Whether it be a corner of a table, the carpet, or your remotes, dogs seem to be always chewing on something they are not supposed to be.
Recently, Harvey asked his friends what questions they would like answered. His good friend Gina’s mom had a very interesting one. She asked:
“What is my dog’s fixation with chewing every remote control all about?”
Here is what Harvey had to say about it.
Why Your Dog Chews The Remote From Harvey’s Perspective
The remote? Is that the little black thing you always lose under the chair Mom? If so, I’m not sure why anyone would want to chew that! It doesn’t smell very good and it comes apart too easily. I like a challenge!
Unless she is trying to turn the T.V. on or change the channel, then I might understand. I’ve noticed that the T.V. always changes whenever you hold that remote, so maybe Gina is just trying to change it herself?
I can understand why. I love watching doggy YouTube that’s meant for me! Maybe that’s all she is trying to do!
Or maybe she’s upset because her owners watch too much T.V. and don’t give her enough attention so this is her way of lashing out. I doubt it though, I see all the love Gina gets!
Separation Anxiety Causes Dogs To Chew
My mom always says I’m a Velcro dog but that I don’t have separation anxiety. Maybe Gina does though? A lot of the time when doggos have separation anxiety they tend to chew things up when left all alone.
Not gonna lie, I’ve considered chewing Mom’s shoes more than once when she has left me. Shh don’t tell her though.
Anyways, the ASPCA has a great article on how to figure out if this is the problem or not, as well as how to help if it is.
Lack of Mental Stimulation
Maybe she is just bored? Sometimes I get bored just laying at Mom’s feet while she works. That’s why she always gives me what she calls “enrichment time.”
I don’t really know what that means but it results in her giving me different puzzles and games every day! Some days there are treats hidden in knotted towels and other days they are hidden under cups!
Other ways to keep your dog’s mind stimulated is with:
- Daily walks
- Dog agility
- Feeding meals in puzzle toys
- Fetch games
- Playtime with other dogs
Teething Results In Chewing
If I know anything, it’s that growing my adult teeth was not fun. Wowza those hurt when they were coming in! Not to mention I kept losing my baby teeth and having to eat them. I didn’t want my brother Bussy knowing my teefers were falling out.
I stopped teething around 6 months old though, so this is probably not the case for Gina. However, many puppers do chew on anything and everything to help with the teething process; including remotes.
If they are anything like me, they know that wooden drawers and foamy bathroom mats are great for teething! Don’t tell my Mom I said that though. She was insistent I only chew on my special teething toys she bought me. They were great but something about that foam mat just hit the spot.
Dogs Just Love to Chew
Another reason may just be that she loves to chew! Most doggos do actually. Including me!
If I didn’t have my plethora of toys and bones, I would probably succumb to chewing the remote as well.
However, even with a bunch of toys I still sometimes chew things I’m not supposed to. A few ways to prevent this though is to:
- Put items out of your dog’s reach (Mom always picks up the toddler’s fake fish when she showers because I just can’t help myself and feel the need to lick them.)
- Spray items with chewing deterrents (My mom has never done this but apparently it can be helpful!)
- Don’t confuse your dog by giving them some shoes to chew but not others (aka, just because something is old doesn’t mean us doggos can chew it because we don’t know the difference between old and new.)
- Replace inappropriate materials with appropriate ones (Every time I’m chewing one of the toddler’s toys, my Mom takes it away and places one of my toys in my mouth. This is supposed to help me associate what is okay to chew and what isn’t.)
- Offer both inedible and edible options for your dog to chew (I loveeeeeeeeee my Himalayan Chews and highly recommend them.)
Preventing Chewing While You Are Away
I absolutely hate when Mom leaves me. I stand at the window and cry until I realize she isn’t coming back right away. Maybe I do have a bit of separation anxiety…. Anyways! If Gina’s pawrents don’t want her chewing things, like the remote, while they are gone there are a few things they can do.
For starters, they can begin by confining Gina to a specific area that only contains safe to chew objects. However, she should not be contained in a small area like a crate for more than six hours at a time.
My mommy contains me to the kitchen with a baby gate. I don’t mind though because she always leaves lots of my toys to play with while she is gone. But never my bone, unfortunately. She says I could choke on it but I think she just wants to keep it for herself!
What Not To Do If Your Dog Chews
You should never muzzle your dog to prevent them from chewing, this is a big no no. Mom tells me horror stories of owners who duct tape their doggos mouth shut around objects they chew! This is a no no because it won’t teach us anything.
Despite how upset you get, you should also not show us the damage we did and spank us. Most of the time, we cannot connect the action that we did before with the punishment now. The only time you can scold us for chewing is when you catch us in the act.
Mom normally just yells “Harvey, no!” and I get sad and stop. I’m getting much better at not chewing things I’m not supposed to as I age! I guess I am a good boy. Not like a wrote a whole article about being a good boy or anything… hehehe 🙂
Dogs Love to Chew
As Harvey said above, dogs just love to chew. Identifying why they are chewing the things they shouldn’t be will help you to end the behavior.
If your pup only tears things apart while you are gone, they are likely just bored or have separation anxiety.
No matter what the reason behind the chewing is though, it can be stopped.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider following Harvey on Facebook or Instagram! Feel free to ask him a question of your own as well!
Also feel free to go follow Gina and her wonderful adventures!
Harvey Our Boy 