Pesky Dog Eating All Your Footwear?

Dogs explore objects much like we do, except instead of using hands they use their mouths. Their preferred method of examining new or interesting objects is by chewing on them. This means that it is perfectly normal for your dog to chew on your shoes but you might not want them to. So what are the other reasons for dogs chewing on household objects and how do you get them to stop?

Why do they do it?

Well there are several reasons why your dog would want to chew on your new shoes. The most common reason is that when dogs are puppies they are beginning to cut their new adult teeth and will do anything to relieve that pain. This often translates into chewing on objects that they do not yet know are off-limits. There are several tricks that you can do to teach your pup that shoes are off-limits and here they are:

Tips and Tricks

• Buy some alluring dog treats that they could use for teething.
• Store your shoes somewhere out of reach so that they can’t get their mouth on them.
• Reward your dog for choosing a more appropriate chew toy.
• Don’t freak out when they grab one. Dogs are quick learners and if they notice that taking shoes is a good way to get attention it will be a more difficult habit to break.

While these tricks work for training your new puppy to stay away from your shoes, they also work for older dogs that were never taught what an appropriate chew toy was. However that might not be the problem at all. Your dog could think that your shoe smells like you (making it much more appealing to them) or they could just be bored.

A dog’s sense of smell is thousands of times better than a human’s, so even the faintest intriguing smell could be a reason to chew on your shoe. Tasting your shoe could also just be their way of trying to figure out where you’ve been all day. If you think that this is the reason behind your beloved pets bad habit then the best way to fix it is to keep your shoes out of reach. But if your dog is chewing out of boredom it’s a little bit of a different issue.

If your dog is bored it is probably because of extended time being home alone. An easy way to help them burn off some of that excess energy is to hire a dog walker to walk them while your gone. Anything that can keep them active while you’re gone is a useful tool.