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Dogs love to chew up almost anything, from shoes to furniture and more! And some male dogs have a penchant for chewing up underwear. But why? It’s pretty gross to consider such behavior, but it’s important to understand what may drive a dog to chew up underwear.
Does your dog love to chew underwear? Are you worried about this behavior in your male dog? If so, you’ve come to the right place. We understand this kind of behavior can be concerning.
We’ve put some information together about why a male dog chews up underwear and what you can do to help your dog. Let’s get started!
Why Does My Male Dog Chew Up Underwear?
There are several reasons a male dog may chew underwear, including:
- Teething: if your male dog is still a puppy, he may be teething! Puppies will chew anything and everything as they teethe. They often teethe on things to relieve the pain and discomfort they feel as new teeth erupt through their gums.
- Boredom: adult dogs may chew underwear because they’re bored. Bored dogs may also do things they shouldn’t to gain attention. For them, any attention is good, even negative attention for chewing up your favorite underwear.
- Pica: some dogs have a condition called pica. This is a behavioral issue that causes dogs (and humans) to eat things that are not food items. For instance, some dogs may eat socks, underwear, rocks, and more.
- Scents & pheromones: dogs have very sensitive noses and are geared toward scents of all kinds. Underwear is worn on the body in a place where humans produce plenty of pheromones. A dog can smell these and be drawn to the underwear. They may even have the urge to chew up the underwear.
How to Help Your Dog
There are some things you can do to keep your fur baby from chewing underwear. For one thing, if he’s a puppy, buy him puppy teething toys. These are made especially for puppies and work to provide the relief puppies need when they have new teeth coming in.
If your fur baby’s bored, try to spend more time with him. It may also be helpful to buy some toys that are mentally stimulating, such as dog puzzles, to relieve your dog’s boredom.
Your dog may be drawn to the smell of your underwear. This one’s a bit harder, but you may want to consider buying a hamper that’s dog-proof for your dirty clothes. This would keep your male dog from chewing underwear.
Finally, if your dog seems to have pica, it’s best to visit the vet. There may be an underlying medical condition that’s causing your dog to eat non-food items. And if it’s behavioral, the vet may also have treatments to help curb this issue in your dog.
Chewing up underwear can be dangerous to your dog’s health, especially if he swallows the fabric. So, be sure to find what’s causing this behavior and keep the underwear where your fur baby can’t get them to stop this behavior!
Connect with a verified veterinarian in minutes. Licensed vets are available 24/7 to answer your questions. No need to worry about your furry family member.
Julie
Julie is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, where she studied Animal science. Though contrary to the opinion of her parents she was meant to study pharmacy, but she was in love with animals especially cats. Julie currently works in an animal research institute (NGO) in California and loves spending quality time with her little cat. She has the passion for making research about animals, how they survive, their way of life among others and publishes it. Julie is also happily married with two kids.
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