08/11/2022
Have you given your dog something to chew today?
Over the more than 20 years I have been working with dogs, I have heard every tale imaginable about destructive chewing. Chewing is a normal and healthy behaviour for dogs - especially for puppies and teenage dogs. The severity of the chewing does seem to vary though and I have often wondered to what extent environment plays a role in this in comparison to genetics and breed differences. None of my Rottweilers have been prolific chewers – sure they enjoy chewing stuff, but we have never found them to be terribly destructive and our home has gotten through puppy and adolescent phases with all our dogs reasonably unscathed, despite the fact that we have never used crate training or other forms of strict confinement as a management solution. In contrast, I have heard stories from other Rottweiler owners of chewed car tyres, shredded pool creepy crawlies and couches that exploded all over the lounge in a snowstorm of stuffing.
It seems to be an accepted fact that certain types of dogs are particularly destructive, with Labradors often being placed at the top of the list, followed by many of the bull breeds and terriers. Obviously, the remnants of the predatory sequence that we originally selected into certain dogs, due to the nature of the work that they assisted us with, has an impact on how much enjoyment they get from having things in their mouths and pulling things to pieces. Labradors and retrievers have been selected to want to keep items in their mouths and while they tend to have “soft” mouths, this does not preclude them from being prolific chewers as puppies and adolescents. On the other hand, bull breeds and terriers have been selected to gain great enjoyment from tearing and shredding things, so it is completely understandable that they would enjoy biting and pulling stuff to pieces.
However, it is clear that regardless of breed, certain individual dogs are more prolific chewers than others. While there may be individual genetic factors in each dog that contributes to this, the environment i.e. to what extent the dogs needs are met, must play a role in the tendency towards destructive behaviour as well.
This became clear to me recently when Cruz was recovering from gastro and was not allowed to have anything to chew that we would usually give him, such as marrow bones and sinews. Because our dogs live very closely together, not being able to give Cruz these items to chew, meant not being able to give them to Primrose either (Cruz would be absolutely gutted if we did that!). Usually, our dogs get at least one edible item to chew in the form of a bone or a dried sinew every day, but with Cruz’s stomach being sensitive, the only items I could give them to chew we're stuffed Kongs, which I could fill with sensitive tummy food. While Kongs are great occupational toys, most of the activity required for un-stuffing a Kong, involves licking and pawing at the Kong to move it around. The real jaw muscle engaging, gnawing and chewing action of placing a bone or sinew between the jaws and grinding with the back teeth, could not be gained from Kong toys or snuffle mats.
Cruz's response to not having these items to chew, was one of disappointment and mild depression. As a mature adult dog, he simply looked miserable when his expectations of getting something to chew at the usual times of day were not met. Primrose on the other hand, clearly expressed her dissatisfaction with being denied edible chew items, by finding whatever she could to chew. Her level of destructive behaviour in the house increased significantly. Jonathan lost a pair of flip flops, there was a seemingly endless parade of branches, plastic plant pots and other garden debris and in the lounge and many of Primrose’s soft toys and ropes took a severe beating and did not survive. It became very clear to me just how important the need to chew is, both for the emotional well-being of adult dogs, where chewing provides an important form of daily enrichment and boosts mood, and for the exercise of the jaws and relief of frustration in puppies and adolescent dogs.
When doing consultations, a whole section of the questionnaire for clients is devoted to what their dogs are given to chew on a daily basis. It surprises me and many of my colleagues that I chat to regularly, how many dog guardians seldom give their dogs edible chews. When we ask them what the dog is given, they will usually say “oh they've got a basket full of toys they can chew whenever they want”. What people don't seem to realize, is that as scavengers, chewing is a vitally important behaviour for food acquisition. Dogs’ teeth and jaws are designed to gnaw, crush and tear in order to gain necessary nutrients for survival. Chewing is innately reinforcing: it relieves frustration, releases tension in the jaws and facial muscles, keeps teeth healthy and causes the release of feel good neurotransmitters in the brain. Not giving dogs edible items to chew, is denying a basic and fundamental physical and emotional need. In response to this, dogs may either become depressed or they will become frustrated and find ways to meet that need which is likely to result in what we would consider “destructive” behaviour.
While I am very grateful that Cruz is on the mend, being forced to deny the dogs chews for a restricted period of time, has been a valuable lesson for gaining insight into why my dogs have not been particularly destructive, even as puppies and teenagers. While I have no doubt that in some cases genetics does play a role and some dog guardians will experience more destructive behaviour from their dogs regardless of how well they try to meet their needs, it has been made crystal clear to me how important providing for chewing needs is to the well-being of dogs and how much it contributes to preventing destructive behaviour.
