He chewed the outside lamb shade. He chewed the wooden bench. He chewed the rug I gave him to sleep on. He has major chewing issues. (I’m thinking . . . something feels strangely similar.)
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Hubby was angry. “I didn’t spend my hard earned money for him to destroy what we have.”
“But he’s the grandchildren’s dog and they can’t have him in the apartment. I couldn’t let them give him away. Last year their mother stayed up all night to 
save this dog from Porvo. We prayed for him and he lived.
The children’s other dog died because someone put out antifreeze. Their mother used part of her income tax refund to put that dog out of its suffering. Then she used more income tax refund to have this dog neutered.They can’t give him away.
The grandchildren can’t lose this dog. They love him. It won’t be permanent. As soon as they move into a house they can have their dog back.
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Googled. What I learned about why dogs chewing:
1. If the dog is a puppy, it’s likely play and investigation, perhaps teething, that’s the motive. (I’ve eaten a lot of food just to taste it. If it didn’t taste good, sometimes I still ate it. Hubby says I have no food standards.)
2.Dogs that raid garbage and steal food off counters are obviously motivated by the presence and odour of food. (Yep, I know that feeling. Hate to confess, but I’ve eaten food out of the garbage too. Not lately though.)
3. Some dogs are attempting to escape confinement. (Been there, done that. Stuck at home with no transportation or money, I binged to escape.)
4. For some dogs chewing may be an outlet for anxiety. (I’ve overate due to worry and stress. Somehow I got it messed up that eating food made things better. Wrong. It only made my bottom bigger.)
5. Direct the chewing into appealing alternatives, sufficient play and exercise. (Sounds like old fashioned diet and exercise- hmmm.)
6. You must ensure that you are not inadvertently rewarding the chewing behaviour. (How many times have I used food as a reward for my good behavior?)
7. As a puppy, he wasn’t taught what to chew and what not to chew. (Yep, we overeat because it’s our families fault. They didn’t teach us healthy eating. Sure. Right.)
8. He’s bored. (Yep, I’ve eaten a lot because I was bored too.)
9. He suffers from separation anxiety. His behavior is fear-related. (See #4.)
10. He wants attention. (I overate to console myself when I felt overlooked, but I wouldn’t call it “wanting attention.”)
Dogs chew for a variety of reasons. (Yea, me too.)
Chewing can become a compulsive behavior when the dog is lonely, bored, stressed or anxious. (So can overeating.)
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I’ve discovered I like to chew food. Do you? I chewed when I was bored, lonely, depressed, restless, or frustrated. How many times have you ate for the same reasons? No wonder the size of my pants grew. Now instead of eating more food, I chew sugar free gum and plastic toothpicks. Chewing is a stress relieving. Don’t you think so?
By the way, I bought the dog some chewing toys. His favorite toy is one my granddaughter brought from her house. See that smile. Yep, He really smiles. How can you not love this dog?
Lord, tell me what to do about this dog? He’s so lonely during the days when the children are not here. How can I keep him happy? How can I make him feel loved?
Walk the dog. It’s good for you. It’s good for him. I already instructed you to walk to keep strong, so walk the dog.
Yes Sir
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