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Dogs chew on wood because they like chewing on things. That’s why you see dogs constantly playing with chew toys, and why chew bones and treats are so popular with dogs. The problem with wood is that it’s not the best thing for your dog. While it’s fairly common for a dog to chew on wood (especially if you use sticks or small logs to throw to them when you’re playing fetch) your dog will thank you if you help them lay off the wood. Why? Read on to learn more.
Why is Wood Bad for my Dog?
The problem with your dog eating wood is two-fold. First, small pieces of wood can lodge splinters in the mouth and esophagus, causing damage. Second, large pieces of wood can cause even greater problems, including perforated intestines or stomach lining, and obstruction of your dog’s bowels.
How Do I Keep My Dog From Eating Wood?
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Give Your Dog a Chew Toy
Finally, the key to keeping your dog from chewing on any little piece of wood they find is to provide them with something else to chew on. In this case, try different chew toys until you find one that he or she likes. Leave a couple out in the yard, and encourage your dog to chew on the toy instead of the wood. With time, they’ll hopefully get used to leaving the wood alone.
My Dog Won’t Stop Eating Wood
If they don’t, however, and keep going back to your wood pile, for example, you may want to consider adding something to the wood that will keep them away (bitter apple, or the sprays used to keep dogs off furniture). Finally, if you’re present, use negative reinforcement – say no, shake a can filled with coins above their head when they go near the wood pile, or put them in their “bad room” and ignore them for a while. These are all ways to let your dog know that wood is bad for them. Trust us, they will thank you for it.
Video: How to Stop Dogs From Chewing Wood
This three-minute video goes into more detail about some causes for this bad habit and additional tips for getting your dog to stop eating wood.
Has your dog eaten wood before?
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98 Comments on "Dog Eating Wood: How To Make It Stop"
My dog is an old dog and never chewed on anything as a puppy but now she chews the fence up and gets out and if we leave her in the house she chews walls and door facings we don’t know what to do anymore. My husband is a truck driver and he left his truck to go inside to eat and while he was inside she chewed his bunk up. Please help
Have you tried buying a kennel and putting her in it when you’re away from the house?
Help! My dog is eating the walls and base boards in my house
Hi my name is daisy. I have two wonderful puppies . A 7 month old named buddy and a 4 month old named lola. So the problem I have is that Lola is making a habit to chew on anything that’s wood. She chews on the corners of my drawer, night stand, table chairs, and even corner walls. I’m very afraid for her if one day she gets a splinter or chokes on a piece. It’s very hard for her to stop doing this as much as I tell her to stop. Any advice ? Thank you
My sons dog tears the branches off the trees, rats the landscaping bark, inside the house he’ll find and eat laundry sheets, hand towels, socks and underwear. They try to make changes but he has to be in back yard. He’s from a rescue, Great Dane and only 8 months so still a puppy. We are worried for his health and he’s very high strung and attention needy. Love this baby. Any info to help. I’ve never seen this behavior.
My puppy is chewing on wooden furniture. Coffee table, chair legs, etc. She tears the stuffing out of all stuffed toys and dog bed. Help
P.S. I should add that sometimes excessive chewing can be a sign that the puppy just needs to burn off some energy – generally, a tired dog is a content and obedient dog, so make sure your puppy is getting the exercise it needs and you’ll find it much easier to train. 🙂
My advice is to have plenty of chew toys for when you leave the puppy on its own (try to remember to remove most of them upon your return, so that they don’t lose their novelty). Every time you catch the puppy chewing something it shouldn’t, tell it “no!” and offer it a chew toy, to show it the correct behaviour.
Also, changing out the comfy bed for a folded sheet is often better for your bank balance until the puppy is past the initial ‘chew everything I can reach’ stage.
Hope this helps, good luck!
I REALLY hope you never get your hands on a dog ever again.
Oh I feel so bad for your dogs. I’m glad to hear that you plan to never get dogs again because you shouldn’t be around them. I hope you can find a happy home for them instead of continuing to torture them.
Are you retarded?
I have an 8 month old puppy named Finn. When I leave him home, he has taken a fancy in making chew toys of my mother’s collection of eye glasses. Any advice on how to stop this?
You may find these two articles helpful:
https://www.caninejournal.com/puppy-behavior-problems/
https://www.caninejournal.com/how-to-stop-a-puppy-from-chewing/
Thanks so much!
Thoughtful comments. I appreciate the specifics. Does someone know where my business could get access to a sample DD 1750 document to work with?
I took my puppy from a dog foster home about a year ago. I love him to bits; he has a great personality, and I feel that he loves our family so much. BUT, he bites and chews a lot. How to stop it?
My husband and I were thinking about taking him to ‘doggy school’, but then again, it’s extremely expensive, and the nearest ‘doggy school’ is far away from us. Maybe you have some advice? Thank you!
Checkout this article for some tips on puppy chewing. Good luck! https://www.caninejournal.com/how-to-stop-a-puppy-from-chewing/
My dog loves to chew the mulch one puts around on outdoor areas. She is already reaching 9 months of age and will not stop. She also chews my rose bushes. If I get her to stop for a short period on one she goes to another and then decides to chew on small pebbles. I have tried everything, chew sticks she likes, (but she ends up swallowing those whole). She is a shih-Tzu, albeit a crazy one but this is a smaller dog! Help!
I keep reading chewing sticks is bad for dogs, but have there been any studies on the instances of complications due to wood/stick ingestion. My 7 month old lab is mouthy and everything goes in. He is outside as much as possible and obviously I don’t want him eating crap his body can’t handle, but I can’t constantly track him down and take every stick/pine cone, etc. he encounters away. So, when you wrote this article, what scientific studies/journals did you find your information and what are the sources?
I have a puppy who loves sticks, and pine cones. I have found out that pine trees are seriously not good for them. He breaks out around his mouth when he chews on them. Trying to get as many of the sticks and cones out of the yard. But living surrounded by pine trees is making it difficult
At ʍʏ ɦօʊsɛ աɛ ɦaʋɛ a աօօɖ քɨʟɛ ʄօʀ օʊʀ աօօɖɮʊʀռɛʀ aռɖ ʍʏ ɖօɢ աɨʟʟ ռօt stօք ɛatɨռɢ tɦɛ աօօɖ! Sɦɛ ɨs aռ Aʍɛʀɨċaռ Bʊʟʟɖօɢ aռɖ sɦɛ ʟօʋɛs աօօɖ!! Pʟɛasɛ ɦɛʟք!
Have a 10 month Labrador chewing the post supporting my deck. I’m considering trying a chew solution used for horses. Thought I would share the idea…products: Halt Cribbing and Chew Stop.
I need some advice I have two dogs who like to bite the door frames, how can I stop them doing this?
Thank you Kimberly for your advice I let you know how it goes.
MANU
My husky will not stop eating sticks. Yes, they say to keep them picked up but that is impossible. There are too many. So now what do I do? I am going crazy!
You must dump chili powder on the affected wood or a stronger powder but not something like a ghost pepper.
this didn’t work for my lab puppy. I used it for the holes she dug. She licked it up and it did not affect her at all.
With acres of trees this would be kind of hard. I do like the vicks suggestion but that would have to apply to furniture rather than sticks etc.
Really these tips are useless. These are things you use on a good puppy with occasional behavioral slip ups. My dog is 6 months old and he has destroyed anything in his path. He bites on the wooden door frames and my parents want to give him away. Give us some real help here… not this helpless info.
Walk the dog before you leave, feed the dog entirely in treat dispensing balls, give the dog a good bully stick everyday when you leave, spray bitter spray on the door frames. And get some battery powered motion sensors to position near problem areas (for us it is chewing couches).
Mine is a 10 month terrier mix. He is eating the furniture. He has plenty of chew toys, but won't stop. Help!
have you tried the vicks trick?
SUCH an amusing style of writing. I loved the laugh you just gave me – thanks!
Is it just me or is clever canine carrying on conversations with themselves?
I fully support the e-collar. Just remember to use it properly (getting attention, not necessarily meting out punishment) and mix in the positive reinforcement.
I was trying to do some research on this topic and stumbled across your question. Your dog sounds like a monsta muncher! 😉
How long until you get the new e-collar?
I'm sure he's a very happy, healthy, spoiled little man, you'll win the fight eventually, so hang in there! (Remember he is, only a puppy.)
My dog literally will not quit eating our fence! I've given her toys, sprayed stuff, disciplined her, literally nothing had worked! 🙁 Please help!
Have you tried giving her a safe wooden toy? Mine loves sticks so I just bought him a toy stick that won't damage his mouth.
Those toy sticks that aren’t really sticks are way worse for dogs than actual wood. Even my local pet supply store — who continues to sell them — says that a lot of their customers’ dogs have been to the vet because of them. Maybe that’s why some vets recommend them?
Where do you buy those toy sticks?
Please use caution with wood sticks. Injuries to gums and digestion issues can come from dogs chewing on wood.
A good compromise could be the Petstages Dogwood Stick that is only made from 30% wood, is not toxic, and will not splinter.
For around $100 you can buy the supplies for an electric fence (the visible kind, without the shock collar). I have one. I don’t love the way it looks having that wire around the perimeter of my yard and around the trees, but all of my trees flourished this year after barely surviving the assaults the last year.
For added measure, I also wrapped the tree trunks in chicken wire up to about 4 feet.
I would give this dog up in a second.
Any dog like this should not be left free to roam when there is no one home. A crate should be used. I never leave my dog free outside or in when I’m not home.
My dog is a year old. When we leave him home so we can go to work he chews the corners and legs of the coffee table. It is a wood coffee table. The past two days he will not eat or drink and he has been throwing up a lot. He is not the same puppy anymore and it's killing me because I don't know what to do to help him or stop him from doing this so he can eat again. He hasn't ate in two days ); someone please help!!!!!
I finally smeared Vicks on all the wooden legs on my furniture. My puppy took one sniff, tried to lick it and never touched any of the furniture again. I even smeared some on the corner of a chair cushion and she left that alone, too.
Kind of hard to train an animal what to chew on or not when u are not by his side 24/7. Impossible! Like it’s hard to train a dog not to eat his poo if you aren’t there to correct him. I found out dogs are like kids. When no one is around they do what they want pretty much!
People should not have pets if they don’t have the time for them putting them in cages all day is cruel. Would you do that to your children? I have 3 pit bulls never cage and yes they did chew on stuff but just like kids, teach them not to. My dogs did out grow it but I spent the time with them.
Big difference between “by his side 24/7” and “in cages all day.” I’ll never understand this cult-of-the-pet-parents. Plenty of dog owners have real kids, full-time+ jobs, and plenty of other obligations that go with working, home ownership, parenting, etc. If push comes to shove, I push the dogs outside to the dog run and I throw ’em a bone (that is where the saying comes from, no?). Because they’re dogs with dog houses and fur, and I’ve made their lives better than they would have been otherwise.
I’d suggest some behavior modification techniques to get your dog to stop eating wood. I’m particularly concerned about the splinters from the wood disrupting the intestinal tract. Instead, why don’t you try some dog behavioral modification techniques by substituting a Kong toy whenever your dog would normally go after the wood. A bit of bitter apple spray on the wood to make it unpleasant may also help.
My dog is doing the same thing – chewing door frames, window frames, the end of tables. Sprays, toys, discipline, walks, training, etc. won’t work. He even has another dog for company. We need real advice because the constant damage, repairs, and necessity to crate him for long hours as a result is hurting me and wearing me down.
Not sure how getting rid of your dog would help him with his problem. Not sure that feeding him something that hot is good for him. Seems like you shouldn’t own a dog.
Seems like Samantha shouldn’t own a computer.
If you read the post earlier it is not good for the dog to ingest wood either. And if you are frustrated and the dog is costing too much money than the dog should go to a good home. Everyone should know their limits.
Lets not be dramatic.
It’s not like she was feeding it to her dog in a bowl for crying out loud, the dog probably stayed away just because of the smell, or maybe gave it a few licks here and there and realized he didn’t like it.
Got that everyone, if you’re having a problem with your dog you shouldn’t own one.
In case you don’t realize dogs are not people, they use there superior sense of smell and TASTE to interpret their surroundings, and to communicate with humans it’s behavior and body language, from this post of your’s. You seem like a person who has no authority over people, so take that out on your dog, while most humans have an affinity with animals and see them as part of the family, and treat them like it! Dogs don’t need training, we need training to understand them! I just think your smarmy remark needs throwing back in your face!
I fully and completely disagree Rover. It’s not like she’s abusing the dog she’s just explaining to the dog (in her own way) that this wood isn’t good for him therefore, in my opinion it’s fine plus most dogs are smart enough to stay away after a taste or a sniff. Oh and just because dogs aren’t people they’re still smarter than you. Plus giving your dog some sense of right and wrong isn’t (in most cases) a crime.
Does anyone know how this is any different from spraying with something bitter?
If they don’t like the taste of the hot sauce, they’re not going to ingest enough of it to hurt them.
My dog is constantly bringing me and/or chewing on pieces of wood in our yard, which backs up to the forest. It’s cute that she’s bringing us gifts, but I’m a little worried about her health. She’s 4, and has been doing this all her life. No issues so far, but should we be discouraging her from chewing on the wood?
I have been looking online like crazy trying to figure out why my dog is eating wood. I read all these things, and you all have it made! Your dog is eating wood outside. My dog has literally eaten my window frame, my door frame and a hole right through my wall. Ate my SHEET ROCK even! I have no idea what’s going on. Is my dog the only insane dog doing this?
My dog likes to chew on my carpet so I got a special one for him.
So not only do I have this problem with my dog chewing wood, but now my 2 year old daughter started chewing on her crib in the same manner!! She just devoured it to the point where we had to put tape and guard rails over the entire thing.
Watch your dogs and your children!
Baby see's dog eat wood, wants to copy. Made me laugh. My friend found a frog in her baby's mouth. We noticed the legs sticking out of his mouth. It jumped out when she opened his mouth. A kodak moment, alas no camera.
I think with all the sticks dogs have been chasing for years, we don’t need to go have a cow if a dog chews on a bit of wood. Isn’t it just as bad if they chew on a tennis ball? I think you’re right with the “everything in moderation” approach.
If your dog is literally eating the wood, that’s not good. But to play catch with them using a stick? Not a problem in my unprofessional opinion – but considering that’s what dogs have been doing for years, I see no reason to panic now.
So what do you do when your dog eats your window frame? And your door frame and eats a hole through the sheet rock to the point where you can see the other room on the opposite side of the wall? My dog is eating my house away day by day. Pretty soon I’ll have no house!
What is more important? Your dog or your house? Either shell out the bucks to have him trained, or shell out the bucks for home repairs. Or get rid of the dog. A properly trained animal can be a joy, otherwise it causes you undue stress. Make a decision.
What are you feeding your dog? It sounds like maybe your dog is missing out on some nutrients it’s trying to get from the wood. That, or hire a dog trainer and train him/ her to stop eating your house!