Ever come home and wondered why your dog has decided to chew something they shouldn’t?
It’s happened to all of us. From first time puppy owners to experienced dog owners.
But why does your dog need to chew? And how can you safely facilitate this?
3 reasons your dog needs to chew
Safely allowing your dog to chew has many benefits and can even help you identify when there’s a potential issue.
We run through just some of the reasons you should allow your dog to chew!
1. Chewing relieves stress and boredom
The number one reason a dog will chew something they shouldn’t is because they’re bored or their needs aren’t being met.
The act of chewing itself has a calming and comforting effect on your dog. When a dog chews, it triggers the release of endorphins.
Hence why a stressed dog = chewing on things they shouldn’t.
But this means there are many benefits to your dog chewing. We just need to make sure they’re chewing on the right things.
2. Encouraging healthy teeth and gums
Natural chews can help to keep your dogs teeth and gums healthy.
Chewing on a firm dog chew can also help to reduce build up of plaque and tartar on your dogs teeth.
For puppies and younger dogs, chewing can actually help promote healthy tooth growth and ease discomfort when they’re teething.
3. Chewing burns excess energy
Has the weather been to hot to walk or your dog is recovering from an injury or operation? Maybe they’ve just got excess energy.
Well, chewing can actually help them to burn off that energy.
After all, chewing is a natural instinct for dogs.
Making sure they have something safe to chew on can help them live a happier life.
How to safely facilitate chewing
Now, we aren’t saying you should let your dog chew the coffee table.
Neither are we saying they should be allowed copious amounts of treats every day!
You can safely and healthily feed your dog natural treats and chews, such as those available in our pick n mix boxes or our mystery treat boxes.
Remember, these are to be fed as a treat - so don’t give them all at once! Think of it this way, you wouldn’t eat a whole tub of ice cream every single day, so don’t allow your dogs to have tons of treats every day.
Feed in moderation, and always remember to take any treats into consideration when feeding daily meals.
As a general rule of thumb, dogs need at-least 30 minutes of chewing every day or every other day.
Noticing when there’s a problem
As always, seek veterinary advice if you notice any change or problems with your dog.
If your dog has never had a natural treat before, introduce any new proteins to their diet slowly.
If your dog becomes unwell or struggles to chew when they usually wouldn’t, seek veterinary advice.
ALWAYS supervise your dog when chewing and ensure they have plenty of fresh drinking water.
And, to end on a light note - let us know in the comments what’s the worst thing your dog has ever chewed - we’ve all been there!