How Do I Stop My Dog from Chewing the Walls: Complete Guide 2022
It is no secret that dogs chew on anything they can get their paws on. This includes furniture, shoes, books and of course the walls. It is a natural and normal behavior for them to do this but it is very frustrating when you see your home slowly being destroyed by your pet.
Therefore, the question asked by many dog owners and lovers is that How Do I Stop My Dog from Chewing the Walls? So, the easiest way is to give your dog some alternatives to chewing the walls. We all know that dogs like beef bones and things they can chew on so give them something similar but made for them.
Here you get the ultimate guide to stop dogs from inappropriate chewing the walls along with many other things that you need to know about dog’s behavior.
How Do I Stop My Dog from Chewing the Walls? Top 8 Effective Methods
There are several ways you can try in order to stop your dog from chewing the cemented walls. These methods are all effective for different types of dogs so it is important that you try them all.
Method #1. Bitter Apple Spray
This method is the most common way to stop dogs from chewing on different things including walls and it works very well for many dog owners. What you need to do is just mix some bitter apple anti-chew sprays in a bowl with water and then use this quick solution with an old paintbrush or any other device. It can help you apply it to the corners where your dog likes to chew.
Method #2. Dog’s favorite toy or bone
This is another method that can help you stop dogs from chewing on walls and it works because they will have something else to do instead of chewing things in their environment. For example: if your pet loves balls, then give him one ball every time he starts digging around the wall.
So, he forgets about this habit after a while because his attention is diverted towards playing with the ball which makes him happy again.
Method #3. Door / Gate Restriction
This method only applies when there are no babies at home who might get hurt by closing doors randomly but also for people who live alone without any kids or other pets in the house. When you close the doors of your home, dogs feel less safe and they start chewing on different things around them which can cause a lot of damage.
If you have a gate or some other type of barrier in front of the door then it will prevent dogs from going to those places where they might chew walls etc…
Method #4. Crate for Dog Training
Dogs love crates because it gives them safety but also their own space that belongs only to them. So, if he has his crate with everything that makes him happy then he will not go anywhere else except this place.
It is a good idea to give your pet all his favorite toys and chew toys inside the crate. So when you leave the house, he goes straight into his crate and starts playing with his favorite things without chewing other stuff around him.
Method #5. Give Your Dog More Exercise!
When you are not at home, your dog might get very bored because he doesn’t have anything to keep himself occupied. So, the only thing, he can do is start digging walls or corners of furniture, etc. Thus, in order to stop this bad behavior, it would be great if you could take him for a walk before leaving the house. It gives him something else to think about instead of damaging everything inside while you are gone.
Also exercising dogs helps them burn all that extra energy they always have built up after long hours of being stuck in one place.
Method #6. Teach Your Dog to “Leave it”
This method is very effective and simple as well. What you need to do is just teach your dog the meaning of ‘leaves it’ and then use this command whenever he starts chewing on different things including walls or corners etc.
However, training will take some time especially if they never heard about this command before. On the other hand, once you teach them, they will follow it because “leave its” are usually very effective for dogs.
Method #7. Tire Your Dog Out!
Dogs always get tired after exercising so if he already exercises enough throughout the day to burn all that extra energy. It makes him bored inside his home without any physical or mental stimulation, then he will not go anywhere else except some corner to chew it.
Here are the things that you need to make sure that you give him enough opportunities for exercising throughout the day. So, if you leave the house after giving him some daily exercise, he won’t start chewing walls while you are gone.
Method #8. Distraction method
This is another effective method for adult dogs who love digging corners. It works because they will have something else to do instead of damaging furniture or wall etc…
Finally, these are some of the methods that can help you to stop your dog from chewing walls. We hope that all of your concern about how do I stop my dog from chewing the walls has been answered.
Why Dogs Chew Walls? Reasons
There are several major reasons why your dog is chewing walls. These are all related to the natural behaviors of dogs but sometimes there are other reasons too that cause this unwanted behavior in them. Some of the common reasons include:
Boredom
This is the most common reason why dogs chew walls and it happens when they do not have anything to do throughout the day. It also happened when their environment does not provide enough mental stimulation for them.
Dogs need plenty of exercise every single day, so if you are unable to give your dog this much time then he will become bored and look for something to do.
Separation Anxiety Behavior
When you are not at home, your dog feels very nervous because he misses you so much that chewing the walls is one of his coping mechanisms when he is alone or bored without your presence. This happens mostly in dogs who have separation anxiety but it can happen with all breeds if they spend too much time on their own every day after you go to work etc…
Attention Seeking Behavior
Dogs love attention from us! So, if we ignore our pets then they will try different ways like barking or digging holes in the garden until we pay them some attention which makes them happy again. If this continues over several days then they might start looking for other places where they feel ignored like walls, corners, furniture, etc…
When we talk about why do dogs chew walls, these are some of the reasons they do this. But the most common reason is a sign of boredom which happens when you are not at home and your dog becomes very bored without any physical or mental stimulation.
What Are the Health Issues of Chewing Walls?
There are many side effects of chewing walls and the most common one is that it can lead to serious health concerns. For example, if your dog starts digging on some wall then he might swallow small pieces of paint which have very poisonous chemicals in them. After a while, there could be internal bleeding or bloating inside the stomach and other related health issues like poisoning.
Another serious health concern is when your dog starts digging on some corner that has sharp edges, then he might get injured. These corners are very dangerous for dogs especially if they have long nails.
It can easily stick into it and hurt them badly or even pierce through their skin causing bleeding inside the stomach as well so be careful before letting him dig on some corner.
Conclusion
Well, all of these methods are very effective and they will surely stop your dog from chewing walls and corners. We hope that we were able to provide you with a complete answer about how do i stop my dog from chewing the walls in an easy way so if you follow these steps then there is nothing that can go wrong!