Does Your Dog Like to Chew or Steal Things?

Does your dog like to chew on stuff?

Is he or she a kleptomaniac and steals anything that isn’t tied down?

Trust me, you are not alone in this. Most dogs have these habits, some more than others.

With all the dogs we have had over the years, we have had the chewing and stealing in varying degrees.  

Let’s see, we can begin in 1993 when we adopted our Golden Retriever, Chipper.  Boy, he was a gorgeous dog! And smart as a whip too.  He could get out of his crate like nobody’s business. I thought I’d be nice and put blankets in his crate; make it comfortable for him, right?  He chewed them all to pieces!  I think we went through three nice big quilts and an afghan or two before I said “OK buddy, you’re laying on the plain old bottom of the crate now.”  

One day I came home and couldn’t find my second moccasin, which I usually left by the back door. You know the kind, the leather ones with the soft insides. Maybe my Mom picked it up, I thought. Wrong. The next day, Chipper threw it up. Yep, silly dog had eaten it. The vet said it was a good thing he had thrown it up as it could have caused problems if he hadn’t. 

After Chipper passed on in 1998 we adopted Dudley. He was a big black Lab; actually bigger than big. He topped out at 125 pounds.  Again, I tried to be the good mommy and put blankets or kennel pads in the crate. He didn’t like that at all and chewed them up too.  He liked to chew on kitchen chair legs and spindles like they were toothpicks. Ah, the joys of puppyhood.

With his choppers, he actually had a job for awhile testing the so called indestructible chew toys on the market. We would get a new bone in the mail, have two weeks for him to chew the heck out of it, and then we would send it back (what was left of it) to the manufacturer. He loved it!! He always had new toys coming for him every few weeks. 

Next was Dudley’s nephew, little Mister Bogart. Now, Bogie was a true klepto! He LOVED, LOVED, LOVED to steal towels, oven mitts, clothing and shoes! He was good about not chewing on them though. He just loved to carry them around in his mouth.  Whenever someone came into the house he had to run and grab something to bring to them. Hang a kitchen towel on the oven?  Not in my house.  That was fair game for Bogie. Take your shoes off at the door? Nah, just leave them on, otherwise Bogie was running all over with them in his mouth! Lock the bathroom door or he would sneak in and steal your clothes while you took a shower! Oh and yes, Bogie did chew a bit on some stuff.  The carpeting on the stairs and a bit of woodwork up in the hallway. 

After Dudley passed on we waited a bit before getting Bogie a little brother. When we finally did, we got a little bundle of black fur named Harley. Harley’s nickname quickly became “Paper Boy.”  Oh my, did this little boy love his paper! Phone books, boxes of Kleenex and paper in the office trash can didn’t stand a chance around him. He shredded them all! Now at 2 1/2 years old, almost 3, he has outgrown that behavior and concentrates on chewing on toys. Thank goodness. 

Now we come to our little princess, Abigail, who is a whole other story. She is a real pistol. She has de-carpeted the stair that Bogie started chewing on some years before; she gnawed a bit on the wall going downstairs; she chewed a hole in the carpeting in the upstairs hallway; she destroys those so-called indestructible bones just like Dudley used to do; absolutely shreds the rope toys; loves to chew up newspapers and paper from the office trash like Harley used to do; steals shoes and clothes like Bogie used to do; and has chewed up an afghan just like Chipper did years before. 

Hmmm, I am beginning to see a pattern here.  She seems to be a combo of all the dogs we have ever had.  Did Chipper, Dudley and Bogart all come back reincarnated in little Miss Abigail? Spooky thought, huh? 

Anyway, what I am getting at is that almost all dogs will chew and steal things to varying degrees. If you don’t want your dog to get at something, put it away or up high where they can’t reach it. Don’t leave your shoes out by the back door, put them in the closet. Hang your clothes up, don’t leave them laying on the bed. For some dogs that is too much of a temptation. And, some dogs will go for things that smell a lot like you; your clothes, your shoes, socks, etc. Put these things away and out of the dogs reach.  

Be vigilant and keep your eyes open. If you catch the dog chewing on something it shouldn’t have, take it away and give it one of its own toys. I know sometimes you think you need eyes in the back of your head.  I’ve been there myself.  Remember, if you can’t be there to watch your dog, put her in her crate with a toy or two, or block her off in a doggie-proofed room with her toys.

And keep telling yourself, "This too shall pass."