Does your dog chew on things that she is not supposed to? I used to have one... chewed a hole right through a wall once. Now THAT is damage! Here's a few tips to help you stop your dog from doing damage to YOUR house!

When dogs chew on things, they use their sharp teeth and strong jaws and will produce some pretty awesome damage in minutes if given the chance. "Destructive chewing" is what happens when your dog chews on things that they are not supposed to chew on, such as your shoes, table legs, chairs, pillows, and so on... I mean after all, we really would to prefer their chewing to be limited to their own toys as that is what they are designed for! Dogs that chew do so for three major reasons:

1.) It's fun! It passes time, it could taste good, and it gives the dog a sense of accomplishment.

2.) The next reason is actually just passing the time a bit. In other words, the dog is bored out of her mind and needs something to do. It could also be that the dog is angry or anxious, and does it to help cope with the situation. Kind of like what you used to do when you dug your pen into the desktop in high school.

3.) If the dog doesn't get enough exercise, they may use chewing as an outlet for their unexpended energy. Like you, once again, they could be likened to your tapping your fingers on the table while waiting for your wife (or husband) to get ready to go to dinner.

Preventing Destructive Chewing

Dogs are very smart animals. They are very capable of learning that chewing is not something they should do on certain items while that they are welcome to chew on other things. But your dog doesn't know this out of the gate and it takes a little bit of effort on your part in order to instruct them what is, and is not, the appropriate toy to chew on. Here's one thing that makes sense but few people think about:

Dog Proof!!

One way to curb this behavior is to dog proof your house. This is a lot like child proofing your house when you first have a little one come home with you. You have to consider the childs size, what they can reach and if it's an older child how high it can climb, and/or jump. The same things have to be considered when you bring your dog home for the first time. How high can the dog reach when he gets on its hind legs? How high can the dog jump to get something off the counter? Is there a chair in the perfect position for the dog to make it to the top of the counter to eat the rest of the roast beef you had for dinner?

Another thing you have to consider just like with the child around the house is to not provide the dog with a target that it will easily be found to chew on. For example, don't leave your cell phone on the coach, don't leave your favorite book on the end table, and do NOT leave the remote control in your chair when you get up to get something to drink during the big game.

This will help prevent your dog from learning the joys of "illegal chewing". The more times these, "targets" are left out for your dog to chew on, and the more times they managed to get them, the more often they will look for these targets, and the more they will enjoy chewing them! Unfortunately, if the target is a table leg or a chair leg or the couch it's a little hard to "put away." So in this case you may have to confine them to a dog proofed area without these items until you're sure that she understands the house rules and that these are not huge chew toys meant only for her satisfaction.
Conclusion

So, give this a shot and I am sure you will see that this, combined with some of the other ideas on my web page will break your dog of this nasty habit and many more! Have a Great Day!