Dog Boredom and Destructive Behavior
Boredom is the prime cause of dog misbehavior. “What!” you may say…”How could he be bored?? He just spent the last 3 hours de-stuffing the pillows on the chair!!!” Dogs experiencing boredom may have different types of behavioral patterns. For example, some dogs will be seen barking continuously and some may be obsessed with digging or chewing up everything under the sun. Some dogs may have destructive biting or chewing habitsand will be seen biting furnature, clothes, rugs, shoes, and anything else within reach. All of these behaviors are indicative that your pooch needs something to do-if you don’t provide something, he will find it himself!
Much of the time, boredom can be managed with variety of methods that will distract your precious pooch into good behavior. If distractions are available, chances are, your pup will not do the abnormal or unwanted activity arising out of the boredom.
The solution almost seems too obvious- provide something for your dog that will allieviate the boredom! There are tons of toys available, and one of my dog Chance’s favorites is a hollow, rubber toy that can be filled with a treat such as peanut butter. Chance spends hours chewing and licking and going after the treat. He also loves the hard, nylon bones. These are a little more expensive than rawhide initially, but last much longer.
These types of toys should be available at all times, and if your pup starts to chew or destroy something he shouldn’t, immediately give a firm “no” and if he doesn’t immediately give it up, give the command to “drop” or “give” and immediately replace whatever the contraband is with an acceptible toy. Once he takes to his own toy, show him lots of love.
These toys may be kept inside the crate or kennel and can be quite useful if you have a puppy that needs to learn to be alone. Make sure he has plenty of toys and activities that he has already shown an interest in to occupy his time while you are away.
Providing healthy alternatives is the easiest way to remove the often destructive boredom from your dog’s world!
