Dogs that chew everything around the house (cables, walls, their cage, your slippers) can do this until old age when they will slowly run out of energy.
While there is no one-size-fits-all solution or miracle that will stop them from gnawing at what they shouldn’t, we’ve tried to find some answers and recommend you how to stop a dog from chewing on wood trim:
Training
Just like we teach our youngsters what’s safe to touch when they explore, you must teach your puppy what’s safe for it to chew on. Any opportunity to chew on things that are deemed undesirable or unsafe for your puppy, like wood trims, doors, furniture, shoes, etc., must be stopped immediately. This can be done with the assistance of proper training methods.
When being outdoors, make sure that your dog is aware of the fact that you don’t want it to pick up unwanted pieces of wood or other items.
Puppy-proofing the house
It is extremely important to make sure that your new addition to the family benefits from a safe environment where it can grow, explore, and play out of the harm’s way. Limit as much as possible access to items that may cause accidents. Check for tips and products that help you to decide the way to puppy-proof your house and garden.
Using a crate or kennel
Create a safe and calming environment for your puppy by using a dog crate, a sleeping bag, or a dog bed. By placing your dog in a kennel or crate you can ease stress and also restrict its access to wood items around the house.
Deterrent Sprays or homemade Anti-Lick/Chew solutions
This is a simple way to deter your dog to chew wood or other household items. These sprays have a smell that’s repulsive to dogs. They also have a particularly bitter taste that would prevent your dog from trying to bite or chew the objects sprayed.
Diversions
On the market, there are numerous toys made for chewing. They are made from safe and resistant materials and are a great way to satisfy your dog’s chewing needs, exploring without any chaos and damage to your household items.
Choosing Safe Teething Products
Teething is often a stressful time for you and your puppy. The constant discomfort and pain resulting from erupting teeth can cause your pup to try to find various ways to alleviate these unpleasant symptoms. You can find various suitable and safe products that will help your puppy get relief from its distress.
Read more about dog training on beanietoes.com
Why Do Dogs Chew on Wood Trim
Curiosity
Young dogs use their mouths to explore and understand different textures and tastes. This is a natural instinct for all dogs: to explore everything that’s within its reach.
Boredom
Leaving your dog alone for long periods of your time can cause boredom. The absence of your attention and with the shortage of an interesting environment or sufficient exercise, your dog starts trying to find other avenues to divert its attention.
Teething
Teething is causing your pup pain and discomfort. You will probably see lots of signs of chewing all around your home.
Separation Anxiety
Another serious cause that results in chewing is separation anxiety. In your absence a dog might feel high levels of stress and unease. In an effort to alleviate these feelings, your dog may resort to chewing on any material that it can access.
Hunger
There are times when your dog might resort to chewing on wood as a result of hunger. This could be the case if your dog is on a reducing diet.
It sometimes might be a sign of the presence of an intestinal parasite preventing the right absorption of nutrients.
What is the wood trim?
Wood trim, alternatively referred to as wood fascia. Wood trims are often made up of natural materials like beechwood, maple, walnut, oak, or synthetic materials. This is not food good for dogs, it is a decorative element that most houses will have. Pets seem to like chewing and scratching this type of surface.
Dangers of Wood Trim Chewing:
- Wood items easily splinter, and this leads to small sharp shards in your dog’s mouth. A number of these shards could get stuck in your dog’s teeth, resulting in injury to the teeth or gums.
- A tough piece of wood can cause broken teeth or other damage to your dog’s jaws and gums.
- Shards of wood stuck between the teeth also can end in infection.
- Swallowed shards have the likelihood of getting stuck within the body and causing a rupture or internal damage and bleeding.
- A gastro-intestinal blockage is another possible adverse effect of your dog ingesting wood shards.
- Most dangerous of all is that the possibility of your dog choking on a bit of wood that gets stuck in its throat.
In conclusion, besides the fact that it can destroy the wood trim in your house, chewing on wood trim can create serious health problems for your dog. The solution that will work for you will also depend on the dog you have; you must try one or all, one at a time until you stop this activity. In our case, we managed to stop the dog from chewing the wood trim by training and, additionally, using a deterrent spray.
