3 Reasons Why Your Dog is Chewing Up Your Furniture

The frustration you get when your beloved dog chews through your immaculately designed home is a feeling many dog owners have experienced. On the one hand, you love your pet and want to keep them, but on the other, you can’t let them get away with constantly tearing up your curtains and ripping your cushions every time that you try to replace them. The good news is that dogs generally do not misbehave in this way, and when they do, this behavior is reversible.

You must begin by figuring out why your dog is misbehaving. In some cases, they simply need to be properly house-trained. If your dog has never been house-trained, you should contact a local dog expert or seek recommendations from your local vet. A more serious potential cause of your dog’s behavior, however, might be anxiety. Here are the three potential reasons why your dog may be chewing up your furniture:

Improper Training

As previously mentioned, poorly trained dogs may chew on furniture. This is especially true for high-energy breeds who are not getting enough exercise. In such cases, a mixture of training and increased outdoor exercise amounts will help resolve the situation.

Anxiety

Most dogs are hyper-attached to their owners and become upset when they have to be separated from them. Dogs often struggle with being left by themselves because they tend to associate pleasant things like food, walks, and play with their guardian’s company, making them unable to find comfort in their absence. If this is your dog, learn how to help a dog with anxiety right away.

Some dogs become anxious about exposure to visual stimuli that they do not quite understand, like facial expressions or moving objects like umbrellas. Others may exhibit anxiety symptoms only when they have to ride in cars or visit the vet’s office. Another category of dogs seems to suffer anxiety around children because of their high-pitched voices and tendency to frolic around.

Any sudden change in a dog’s way of life can prompt anxiety. This could involve a change in the environment, like when dogs are rehomed or made to come around strangers.

A change in their daily routine resulting from traveling, a shift in their owner’s work hours, or their owner’s absence for unusual periods may also trigger anxiety.

These are all specific situations with chances of triggering dog anxiety, and these pets are perfectly fine when they are not being exposed to them.

Aging

As dogs grow older, they usually experience a decline in cognition, which affects their learning, memory, and perception of themselves. This is similar to Alzheimer’s disease in elderly humans and may lead to confusion or anxiety in these senior dogs. This can be manifested by forgetting its training and reverting to bad habits such as chewing of furniture.

Whatever the reason for your dog chewing your furniture, if identified early and managed appropriately, they will be back to good behavior in no time.

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