When a person is thinking about the decision to get a dog, one of the main disadvantages that he learns about is the tendency of dogs to spoil things and furniture.
This character trait is inherent in puppies and many adult dogs if special work has not been done with them in time. However, this does not mean that when you get a dog, you should say goodbye to personal comfort.
There are many ways to protect wallpaper and other important furnishings from the teeth and claws of a new tenant. But in order to choose an effective method of protecting property, it is necessary to understand the reasons that push dogs to such actions.
What to do if the dog continues to chew the wallpaper?
Gnawing is a dog's natural instinct. Dogs that are accustomed to gnawing from puppyhood continue to do what they are accustomed to do even as adults. It is noteworthy that stressed dogs also try to “gnaw”. If the owner scolds the animal too violently or even hits the animal, the dog may withdraw into itself and continue gnawing.
Creating normal living conditions
The habit of gnawing on surrounding objects is formed during puppyhood. If you do not wean your dog from this activity in time, it will be difficult to do so in the future. You can try replacing wallpaper with items designed for teeth: bones, toys, chewy treats. Every time a pet chews something allowed, it should be encouraged in every possible way.
In some cases, the animal tears the wallpaper in the hope of getting at the plaster underneath. This may be a sign that your diet does not contain enough vitamins and minerals. You may need to go to the vet and find the right supplement for your dog. It is also worth seeing a doctor if the habit of spoiling things has formed due to neurosis or stress.
Encouraging behavior
It is important to understand the roots of this behavior. Wall biting should not be encouraged or ignored as it is just a phase that will pass. Not only is this behavior bad for your dog's health, but it will also cost you a lot of money. He could have swallowed something harmful and not only damaged the wall, but also gotten sick. One thing is this behavior can easily add to a huge vet bill. And even if you were going to tear down the wall anyway, you need your dog to stop doing the work.
Prevention is easier than retraining
If you are just getting ready to get a dog, then you have time to prepare for the arrival of a new family member. Buy toys in advance, set up a corner for your pet so that he can immediately focus on his things.
As soon as a pet appears in the house, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a puppy or an adult animal - make an appointment with a veterinarian, get all the tests done, and immediately clarify the picture of its health condition.
When getting a dog, remember that it needs attention. Do not leave her alone for a long time, especially in a completely unfurnished apartment.
Captivated by communication with its owner, the dog constantly feeling care and warmth will not tear off the wallpaper, because he will have no reason to do so.
Main reasons
Small and adult dogs damage walls and chew wallpaper for the following reasons:
- The dog is bored.
- They forgot to buy toys for the puppy.
- Baby teeth are replaced.
- The dog's body lacks nutrients and vitamins.
- The animal got scared and became stressed.
- The animal has a lot of energy, but little physical activity.
- The dog doesn't agree with something.
- The owners did not do enough training for the dog; perhaps it needs to be trained by a trainer.
Often the reason for this behavior is a lack of attention. Dogs are distinguished by their devotion to their owners, for this reason she can be sad from lack of attention. Also, if a dog is well-trained, but remains at home alone for a long time, then it can create a mess in the home. Thus, the animal protests against loneliness, it needs attention.
A dog can spoil things in an apartment due to lack of attention.
Most often, hunting dogs and miniature breeds can damage walls and furniture. If a dog of any breed spoils objects and things at home, this may be the result of rough treatment. She is capable of ruining everything in the house, and hiding some of the broken things in a secluded corner.
Dogs also chew wallpaper and things due to a lack of calcium, phosphorus and other important substances in the body. This behavior is especially typical for animals at the stage of their development and growth.
The dog's body may lack calcium, phosphorus and other important substances in the body
What's happening
Of course, in some cases there is a way out - to make a small home enclosure or cage for your dog. However, you won’t be able to keep your pet there all the time. In any case, he will spend a significant part of his time walking around the rooms of the apartment. So, in any case, you will have to find a way to stop your dog from tearing wallpaper. Moreover, this applies not only to adults. But often also small puppies.
By the way, in addition to wallpaper, it is not so rare that other things that are abundant inside any apartment can become the object of a dog’s attention:
Be that as it may, the problem with the dog gnawing, tearing or tearing certain furnishings and interior items needs to be solved.
Why do dogs bite walls?
One day you come home to find drywall residue all over your floors.
There are dusty chunks everywhere and layers of drywall exposed like a freshly cut tree trunk. When you look for the culprit, he is hiding behind the sofa, holding his tail between his legs and with his nose down. He knows he did wrong, you know he did wrong, but neither of you knows why. This is usually a well-behaved dog, and you are a good owner. You give him toys all the time. He quickly chews them all. You supply him with endless squeaky toys, ropes, sticks, whatever the pet store sells you, but instead he chews on the wall. No matter how many distractions you give your dog or what healthy solutions, he will chew through your custard egg-colored walls. It's possible your four-legged roommate is secretly an interior designer trying to get you to paint your walls egg cream, but there's more likely something else going on.
The essence of the problem
We all sincerely enjoy our pets. However, in addition to joyful moments, they often cause us a lot of trouble. What to do if a dog chews wallpaper? How to wean her from tearing and tearing the covering of the walls and protect them from dog “pranks”? It turns out that both a small puppy and an adult dog often want not only to sniff various objects in the interior, but also, as they say, to taste them. That is why it is so important to wean your pet off this “hobby” as quickly as possible, which, over time, threatens to turn into a habit.
Attention! In addition to damaging the wallpaper, some dogs also chew wires, linoleum, and sometimes even furniture. Not only is this damaging, but it can also be unsafe for your pet, especially if it gets into the habit of chewing on wires.
How to proceed
It turns out that a problem that at first glance is not so significant is still important enough to look for a solution. How to stop a puppy from chewing wallpaper? It is this question that many breeders soon begin to be interested in.
Advice! If you think that in cases where a dog chews wallpaper, you can simply punish it and the problem will be solved - you are mistaken. For the most part, your pet will simply harbor a grudge and show his indignation at the first opportunity that arises.
It doesn’t matter whether the dog is an adult or a puppy. As for breeds, many of them are susceptible to this behavior, including Shepherd, Dachshund, Spitz, Yorkshire Terrier and others. In any case, the main thing is to identify the reason why your pet begins to demonstrate this behavior.
What leads to this
The first thing you should do is determine why your dog is tearing the wallpaper. There are reasons for everything and this behavior is no exception. So, here are the cases in which this can happen:
- Often, especially when the owners are at work, the dog simply has nothing to do and, out of boredom, begins to “mischief” like this.
- Even if the owners are at home, sometimes they don’t pay enough attention to their pets. The dog senses this and begins to express its protest.
- Often, as a puppy, your dog had a similar habit. But while for most it disappears, for some it remains for a long time.
- And finally, sometimes there is a certain lack of certain vitamins and microelements in the dog’s body.
In any case, developing a strategy to combat such phenomena depends on what exact reason prompted the pet to show its dissatisfaction or deficiency of something in this way. So, when thinking about how to stop a dog from chewing wallpaper and walls, try to first determine what exactly could lead to this result.
Also interesting: What to do to prevent the cat from tearing the wallpaper.
Dog and wallpaper
First of all, it’s worth figuring out why this happens, why a dog can tear the paintings on the wall. There can be several reasons for this behavior, here are the most common:
- The dog has developed a habit during its life, it could do this in childhood, and it still practices it now.
- An empty, unfulfilled life, most of which the dog spends at home alone.
- Stress from loneliness and other psychological disorders.
- The presence of a large amount of unspent energy due to irregular walks.
- Dissatisfaction with you, living conditions and the general situation, expressed in the form of torn walls.
- Lack of vitamins and minerals, poor diet.
- Lack of toys, bones, objects that you can chew and do whatever you want with them.
This is the picture you can see when you come home from work.
In most cases, the fact is that from a very young age, dogs, like humans, study the world around them. They, like our children, are interested in tasting everything and touching it with their paws. This is where the main problem lies; you cannot allow the dog to enjoy this activity, so that it does not develop into a habit or hobby.
However, banal punishment will not immediately wean the dog off. Of course, he won’t tear up the wallpaper on the wall in your presence, but when he’s left alone, he’ll certainly continue to turn your wallpaper into dust.
Therefore, to solve the problem, it is worth studying the habits of the animal, understanding why it may form such a habit, and then re-educating the pet.
How to stop a dog or puppy from chewing wallpaper: simple methods
If a dog spoils interior items or tears wallpaper when it is alone in the apartment, then you need to understand what caused this behavior. Perhaps the owner does not devote enough time to his pet. In this case, you need to play with him more often.
When the owner leaves for a long time, it is recommended to leave the pet in a separate room, if possible. To do this, you need to use the following methods:
- The dog should have its own toys and bones in the room. Thanks to this, the animal will be busy and will not get bored.
- The dog must get used to being alone sometimes gradually. You can’t immediately leave him alone for a long time.
- Upon returning, the owner should work with the animal and give it a treat for good behavior.
- Before leaving, the owner should take the pet for a walk and feed it well. The walk should be quite active and long. In this case, a tired and well-fed animal will not have time to damage the interior.
What should I do?
So, if your dog tears up wallpaper, what should you do in such cases? One option is to teach your pet to play with certain toys specifically designed for this purpose. You can buy them in almost every pet store.
Note! You can buy several toys at once, in case one of them gets damaged by your dog while playing.
Also, praising your pet is very important. If the dog behaves calmly and does not chew the wallpaper, it is important to praise it for this. This way it will become clear to her that this is the behavior that is encouraged by the owner.
In cases where you regularly leave home for quite a long time, thus parting with your dog, toys will also help. However, it is better to buy here not something ordinary and familiar. The optimal solution may be a toy with a smell. The fact is that often the familiar smell makes the dog chew the toy. This way, instead of damaging wallpaper, furniture or even flooring, your pet will chew on its favorite toy. The walls will remain intact and intact.
Useful video instructions:
At the same time, you should be careful with old shoes or clothes. The point is that you should not let them chew, because in this case the dog will get used to it, and sooner or later, instead of old and unnecessary clothes and shoes, it will switch to those boots and coats that it finds in the hallway or closet.
We make a suggestion
In addition, it is important to understand when exactly you should, so to speak, give your dog a suggestion, and when you should not do this. So, it’s best to “scold” him immediately at the moment when you caught him damaging the wallpaper, sofa or chair upholstery. This way it will become clear to him what exactly you are unhappy with. If you do this after some time, the dog may perceive this as unreasonable aggression on the part of the owner and harbor a grudge.
Meanwhile, another interesting way to solve the problem is to conduct special “exercises”. So, if you see that a dog is tearing up wallpaper, you need to approach it and offer to play with a certain toy. Thus, with a high degree of probability, sooner or later your dog will simply switch to this toy, gnawing on it, and not on everything he sees around him. If you have such an opportunity, then walk your dog more often, preferably every day and several times. And that's why:
- Firstly, it is very beneficial for the health and fitness of the animal.
- And secondly, after walking, the dog will most likely be tired and is unlikely to want to chew the legs of chairs or wallpaper.
Be that as it may, the owner must show who exactly is in charge. On the other hand, do not intimidate the dog under any circumstances, much less use physical force: this can only lead to even worse consequences.
Sure ways to stop a dog from spoiling wallpaper: gnawing, tearing, tearing
Making good, high-quality repairs is half the job, the main thing is to keep it in this condition for a long time. To do this, you will need to wash walls and floors, clean interior items, and take care of furniture. Wallpaper on the walls, occupying a large space, requires special attention from time to time.
If there are pets in the house, such as dogs, the wallpaper may be subject to significant testing. Today we will talk about how to stop a dog from chewing wallpaper, what methods to use, what works and what doesn’t, what are the main reasons for this behavior, and what you need to do.
Many families have pets, and it is very important how they treat the wallpaper
Additional Tips
Unexpected actions give a good effect. When the dog approaches the wallpaper or other things, you need to whistle or make another loud sound. In this way, you can scare away the animal and it will have the necessary reflex.
You can drop a little essential oil or lemon juice on things, because dogs don’t like such smells. But it is necessary to take into account that chemicals cannot be used, because they can cause poisoning. It is also recommended to protect the animal from stressful situations; the psychological environment should be comfortable.
Cage as a method of dealing with unwanted behavior
If all else fails, you need to visit a dog handler. Thanks to regular training, the dog will become the owner of the correct manners and skills.
You need to raise your pet from the first months of life. The puppy should not do anything that he is not allowed to do when he grows up. If you allow his pranks initially, they can develop into big losses in the future. And retraining an adult dog is much more difficult than teaching it to do it right from the very beginning.
Why a cage is good:
The dog's own space. This is a den, a house for rest and peace in the mind of the animal;
Child protection. The dog can safely climb into the crate - a place inaccessible to children, which will help it get rid of increased children's attention;
Protection of furniture and apartments. A cage is one of the most effective ways to protect your apartment from the destructive behavior of your pet.
The main thing you should pay attention to when choosing a cage is its size. It shouldn't be too tight. The optimal cage is one in which the pet can stand up, walk around and lie down. Don’t be afraid to buy a cage that is too large, the most important thing is that it is not small.
Sequencing
One option is to develop your pet's habit of playing with certain objects. Most stores that specialize in selling pet supplies sell toys that have been specially designed for such situations. By the way, you can buy several of these toys at once, since most dogs, and especially small puppies, love it when they have a certain choice and variety.
In addition, it is considered very useful not only to play, but also to praise the dog for certain actions. Your dog always very clearly senses a positive reaction from the owner to certain actions on his part.
In cases where the dog is left alone at home quite often and for a long time (for example, his owners work all day), you can purchase a special toy for him. Its main feature is the scent that is attractive to dogs. Toys of this type are usually designed to be chewed. This is what will guarantee that the dog will be busy chewing the toy, and he will simply not have the desire to “switch” to damaging wallpaper and other household items, such as baseboards, shoes, clothes, flooring, etc.
Remember that it is advisable to carry out exercises to wean your pet from damaging wallpaper. This is done as follows: when you try to start gnawing on them, offer to play with a toy or an artificial bone. Sooner or later the dog will start to switch to these things.
Helpful advice! In such cases, you need to be sure to praise the dog and even give him a small treat. This will help form a habit and reinforce it.
Watch useful video instructions:
You should also not neglect regular walks, preferably at least twice a day. After your pet runs up to you and plays enough on the street, he often no longer has the energy to chew and damage the wallpaper. Well, in those cases when he does such things, wanting to demonstrate his protest, it is necessary to make the dog understand that you are its owner and forbid it to do this. Do not use violence under any circumstances. The best solution may be to consult with an experienced dog handler.
The Root of Behavior
You'll likely need to visit a veterinarian or animal behaviorist to diagnose the root cause of the problem and also to make sure he hasn't ingested anything harmful. But a quick behavior analysis can be done at home. Think about what's going on in your puppy's life. Did he just lose a friend? Did he move from the shelter to your home? Was anything new introduced into his daily life? Have you gone from staying at home to working full time? Is this a typically anxious dog or unusual behavior?
One possibility is boredom. We've all been there. Nothing makes us happy; no offer of activity is enough, boredom cannot be cured. The same thing can happen to your dog. He needs something to stimulate his mind and a way to use his energy. He likes to chew and it feels good, so he chews on the wall.
Your dog may have been crated or even tied up for a long time, and he may confuse his current situation with this one. He thinks chewing on the wall is the answer. Have you counted all the four-legged friends in your home? Your dog may have better hearing than you and may chase mice or other critters within your walls. If you think this is the case, contact a pest expert. Although your dog has a good nose, a pest removal professional will probably do a better job of it and likely won't destroy your walls in the process.
Is your dog compulsively licking his paws, chewing his tail, getting upset when you leave, or exhibiting other distressing behavior? Wall biting may be a new behavior that indicates your puppy has separation anxiety or general anxiety. Yelling is a natural response to bad behavior, but it is still attention, even if it is negative. Your dog may feel like he doesn't get enough attention and wants it, even if it's negative. This could happen if you start leaving him alone at home more often.
Eating non-food items is an eating disorder called pica. This disease is possible in both humans and animals. Does your dog often eat sticks, rocks, paper or fabric? If he does, then his wall-biting might just be Pika. To learn more about pika, contact your veterinarian.
