You get very pained on getting home, only for you to discover that your dog has spoiled and destroyed your beautiful and most expensive shoes. Dogs chewing shoes looks very meaningless to a lot of people, but they have their reasons. These purposeful reasons may include;
- Cutting adult teeth
Puppies chew on almost everything to relieve them of the pain of cutting adult teeth. They also don’t know yet that not
everything should be put in their mouth. You have to train your dog not to chew during puppyhood by giving him enticing dog treats, and also keeping away shoes out of their reach and praising them for choosing a right chewing object. Nevertheless, chewing is so important in puppy behavior, it is improbable that your puppy will stop chewing on shoes until he is done cutting his adult teeth.
- To seek attention
When you shout at your dog when he chews on your shoes, you may be teaching him that chewing is a way to seek attention. Dogs are very fast learners, and if your dog learns that chewing a shoe gets a stronger reaction than chewing the right toy, he’s much more likely to take off running with your shoe.
In order to avoid this kind of attention-seeking behavior, give your dog more attention when he’s being calm or chewing on the right toy. When they grab your shoe, collect your shoe from them without speaking or making eye contact and walk away.
- To eliminate Anxiety and Boredom
Chewing eliminates nervous energy which gives bored dogs something to do. When your dog is left alone in the house for a long period of time, it decides to chew shoes as a result of sheer boredom. Some dogs chew when they’re anxious during storms and separations. If your dog is anxious and chewing, you provide him with a crate which would make him more secured. To take your dogs out of boredom, you also need to provide them with treat-releasing dog toys or probably hire a dog walker.
- To enhance smelling
Dogs are driven first and foremost by their nose; their sense of smell is very sharp and captivating. Even the little interesting smell can make your dog to chew on your shoes. Leather shoes may smell like food to dogs, and any shoe you’ve worn smells like you, making it immediately alluring. Shoes usually pick up a diversity of interesting scents and chewing on your shoes may just be your dog’s way of getting to know what you’ve been doing all day.