Why Does My Dog Chew Everything?

Chewing is normal at every age, the ASPCA says: it eases a puppy’s sore gums, keeps an adult dog’s jaws strong and teeth clean, and relieves boredom and mild anxiety or frustration. A puppy chewing everything is usually teething, an intense phase the ASPCA says usually ends by six months. An adult that destroys things usually needs more to do, or may be anxious, especially if it only happens when alone.

Why dogs chew

• Teething. VCA’s timeline: baby teeth come in from about 3 weeks, start falling out at about 12 weeks, and the adult teeth are all in by about 6 months. Excessive chewing seems to settle around 18 months, VCA says, though some chewing lasts for life. Full timeline: when puppies stop teething.
• Play and investigation (VCA).
• Boredom. The ASPCA says chewing combats boredom, and VCA notes that in adult dogs, chewing out of boredom or excitement is a normal behavior showing up in an abnormal way.
• Never learning what’s allowed (Humane World for Animals).
• Anxiety and fear. Chewing can be a way to cope (Humane World), and separation anxiety is on every source’s list.
• Hunger. The ASPCA notes that dogs on calorie-restricted diets may chew looking for food.

Boredom or separation anxiety?

The ASPCA says separation-anxiety chewing happens mainly when the dog is alone, along with whining, barking, pacing and restlessness. If the damage happens while you’re out, VCA suggests recording your dog on video to see what’s going on. This guide helps you sort it out: separation anxiety or boredom.

What helps

1. Dog-proof your home and give plenty of chew toys, rotated (ASPCA). The free puppy-proofing checklist covers it room by room.
2. Supervise during all waking hours while your dog learns (ASPCA).
3. Trade, don’t grab. Swap the forbidden item for an appropriate toy (Humane World).
4. Add exercise and mental stimulation (ASPCA). Ideas: dog enrichment.
5. Soothe teething gums. The ASPCA suggests frozen wet washcloths, and Humane World a frozen rubber toy, with supervision so no pieces are swallowed.
6. Use a taste deterrent on things you can’t move (ASPCA).
7. Skip very hard chews. VCA warns that nylon chews, bones and antlers can break both baby and adult teeth.

What not to do

• Don’t punish after the fact. The ASPCA says not to show your dog the damage and then punish, and VCA says punishing a completed act only increases anxiety.
• Don’t scold, pull things out of the mouth or chase your dog (Humane World). The “guilty look” is a submissive posture.
• Don’t hand over old shoes or cushions as toys (ASPCA).

When it’s a vet issue

Chewing becomes a medical worry when your dog swallows what it chews. VCA calls persistently swallowing non-food items pica, and lists possible medical causes including anemia, malnutrition, diabetes, Cushing’s disease, digestive diseases, intestinal parasites, brain conditions and some medications. The main danger is a blockage in the gut, VCA says, and sharp objects can perforate it and cause life-threatening peritonitis. Call your vet if your dog has swallowed something it shouldn’t have, or shows pain, a reduced appetite or vomiting. Retained baby teeth also need removing by a vet (VCA).