Frequently Asked Doggie Questions

I did my radio show last week, which is largely call in. And there was a definite theme to the questions. Most of them had something to do with dogs chewing. . . themselves, possessions, inappropriate food objects, and on and on.
Before you start looking for an answer to why your dog is chewing up something in your house, you need to understand a basic about dogs - chewing feels good. To a dog, chewing is a stress releaser. People may bite their nails (guilty), tap their fingers, twirl their hair, or do other more harmful things. Dogs, by and large, chew.
Given that dogs don't have our handy opposable thumbs, they use their mouths not just to consume food, but to pick up and carry things, to take things apart, and to explore their world. So using their mouths is a sort of natural fallback when they need to do something in a stressful situation.
This means, if your dog is a bit anxious about being left alone, the dog may chew up the couch pillows while you are gone. Or if the dog is left in the vehicle, the dog bedding or the seat cushions may take the hit. While it may be upsetting to have things destroyed, it's better than the dog choosing to chew (or lick) him or herself to the point of raising sores.
That's why my first response, when people phone in to the show and I can't actually see what their dog is doing and what his or her temperament appears to be, is to try taking actions to relieve stress. Rescue Remedy can't hurt and might help, so I recommend that often. Giving the dog a really great and long-lasting chewie can help if the dog isn't so anxious that he or she ignores food. Desensitization to being left alone is a much longer program, but has lasting results and makes the dog a much happier animal.
So if your dog chews something up while you aren't there, please don't jump to the (false) conclusion that your dog is "punishing" you for leaving him/her home alone. That's very, very unlikely. Instead, look at how you can help your dog be more comfortable with being left. You'll both be better off in the long run.