Tips on How to Stop Your Dog From Chewing Shoes and Slippers.

Having a puppy in your life is something that will totally change your life. It will surely bring happiness into your existence. But, it is a long-term responsibility; and taking care of a dog needs a deeper understanding of how they behave and how we should react to that, accordingly. 

 When puppies are within their growing stage, you’ll notice some dramatic change in their behaviors. Some might be because of the new environment and some might be due to their physiological change as they grow. Excessive chewing is one of those behaviors that owners find it annoying as it causes property damage – e.g. shoes, slippers, couch, bed, mattress, walls, and edges of furniture. 

 Honestly, my three slippers and one pair of rubber shoes are not exempted in my dog’s chewing problem. Aside from that, wiring on my sound system is damaged, and some parts of my condo’s wall are scratched.

 

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Here are some of the TIPS that I can share with you how I taught my American Bully named Escobar to stop chewing slippers.

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Understanding Separation Anxiety of Dogs.

A dog with separation anxiety might try to escape from an area where he's confined when he's left alone or separated from his guardian. But if they can’t escape, they will keep barking or find anything to chew just to ease their loneliness. Most of the accessible things that they can chew are couches, edges of furniture, and walls. To relieve your dog’s longing-ness, you might consider leaving your dirty laundry near to them when you’re not home. Dogs love owners’ smell and they love your dirty laundry too.

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Conditioning Dogs that Chewing is Bad Habit.

 Every now and then, I am observing my American Bully. Whenever he starts to grab my slipper or shoes, I will shout or raise my voice at him. It may sound traumatic and not advised by any dog’s trainer but this worked with my dog. In some exercise, I will put a slipper and a bone in front of him, when he opt the slipper, I will display an anger but when he chose the bone, I will pet him. Then I kept repeating such conditioning until he recognized which one is rewarding and which one makes me anger.

 

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Drain the Dog’s Energy as Much as Possible. 

 There are dog breeds that are couch-potato, easily get tired, and have breathing problems when brought outside. There are also other breeds that extreme and regular exercises are requisite. Your busy lifestyle due to work demands is understandable, but do find a time to walk your pet daily for at least 30 minutes to one hour. You can let your dog play with other dogs at the park until tiresome. You’ll notice your dog when arrived back at home; he’ll lie down right away until sleep. 

Invest in Chewing Toys. 

 Some dogs may engage in shoe chewing for entertainment so better purchase chewing toys to divert their attention from targeting your valuable items. In addition, puppies are notorious for chewing shoes, and it's not just because they are perpetually stuck in the "oral phase." So, it is recommendable to buy bones, Kong, or Balls to help satisfy their oral sensation craving.

Keep Away the Things That Dogs Love Chewing Away.

Your dog's nose can smell a lot more than yours; so shoes or slippers are a smorgasbord of your scent. Also, your shoe and slipper picked up scents from everywhere you walked. Parks, city streets, the gym, the office, near other animals, and your dog wants to learn about your day's adventures and your shoe is just the place to do so. So, always keep away these things from your dog as these are temptations on their "oral phase.” 

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The puppy Chewing Problem is not permanent and won’t stay longer if taught accordingly. It is part of their growing stage that we have to deal with, and this will stop naturally when they’ll get older – mostly one year onwards. But if the chewing problem persists, I suggest you need to consult a dog behaviorist to evaluate what triggers this destructive action.