Expert: Delores Beck - 9/22/2010

Question
My dog is 13 months old and is playful and affectionate but he chews anything he can get his paws on from shoes, bed clothes to furniture and I am worried he could be lacking in something or is this normal behavior

Answer
It's completely normal but needs to be corrected.  Not only will he do damage but may chew on something dangerous.  If he's not being supervised he should be confined.

I'd get him a suitably sized Kong and put a teeny bit of peanut butter way inside.  He'll happily chomp on that.  Never give rawhides or greenies.

But you want to stop this behavior, so tell me what commands he knows, how much exercise he gets daily, and what you do when you catch him chewing.

I'm asking about exercise because a lot of this sort of behavior is due to pent up energy and plain old boredom.