood. Moreover, the majority of animal lovers perceive these destructions as a given, justifying them with age. Let's take a closer look at why pranks are not always pranks and how to distinguish misdeeds from warning signs.

If you have raised a puppy or several dogs in your arms, you probably remember that nagging, rolling feeling that came when you opened the front door after returning from work. Every day you were ready to see a “testing ground” with broken flower pots, slobbered things... and a triumphant puppy with a stub of your slipper in its mouth. Surely you will remember scandals with family members whose belongings came into the sight of the little wrecker. probably be surprised, but almost all of this destruction could have been avoided if you knew what feelings your four-legged pet was guided by.

Important! When a puppy chews on shoes, it is annoying, offensive, but not fatal. However, do not forget that electrical wires, a box of washing powder or other unsafe objects can get into the baby’s teeth.

Preventing this behavior

Don't let your dog feel sad and lonely. That's why the puppy's house should not be in the far corner of the house. He will feel lonely there. Its corner should be fenced, but not isolated, so that it is convenient to observe what is happening in the house.

Also be sure to walk with the animal. The number of walks should be at least 2 times a day - for an adult dog, 4-5 times a day for a puppy.

If your puppy is chewing on your shoes, it is most likely due to changing teeth. Your pet must know the “no” command. But an alternative should be offered: this is “not possible”, and this is “possible”. Buy toys for your puppy to sharpen his teeth: chewing bones, elastic balls. Tie the toy to the door handle. The animal will be interested in picking up the “prey,” dragging it to a secluded corner and “figuring it out” there.

Another reason could be stomach diseases, especially if it is an adult dog and has never had the desire to chew shoes before. In this case, you should contact your veterinarian.

If you find already damaged shoes, then there is no point in scolding your pet. The animal has a very short memory: after half an hour the pet will forget about what it did.

If you catch your pet in the act, then under no circumstances should you hit or scream at the animal. Just strictly say “no.” Take away from him what he was gnawing on and send him to his place. The dog must understand what it did wrong.

Causes

Most often, puppies begin to spoil things when they start teething. If behavior is not corrected in time, the bad habit will remain for life.

However, this is not the only possible reason.

If a pet encroaches on your shoes, this does not mean that he is deliberately trying to cause harm, taking revenge or being mischievous. There can be many reasons for such bad behavior in an animal, the most common of which are:

fear;
boredom;
change of teeth;
anxiety;
loneliness;
stomach diseases;
excess energy;
incorrectly selected food.

Stressful situations and lack of communication come first.

The latter is especially true for puppies with a large supply of energy, which they do not have time to spend on a walk and try to use it at home in all available ways.

If an adult dog starts gnawing things, then most likely the reason is a disease of the gastrointestinal tract or a sudden change in food.

Remove your shoes

The easiest way to protect your item of clothing is to limit your dog's access to your shoes. Shoes can be placed in a closet, and special fasteners can be placed on the closets. After this, the animal will not be able to open and climb into the closet on its own.

Then place dog toys around the room. This method makes it clear to the dog, not that “you can’t chew,” but that the animal “can chew” certain objects that allow it.

Another method is to limit the pet’s freedom of movement around the apartment. When the dog is alone, it can be locked in the room, but not in the bathroom or toilet. This way she won't have the opportunity to chew on the shoes. But also make sure that your dog doesn’t get bored: leave toys for him in the room.

Weaning the dog

Under no circumstances should you shout at the dog. Behavior can only be corrected in a calm environment. If you constantly punish an animal, it will continue to chew shoes, but it will only do this in the absence of the owner.

In the case of a puppy, you should not let the situation take its course, thinking that over time he will stop spoiling objects. If action is not taken, this behavior will only become entrenched. The owner needs to teach the animal to chew only permitted objects.

Find a suitable sharpener for your pet

Durable toys will be a good “sharpener” for your pet. There must be at least 10 of them. Once a month it is necessary to change them or increase the stock. Then the animal will not lose interest in them.

You should not offer your animal old shoes as a toy. Afterwards she will chew on a new one, not seeing the difference.

Don't provoke

Puppies especially often damage shoes, so remove them from the animal’s sight. If she sees that she cannot reach the desired object, she will switch her attention to toys.

Collagen deficiency

Dogs often chew leather products due to a lack of collagen. Therefore, cartilage, tendons and sugary bones should be added to her diet.

Pay attention to your pet

The dog should be taught various commands. One of them should be “Ew.” When you see an animal approaching the shoe, say loudly “Ugh!” At first, the pet may not respond to the command. Therefore, you should take him by the collar and take him to the bed. Give the toy and praise when the dog starts playing with it. If she immediately responded to the command, give her a treat.

Traps and education

Another method is to set traps. For example, if your pet takes shoes out of the closet on his own, use a surprise effect. As soon as the animal tries to open the cabinet, use a clapper or whistle. Dogs do not really like such surprises and after several such attempts they will probably cease to be interested in the closet.

If your adult dog just can’t give up the habit of chewing shoes, then we recommend using the following tips from a dog trainer.

We put on a muzzle

The very first way to prevent the ability to chew is to wear a muzzle. The muzzle should be made of soft leather. Wear and remove the muzzle periodically for 3-4 weeks. Then the pet will wean itself off the bad habit.

Place in an aviary or cage

This is the most extreme measure. In case the muzzle doesn't stop the spoiler. For example, if an animal, in addition to shoes, damages switches or sockets.

In order for the dog to wean himself from spoiling things, he should be placed in an enclosure with a toy placed in advance. Your pet will learn to stop playing with your things and will focus only on its toy.

Parenting check

After you have used both recommendations, we advise you to give your pet freedom of action: without a muzzle and outside the cage. The owner leaves the pet alone at home for a short time, for 10-15 minutes. If after this time the things are intact, the animal is “rewarded” (with treats, games, walking) or “punished” (sent away, attempts to play together are ignored).

Then we “forgive” the offender and “free” the animal from the muzzle for a couple of hours.

Test

After the dog, remaining for short periods without a muzzle, understands that chewing shoes is not allowed, a “provocation” should be done. Leave your pet alone for 3-4 hours. To prevent your animal from getting bored, make sure in advance that he has everything he needs: walk him, feed him, give him a toy.

If the dog completed the task, praise it; if not, punish it.

Exam

This will be the very last check for your animal. Leave your dog alone at home all day. Place your shoes in a visible place in advance - bait. If the animal does not damage the “bait”, praise it. The retraining was completed successfully. If your pet ruins his shoes, punish him. Continue training.

Despite the above tips, you should remember that the key to your pet’s good behavior is proper care for its physiological and psycho-emotional needs. And if necessary, contact specialists in a timely manner.

Author: Elena Romanenko
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Actionable recommendations

During the teething period, the puppy experiences a physiological need to rub its inflamed gums on a medium-hard surface. There is no point in scolding your baby for chewing things during this period. Be careful to remove valuables and leave chew toys out in plain sight.
Don't let us play with worn out shoes. In the future, the dog will not be able to understand the difference between old slippers and expensive designer shoes. No shoe should replace a toy with your permission.
In a critical situation, when no methods help, you should contact a professional dog handler.

It is difficult to find a dog breed that does not chew furniture and shoes. But if you follow the rules and recommendations, you can survive the playful puppy period and the change of teeth without significant losses. The main thing is not to provoke your pet with valuables left unattended.

Funny toys

Regardless of age, the dog should have several of its own toys with which it can do whatever it wants: chew, drag, fumble, etc., as well as free space for movement. You can get used to having fun with toys by playing fetch or fighting for objects. The animal must understand that it has the right to do as it pleases with these things. At the same time, it is advisable to periodically acquire new interesting specimens.

Your pet's teeth are changing

Changing teeth in puppies is accompanied by constant itching in the gums. Boots made of leather or leatherette have a fairly comfortable shape and soft structure. The attempts of puppies to chew shoes in this case are simply due to attempts to relieve itching and discomfort in the gums.

If you have a teenage dog or several puppies at home, then make sure you have soft, rubber toys that the kids will enjoy chewing on. It is also useful to give them edible dry treats that are easy to chew, but it is better to replace dry food with soft canned food, since the gums of puppies are quite tender during the period of teeth change. When leaving home, carefully hide your shoes, because it is not the puppies’ fault that they are going through such a difficult period.

Active walks

Most often, dogs carry shoes when they are left at home alone. This happens because the animal is simply bored. That is why, before parting with your beloved pet for a long time, you should organize for him the longest and most active walk possible. Let the dog run around outside for at least an hour, play and frolic to its heart's content and expend as much energy as possible. When you return home, you should definitely feed the dog. As a rule, a tired animal will not engage in all sorts of nonsense in the form of damaging objects and things.

How to rid your dog of a bad habit

The first thing you need to try to do is identify the cause. Knowing what the dog reflects on, it is much easier to solve the problem. Take the following algorithm as a rule, no matter what problem you encounter:

Make sure your pet is healthy - in our case, visit a veterinarian who will examine your pet's teeth and mouth.
Observe - you may notice patterns in events and consequences.
Act - by identifying the reason or at random. We’ll figure out how and what to do below.

Exploring the world by testing the teeth is an unconditioned reflex characteristic of all cubs. The puppy needs not only random chewing, but also sucking. By the age of 4 months, the baby’s teeth begin to change and this is a very exciting moment. In addition to the insatiable curiosity, severe itching is added and the puppy chews everything that comes in its way. The solution is to accustom your pet to personal toys and teethers . If the baby’s build allows it, give him large bones, but strictly under supervision.

If you want to stop your dog from chewing shoes, make sure it eats well and gets a balanced diet. The question is not always about the quantity of food, but more often about the quality! To check if your dog is eating enough, you need to do the following test:

Give the dog a regular portion of food and time it. The first 4-5 minutes, the pet eats quite quickly or at a normal pace.
By 6–7 minutes into the meal, the bowl is half empty and the dog eats more slowly.
From 10 to 20 minutes, the quadruped either finishes the food or leaves it.
If there is food left or the dog leisurely licks the bowl, it is full.
If the meal ends 6-7 minutes after it started, there is not enough food.

Note! This test is not universal because dogs that have experienced starvation eat much faster and will eat everything, even if there is too much food.

The second and more likely reason is a false feeling of hunger caused by a lack of vitamins or microelements. In a state of acute deficiency, the dog is constantly haunted by the desire to eat something that has an unusual taste, and shoes are quite suitable for these requirements. A deficiency can cause a desire to eat things that are absolutely unsuitable for food - sticks, stones, plastic, feces, etc. Typically, such behavior is accompanied by a number of additional symptoms: unhealthy coat appearance, fatigue, etc.

Lack of attention, feelings of anxiety, fear, and disappointment can also become causes of inappropriate behavior. You can confirm your guesses only experimentally. Spend the whole weekend with your pet, have a good walk, play, call the dog over when you watch a movie in the evening and see if the four-legged one ruins some thing. If in the morning and evening of the next day you do not find any “destruction”, the cause has been identified.

Pet is bored and lonely

Dogs are incredibly social creatures and are attached to humans. The need to be close to the owner is the most important thing in life for them. Even a grown-up or elderly pet will greet its loved ones after a working day with delight. And if we are talking about a puppy or a young dog, then loneliness is unbearable for them.

In case of such melancholy and boredom, the dog looks for any activity. In this case, she doesn't have a special feeling for your shoes, it's just that they are the first thing the dog sees at the front door. And this is where she will spend most of her time. After all, the pet sees you leaving through this particular door and remembers that the owner comes from here. In an attempt to entertain itself, the dog begins to chew everything. And just here the owner’s shoes fall under the hand, or rather, under the teeth.

In order to avoid such an unpleasant phenomenon, leave your dog plenty of toys. When leaving for work, remember that the dog will be unbearably bored; every hour spent without people will seem like an eternity to it. Change toys as you get bored, but try to give your pet something to entertain himself with.

What are the dangers of chewing?

What threatens the dog if he chews shoes, sofa or bags? Any dog lover will immediately answer - a good spanking. But in reality everything is much more serious.

If for a person spoiled things are a reason to be upset and spend a couple of extra thousand, then for a pet playing with prohibited items will turn out sad. So:

the dog tears things into pieces rather than just chewing them - there is a high risk that the bitten off pieces will injure the esophagus or stomach, block the airways, and lead to intestinal volvulus;
if your pet chews on live wires, an electric shock and death are likely;
a person's shoes carry pathogenic microbes, fungi, viruses - after treating themselves to shoes, the dog will get an infection.

Reasons why dogs may chew slippers

In fact, the reasons are quite banal! The dog chews slippers or other shoes if:

he is alone at home (boredom, loneliness);
feels anxious (for example, when you are away from home for a long time);
wants you to pay attention to him;
teeth change (this applies to puppies);
fear or phobia.

It is necessary to wean your pet from this bad habit as soon as possible. In addition to the irritation that the dog brings to you, this is dangerous even for itself. For example, she can chew through a current-carrying wire or rip the packaging of a cleaning product and get poisoned.

By the way, we suggest watching a funny video online to lift your spirits. The man came home and saw what had happened to his shoes. An interrogation is underway: who chewed the owner’s slipper. Take a look, you won't regret it!

The dog is worried about you

When you get a dog, you take full responsibility for it. The new family member, regardless of his breed, has a strong attachment to his people and sensitivity. When the owner is late at work, the dog naturally becomes anxious. It has been repeatedly said about cases when a pet felt that trouble had happened to a person and tried to show his emotions to other people. There are often situations when a dog runs away from home, sensing that someone in the family is in danger.

Therefore, when the owner does not come home on time, the pet begins to worry. He will always sit at the door, waiting for it to open and his loved one to return. In an attempt to drown out its anxiety, the dog may involuntarily grab onto something that holds the owner’s scent - his shoes. While the dog chews the owner's shoes, this will calm him down. You should not swear at your pet if, being late at work, you find your pet with shoes in its teeth.