Is your dog a toy murderer? Do they seem to thrive on tearing up beds, pillows, or even the trash? Let’s talk about destruction, what you can do about it, and why you shouldn’t try to completely stop it.
Why Your Dog Can’t Stop Destroying
Tearing things apart to get to what’s inside is a natural dog behavior. For dogs living outside of human care, this behavior is about getting food, either from something they hunted or scavenged. Your dog’s ancestors needed this behavior and it lives on inside of our pet dogs.
Many of our pet dogs find it fun and intrinsically rewarding to destroy things. Some dogs, of course, are more attracted to this behavior than others. This might be due to breeding – humans have selected some breeds to want to shake and tear and others to be less interested – or individual personality and learning differences. Regardless of the exact “why”, if your dog shows interest in destroying things, you can trust that they aren’t alone.
Important Caveat: While destructive behavior can be a very normal canine behavior, there are situations where it can be a sign of distress or even panic. This is particularly true if the behavior only happens when the dog is alone. Not all alone-time destruction is panic (they could just be bored), but if you come home to a mess, it’s important to dig deeper. Watch your dog on camera when you are out of the house – are they vocalizing, panting, pacing, drooling, or any other signs of stress, along with the destructive behavior? In that case, reach out to a professional.
Let Them Have Their Fun
It’s tempting, as humans, to try to stop destructive behavior completely. After all, it can be costly and emotional when applied to furniture, clothes, or kid’s toys. Even if it only results in a large dog toy “graveyard”, this can feel like a waste. If we let them tear apart some things, what’s to stop them from going after everything? Some people may also be concerned that this “aggressive” destruction could lead to other concerning behaviors if left unchecked.
The truth though is that, if your dog needs to destroy things, it will be far easier to prevent them from targeting inappropriate items if they have appropriate outlets. This natural behavior can’t be stopped 100% but must be channeled.
Destroying things can also be great mental and physical stimulation, leading to a calmer dog later!
Types of Safe Destruction
If you’ve identified that your dog likes to chew, shred, rip, and dissect things, your next step is finding safe and appropriate outlets.
Each dog and each household are unique so “safe” will depend on evaluating your own situation. Two common concerns are:
- Eating what they shouldn’t: If your dog has a tendency to ingest the things they’ve torn up, you’ll need to make sure whatever you offer is either fully edible or can’t be torn into small enough pieces to consume.
- Protecting their stuff: If your dog or any other pets in the household have a tendency to “resource guard” (display behaviors to keep others from approaching or taking away things in their possession, including growling, snapping, or biting), you will need to make adjustments to keep everyone safe. Destroyed toys may still be worth guarding. Depending on your dog, you may be able to provide these activities in a separate space from other family members and then clean up after the dog has left the area; however, if your dog has displayed aggressive behavior, consult with a qualified professional to ensure safety and fun for everyone.
With those situations and your unique dog’s needs in mind, here are some options for “destruction games”:
- Hide food or toys in cardboard boxes, paper bags, or paper egg cartons
- Roll, wrap, or tie food or toys in old towels or clean paper
- Wrap bits of food in paper or fabric and stuff them in a hollow toy, such as the Hol-ee Roller Ball
- Purchase toys that are made to be pulled apart, such as Outward Hound’s “Hide A-” series
- Restuff the “shells” of previously de-stuffed toys with fabric, paper, lettuce leaves, etc.
- Tuck small treats between the leaves of a head of lettuce or cabbage (some dogs don’t even need the extra treats!)
Get creative! Once you stop thinking about destroying as a bad thing, there may be options all around you.
Discouraging Inappropriate Destruction
Your dog is having fun, you understand it’s natural, but you still want to protect your belongings! Part of managing unwanted behavior is providing appropriate outlets so you’re halfway there. Now you can take steps to discourage your dog from choosing things you want to protect.
Dog Proof Thoroughly
The most common mistake people make is doing too little dog-proofing and essentially teaching their dogs to overcome the challenge. Fully put away food, trash, and anything tempting, in a place where your dog definitely can’t access it. Use baby gates, closed doors, and ex-pens as needed to limit access to things your dog finds irresistible. Move things that you don’t want them to touch, even if they haven’t shown interest yet.
Differentiate When It’s Okay vs Not
Is that cardboard box for your dog or not? What about the plush toy on the floor of the kid’s room? When you provide destructive games and toys for your dog, do so in a way that’s clearly distinct from other conditions. Put boxes that are for them in a particular room, add a sprinkle of treats around them, and encourage your dog to “dig in”. Boxes on the table, with no treats, and no encouragement – clearly a different situation (though you may still not want to put them on the ground). By using locations, cues, and food, you can indicate to your dog that this is one of those times when you want them to go for it. Combine this with dog proofing or you may still have issues!
Tearing things apart is a natural dog behavior and, rather than trying to stop it, you’re better off finding appropriate outlets. That way, your dog can be a dog and your belongings can be safe. Have fun!
If your dog has a behavior problem that you need help solving, consider scheduling a private behavior consultation.