The destructiveness of the dog is a problem not to be underestimated: the causes and ways of dealing with them must be analyzed and the destructive behavior of our dog must never be underestimated: besides being annoying for the owners, in fact, can be very dangerous for the quadruped, as it could ingest toxic substances, poisonous foods, toxic plants or cause wounds.
Also, in an adult dog, this can be a manifestation of a behavior disorder, that is, be a symptom of a more serious problem. To treat destructiveness it is necessary understand the reasons why the dog behaves this way.
Causes of destructive behavior
The reasons why our dog can develop this destructive attitude can be several, the most commons are:
Separation anxiety
Lack of time to play with him
Boredom
The environment does not stimulate you
Attention seeking
Feeding problems
Fears and phobias
Changes in routine
Hyperactivity
Frustration
And others they can be triggers so that this attitude aggravates and harms our friend.
Dog behavior problems
Most behavioral problems in dogs they have an easy solution, the most effective way to regain your happy and obedient dog is knowing how to detect in time the causes of destructive behavior of our dog, below we explain the most common causes and how to treat them.
Poor play or lack of activity
If a dog doesn't get a chance to play enough, tries to let off steam with whatever he finds in his house: pillows, shoes, toilet paper, furniture, etc.
When a dog gets bored, particularly young ones, identifies destruction as a substitute for that lack of activity. For him it is a way of compensating for his needs. This behavior can occur both in the presence and absence of the owners.
In these cases it is useless to punish the dog, rather what would be convenient is provide proper exercise and interaction, as well as enriching the environment with various interactive toys.
These toys, specifically designed to entertain the dog, they can be filled with sweet foods, depending on the toy, trying to get our dog to get the food that we have hidden inside. In this way, we will get many hours having fun and mentally tire, thus helping that attitude be channeled in a more peaceful and less destructive way.
Destruction as a means of attracting attention
There are such dogs eager for interaction that can damage objects just to get the attention of the owners.
If we have, for example, something in our hand, we get up and go elsewhere with that object in hand, the dog may start running after us barking. For him This is a game and a way to get their attention. For these dogs, even punishment is a form of care. This type of destruction tends to occur mainly in the presence of the owners, so in order not to further reinforce this harmful behavior, the dog should be ignored when it tries to get our attention in this way.
Lend more attention to the dog, playing with him more often and carrying out are all activities that will help him improve. It is useful to use interactive games again to enrich the environment and keep our dog busy, both physically and mentally.
The age of the quadruped, the opportunity to enrich the environment, the owner's cooperation with a specialist in behavior problems and the time that the dog behaves in this way, are key factors in determining the treatment to follow.
Fears and phobias
Many dogs have fear of storms and loud noises, some tremble and others begin to worry and destroy everything.
The problem is that sometimes the fear of the dog is generalized, that is, over time, he begins to fear other noises associated with the traumatic event of a previous one. For example, if the dog is locked in a room for a long time, and this room reminds him of a previous storm (or other fear), the dog may become very anxious and begin to destroy or scratch nonsense, even in the absence of the storm. This can occur both in the presence and in the absence of the owners.