There is not a single dog owner in the world who has not found their dog eating something they shouldn’t have. If you are the lucky person who has never found shoes decorated in teeth marks and dog hair, congratulations!
If your pup treats your shoes like chew toys, you’re most likely not a happy camper. Punishing and scolding him when you come home to find the damage is ineffective, because he won’t associate your anger with his destructive chewing. The first step toward correcting his behavior is finding out why he’s chewing on your shoes. Below are a few of the common reasons why dogs have shoe-chewing fetishes.
Exploring and Teething
Your pup might chew your shoes while explore his new surroundings, or he might be teething. Similar to babies, his incoming teeth cause discomfort. Chewing on shoes might be his way to make their gums feel better. Teething can take about six months, and even after this, your dog might still continue exploring with his mouth.
Boredom and Attention
A chewing fetish might be triggered when your dog is bored or craving your attention. It might be his way of releasing pent-up energy. Leaving him alone for long periods with minimal exercise is asking for trouble. Stimulate your dog physically and mentally, spend quality time with him — take him on long walks or go jogging with him, arrange doggie play dates with other dog owners, practice obedience training for a short period every day, and play games, such as fetch and tug-of-war.
Separation Anxiety
If your dog follows you throughout the house, only chews on your shoes when you’re not home, acts up when you get ready to leave and welcomes you lavishly when you return, separation anxiety might be brewing. Your dog targets your shoes because they smell like you, which is comforting to him.
Solutions
To keep your dog from destroying your shoes, reinforce good behavior. Arm yourself with a variety of chew toys, and when he goes for your shoes, say “no,” and present one of the toys. When he shows interest, praise him and give treats to motivate him to repeat the behavior. Rotate the toys to keep him interested. Other solutions can include, closing the door to the room with your shoes, crate training your pet companion when you can’t watch him, and tethering him to you in the house.
We hope you found this article helpful, now it’s time to enjoy a photo gallery of some adorably naughty canine shoe chewers.
