How To Stop A Dog From Chewing On Wood Trim

Many dog breeds like Labrador, Golden Retriever, Collie, and Chihuahua are big chewers. They will often vent their energy toward wood trims when they are bored. This will cause damages to your home, which will cost some money to repair. Unless you correct the behavior, you will keep seeing chewed trims. This is why knowing how to stop a dog from chewing on wood trim areas is necessary.

Why do dogs chew wood?

Dogs, especially puppies, have an instinct to chew. They would often chew wood trims and other similar surfaces at home because that’s what they do in the wild. Wild dogs chew on sticks, barks, and branches to relieve tooth pain and beat boredom. 

Puppies will chew wood trims when they are teething. The discomfort of the sprouting teeth will push them to chew stiff surfaces. Wood is one of the best picks because it allows their tiny daggers to bury on it.

Moreover, dogs chew to be entertained. This happens if you fail to provide enough physical and mental stimulation to the canine.

Hunger can also be the reason why an adult dog would chew on wood trims. Dogs that are put on a low-calorie diet are more likely to resort to this chewing habit.

Lastly, chewing your wood trims might be your dog’s way of catching your attention. This occurs when the dog has been left alone and hasn’t been receiving the same attention that it used to get before.

Whatever the reason is, it’s important to correct the behavior. If tolerated, your dog will think that it’s fine to chew things around the house. From wood trims, your pet will soon target more valuable items like shoes, appliance cables, and furniture. 

Research has shown that correcting behavioral problems in pets is difficult than stopping them from appearing in the first place. So, you should focus on your dog’s training when it is growing up. This can save you from multiple problems in the future. 

Is it dangerous for my dog to chew wood?

If the wood chewing is excessive, it can bring a lot of health problems for your dog. It can damage your dog’s teeth. This concern is more serious for puppies since they have small teeth and sensitive gums.  

Also, ingesting wood pieces can cause digestive problems. Since wood doesn’t fully break down in the stomach, it could make it harder for your dog to eliminate. Worse, wood trims might be treated with chemicals that could upset the dog’s tummy.

How to stop a dog from chewing on wood trims?

Instead of going home to chewed wood trims, the following tips will help you correct the behavior:

Training is necessary

The best and permanent solution to destructive chewing is training. The moment you see your dog chewing on the wood trim, disrupt it with a loud noise. You can say a loud and firm ‘no’ or a thundering clap. This will get your dog’s attention.

Once your dog takes its teeth off the wood trim, call its name and ask it to sit. When the dog heeds the command, give it a treat.

If this technique doesn’t work, you can use the ‘dog timeout’ method. If your dog chews the wood trim, bring it into a room and lock it inside for five minutes. This will teach your dog that chewing on the wood trim earns him jail time. And for canines that love being with their people, dog timeout is just the worse. Over time, the pooch will leave the wood trims alone.

Utilize deterrents

If you want instant results, chewing deterrents are great options. I highly recommend a bitter apple spray because it’s very effective and safe for pets. It’s made of naturally bitter ingredients that every dog will find unappealing. Simply spray this on your wood trims and your dog will surely stop chewing the moment it smells the awful flavor.

If your dog hates a specific scent, you can use it to stop the pooch from chewing wood trims. Just make sure that it won’t damage the finish or paint of the wood. You may need an Ultrasonic Dog Deterrent.

Provide diversions

Some dogs just can’t be trained to stop chewing entirely. What you can do here is provide diversions so the doggo won’t target the wood trims.

Give your dog lots of chew toys where it can bury its teeth. For teething puppies, make sure that you choose soft chew toys to prevent any damage to their gums.

Keep the pooch busy

Remember that a bored dog is a destructive dog. It’s important to give your pet enough exercise per day so it won’t vent its energy on your wood trims.

Take the dog on walks around the neighborhood and schedule playtimes throughout the day. This physical and mental stimulation will help keep your dog’s mind away from its chewing habits.

Deal with separation anxiety

Lastly, you should deal with separation anxiety. It used to be a problem with our dog Sherlock. He’s a Golden Retriever so he hates being alone. And since we’re busy, we tend to leave him alone at home. The result is chewed wood trims, shredded sofa, chomped shoes, and a lot of mess.

With proper training and activities, we were able to stop this problem. We hire dog walkers so Sherlock can drain his energy even if our entire family is out of the house. Aside from that, we got Watson, our kitten, to be his company. From then on, Sherlock hasn’t chewed our wood trims ever again.

Still, it could be different for other dogs. It’s important to use an approach that suits your dog’s personality.

Why is my dog eating the door frame?

Most of the time, separation anxiety is the culprit behind your dog’s obsessions with door frames. Boredom and solitude can mess with your pooch’s behavior, regardless of whether it’s well-trained or not.

Working, sporting, hunting, and herding dogs that have been kept locked up for long periods will become anxious. They have too much energy but very few opportunities to drain it. With this, the doggo will instead chew the door frame to ease the tension.

Why is my dog chewing wood trims when left alone?

This is a classic case of separation anxiety. Dogs chew things when they are bored, anxious, and alone. Chewing becomes the dogs’ release because no one is around to keep them mentally and physically stimulated.

It’s important to address this behavior because it will only get worse as time goes by. Take note that separation anxiety doesn’t go away on its own.

Consider getting a companion for your dog. It could be another pet or a person that could check on your pooch from time to time. 

At what age does a dog stop chewing?

Most puppies will tone down their chewing after six months old when all their adult teeth have set in. However, some breeds are natural chewers. This means that their chewing habits won’t tone down even if they achieve their adult stage. 

These breeds include Border Collie, Pit Bull, Beagle, Doberman Pinscher, Rottweiler, and German Shepherd. Training is necessary to control aggressive chewing so it won’t cause damage to your home. Also, enough physical and mental stimulation is important for these canines. 

Conclusion

Knowing how to stop a dog from chewing on wood trim will save your home from damages. Training, diversion, and deterrents will do wonders for this problem. Just be patient and never punish the dog for chewing. Remember that pets don’t understand violence and they will only grow anxious and aloof of you when you resort to hurtful punishments.

We hope this article will help you have a better understanding of your dog’s behavior and also you’ll be able to cope with such problems. Thank you for reading and enjoy your time with your doggo.