Destructive Behavior
Dogs bring so much love and joy into people’s homes, but sometimes this can be accompanied by destructive behavior. This behavior can be incredibly frustrating for owners, but more importantly, it can harm your dog’s health.
There are many reasons why a dog might engage in destructive behavior, and understanding these reasons can be the key to preventing problematic acts.
There are many ways a dog might engage in destructive behavior. The most common examples of destructive behaviors include:
Chewing
Digging
Barking
Jumping
All of these behaviors can prove to be problematic for dog owners. Chewing destroys valuables; digging ruins the floor and yard; barking is disruptive and disturbs neighbors; and so on. These acts need an understanding of why they happen in the first place to prevent them from happening in the future. Often, the reason behind these acts is simple and fixable.
There are several reasons why a dog might be engaging in destructive behavior. Puppies are teething and want to chew on everything around them to relieve discomfort. Chewing also helps dogs explore the world around them, so redirecting them to something appropriate for chewing (such as a chew toy) is the best thing to do. For adult dogs, the reason for destructive behavior varies. Medical problems, separation anxiety, attention seeking, fear, and boredom are the most common reasons for bad dog behavior. These problems typically result from a lack of exercise, mental stimulation, or training. In severe cases, the behavior may have a more complex reason, such as genetics, phobias, or trauma.
Regardless of the cause, dogs don’t suddenly choose violence and start vandalizing the world around them. Dogs engage in destructive behavior because they need an outlet to release excess energy or to relieve fear and anxiety.
Taking action before destructive behavior is essential. Here are some practical tips on stopping and preventing destructive behavior:
Dog-proof your home
Put away items you feel are valuable to you. This will reduce the chances of valuable items being damaged.
Supervise your dog
Keep an eye on your dog while you’re home to make sure any destructive behavior won’t go unnoticed. This way, you can redirect your dog to encourage the appropriate behavior.
Provide chew toys
Dogs chew! Giving them safe chew toys puts them in the right direction and teaches them what they can and cannot chew. However, they should only be given one or two chew toys at a time to prevent them from thinking anything on the ground can be chewed.
Provide enough exercise
A tired dog is a happy dog. Dogs who don’t get enough physical exercise may become restless, typically when destructive acts occur. If a dog is tired, they will have a reduced urge to destroy things and spend their time at home resting and relaxing at home.
Challenge your dog
Providing mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise. Mental stimulation lowers stress levels, helps them learn, and tires them quickly, even more so than physical effort. Interactive toys, socialization, scent work, training sessions, and playtime with other dogs are all great ways to induce mental stimulation. These all keep their mind busy and reduce the desire to act destructively.
Train your dog
Regular training sessions can provide the mental stimulation dogs need, making them disciplined by teaching them right from wrong. Any form of training, from obedience to agility, can help reduce destructive behavior while earning your res[ect, making it easier to curb unwanted acts.
Avoid Punishment
Lastly, avoid punishment as a way to stop your dog’s behavior. Punishing only worsens destructive behavior and can escalate a situation with a dog already looking for an outlet to deal with frustration or anxiety.