Stop Bad Behavior Before It Starts
Almost everyone who has raised a puppy can look back and identify things they would do differently if they had the chance. We do our best for our pets, but missteps happen no matter how well intentioned our aims. But an error in puppy training doesn’t mean you are doomed to a lifetime of shredded shoes. An established habit is harder to break, but with diligent management and training efforts, it’s usually quite possible. One of the simplest strategies of puppy raising is to prevent unwanted behavior from the very beginning, before it starts. Preventive efforts include removing opportunities to engage in the undesirable behavior, providing proper outlets to channel energy away from those behaviors and removing any associated reward when unwanted behaviors do occur. Even though your dog isn’t a puppy anymore, this strategy will still work to help put a stop to her shoe chewing.
We allowed our dog to chew on an old pair of shoes as a puppy, because it was so cute. But now she’s a year old, and she chews on any shoes she finds — most recently, an expensive pair of dress shoes. We get mad when she does this, but we know it’s because we allowed it early on. Can we stop her shoe-chewing habit, or are we doomed to live with it forever?
The golden rule of raising a puppy is simple: Don’t allow behaviors in puppyhood that you wouldn’t want from a full-grown dog. Anything a puppy practices in her formative weeks and months is likely to be a habit by the time she’s an adult. As you’ve learned, a behavior that’s cute in a puppy, like slipper chewing, can be less appealing — if not downright destructive — in adulthood. And when that puppy becomes an adult dog with a greater resolve, increased independence and a body that’s larger, stronger and faster, breaking bad habits can be far more challenging.
Why Do Dogs Chew Shoes?
Many people want to jump right into the solutions to get their dog to quit chewing. It’s easy to see the temptation, but your efforts will go much smoother if you understand why your dog is chewing your shoes in the first place.
While there are many reasons that a dog might be chewing, there are a few causes that have revealed themselves to be the most common culprits.