My dog eats the furniture when I’m out. What can I do?Firstly, we need to look at why the dog is being destructive. It can be boredom or more usually separation anxiety. If puppies are suddenly left alone for long periods of time they become very anxious and will chew things as a relief for their anxiety. We have found that dogs often suffer from separation anxiety if they don’t realise their place within the “pack” at home. If you and any other members of the family are the pack leaders, then when you are out of the house, the dog accepts that you’re in charge and all it has to do is wait until you get back before it plays, eats etc. But if your dog thinks he is the pack leader, then when you go out, he is not only anxious, but frustrated as he isn’t able to perform his pack leader role of protecting you and being in charge. He’ll take this frustration and anxiety out on the furniture or whatever else is to hand! There are various solutions. 1. Make sure you are the pack leader – see “Pack Leader” section on ????page 2. Crate training. Train your dog to be content being left in a crate. The crate needs to be big enough for him to stand up, turn round and lie down comfortably. See our “Crate Training Your Puppy” guide. Once he is crate trained he will be happy and safe being left in his crate and cannot attack your furniture. 3. Sometimes dogs will chew furniture, shoes etc even while you are home. This usually happens if the puppy is teething, but can also become a habit that is hard to break even when the teething stage is finished. In these cases, a Pet Behaviour Training Spray (available from most Pet Shops) can be sprayed on the skirting, shoes etc. Because they have an acute sense of smell, puppies do not like the citrus smell of the spray and will quickly learn to leave that item alone. 4. Make sure your dog has several toys to keep him amused. Kong toys, where treats can be hidden inside keep the dog mentally stimulated and prevent boredom. 5. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR DOG WITH ANY TYPE OF RAW HIDE CHEW. These can get stuck in your dog’s throat, and choke him while you are out. Make sure anything within your dog’s reach is safe for him to have. |
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