If you have come this far it is because your dog has picked up that nice habit of nibbling on your house slippers or dress shoes. Something that at first seems fun but will end up costing us money.
There are many hypotheses about why a dog bites shoes or house slippers, even flip flops if you put them at your disposal. So let’s go over the most important ones and see how we can avoid this behavior.
Index of contents
- 1 Reasons a dog bites shoes
- 1.1 Boredom at home
- 1.2 Gum pain
- 1.3 Hunt the prey
- 2 How to prevent a dog from biting shoes?
- 2.1 Care
- 3 What are the breeds most likely to bite shoes?
Reasons a dog bites shoes
To determine the real reason why your dog is biting and breaking your shoes, we must analyze the situation in depth. Review these possible situations and tag your dog the one that fits the most.
Remember that it can be treated for one reason or several, especially if it is a puppy, since puppies tend to bite everything.
Boredom at home
Boredom is the most common reason a dog breaks things at home or even barks, especially when we leave our dogs alone for several hours.
Excessive energy and lack of activity make dogs look for alternatives to have fun and get tired, one of them being to nibble on things around the house, usually furniture or slippers.
Gum pain
Although it can affect adult dogs, this problem is generally thought of as puppies. The appearance of baby teeth or the change from baby teeth to permanent teeth causes great gum pain.
Dogs mitigate this pain by nibbling on things, usually their toys or shoes and sneakers they find on their way. Something very normal during teething period, which is the change of teeth.
Hunt the prey
Most shoes are made with animal skins, something that attracts our dog because it awakens his hunting instincts. And even if they are not made of leather, if they have cords or something that catches your attention, it will be the best biting toy.
They can identify our sneakers as toys or as prey, so that the most fun will always be hunting and nibbling on it.
How to prevent a dog from biting shoes?
The truth is that although funny, it is a nuisance because the shoes usually end up completely useless. And to be honest, shoes are not usually cheap precisely….
The best way to correct this misconduct is scold our dog When we catch him on the spot, that is, just at the moment when he bites our shoe or house slipper.
A “No!” Will suffice and a slight correction as a side touch (as in the dog charmer). When he releases the shoe, we must take it off and give him a teether to play with.
In this way you will learn what you can bite and what you should not bite. It is a matter of a few days that I learn the lesson well and let him bite shoes.
Care
Remember that shoelaces can be very dangerous, because if they are broken and swallowed they can choke or create serious digestive problems.
Prevent your dog from playing with laces or objects that can swallow, because it will.
What are the breeds most likely to bite shoes?
You will be surprised to know that absolutely all breeds of dog are prone to biting shoes, furniture or whatever they find on their way if they get bored, have gum pain or want to play prey.
But, it is especially the puppies that have a greater tendency to bite shoes, since that is when the denture is changed and the known gum pain originates.
Obviously, smaller dog breeds will do less damage than larger breed dogs, by common sense (their teeth are much smaller).