Background Story: I have had a horrible experience as my dog chewed through his crate while I was at work. My dog used to break out of his crate and destroy the house, but this is the first time he has chewed through his crate. In addition, my dog also hurt his nose in his crate while trying to chew his way out. What should I do?
It’s not pleasant to see that your dog chewed through his crate and potentially caused damage everywhere throughout your home. However, this problem is quite common in dogs, especially in younger dogs that are less than two years old. Often times, dogs will get extremely bad separation anxiety or experience severe stress which will cause destructive behavior such as your dog chewing through his dog crate. In addition, boredom or lack of exercise may be another culprit may be why your dog breaks out of their crate and destroys the house.
However, typically as a dog grows older they begin to experience less anxiety and stress because they begin to adapt to their environment better. Loud noises, weird objects, and separation from their owners no longer affect your dog as much as they grow older and they don’t always try to break out of their crate. Your dog chewing through his crate should drastically decrease with age. However, below are our recommendations to help you make the current situation better.
Metal or Steel Dog Crate
The first things that I would do is make sure that you have a metal crate for your dog. Metal is extremely difficult to chew through for a dog. If your dog is already chewing through their thin metal crate then I would recommend that you invest in a steel crate that your dog won’t be able to chew through. It’s important that you have your dog secured in their crate so they don’t destroy your house. A crate also will give your dog a sense of security as they get used to it.
Anxiety Dog Toys for Stimulation
Next, I would buy some new dog toys if your dog chews through their crate. Toys are one of the most powerful ways to keep your dog occupied and give them some other type of stimulation rather than chewing through their crate. Some of the best toys that you can buy your dog to keep them occupied from chewing on their crate are anxiety stuffed animal dog toys, ropes, or an anxiety dog mat. If you think your dog may have separation anxiety, check out this article for some great advice: My dog is panting, shaking, and clingy.
Dog Calming Treats to Reduce Chewing
Dog calming treats can significantly help reduce the times your dog chews on their crate. There are several different active ingredients for calming your dog including melatonin, hemp oil, and chamomile. Dog calming chews are a good way to lower stress, relieve fears, reduce anxiety, and lower overall aggressive behavior in your dog. There are several non-drowsy formulas that simply provide relaxation and less environmental stress to your dog. This a great alternative to not get your dog not to chew through his crate.
If your dog is hurting their nose in the crate when you leave them alone then dog calming treats are also a good option. One time our dog chewed through his crate and hurt his nose while chewing. Calming chews significantly helped relax our dog when we are not home.
Exercise to Reduce Chewing
Regularly exercising your dog will help reduce the times that your dog breaks out of their crate and destroys the house. Chances are your puppy has all this pent-up energy and does not know how to release it, so he partakes in destructive behavior when the pet owner isn’t home. Regularly running, walking, hiking, or even taking them to the dog park will not only reduce the chewing on their crate, but also help them calm down when you are gone.
Our dog used to destroy the crate when left alone, but increasing the amount of times we exercised him help significantly. We play more fetch, run around the park, and go on more frequent walks throughout the day.
Positive Reinforcement Going into the Crate
Using positive reinforcement to get your dog into their crate will help to let your dog know that you’re leaving and you will soon develop a routine. For instance, before I leave for work in the morning I always give my dog the same peanut butter calming treat. Now he knows that when I give him the same treat that I am leaving the house and may be gone for a significant amount of time. This also helps lower my dogs stress by letting him know that I am leaving. Using positive reinforcement to get your dog into the crate also helps your dog associate good thoughts with their dog create.
Conclusion for My Dog Chewed Through His Crate. What Should I do?
If your dog chewed through his crate, there is some immediate action that needs to be taken. First, make sure you buy a stronger crate such as a metal or steel dog crate or else your dog will continue to break out of their crate and destroy your house. Second, new dog toys will help provide other forms of stimulation rather than chewing on their crate. Third, dog calming chews will help relax your dog from stress or anxiety issues. As a pet owner, some other ideas are exercising your dog more and using positive reinforcement when your dog enters their dog crate.
Other articles to read:
- Best Double Door Dog Crate
- How to Cook Eggs for Dogs?
- How to Remove a Tick from a Dog Without Tweezer?
Dr. Sabrina Kong graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in England in 2016 and has been working at a small animal clinic in Northern California since then. She grew up in the Bay Area and got her bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She also became a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner through a program at the University of Tennessee.
When she isn’t in the clinic taking care of her four-legged patients, she enjoys traveling and trying new foods with her friends and her three-legged dog, Apollo. She adopted Apollo from her clinic when he was a puppy with numerous health issues. Dr. Kong truly cares about taking care of animals.