Article at glance
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- There might be several reasons dogs why are chewing. Most of them come from emotions.
- Furniture chewing can be extremely dangerous for dogs. Therefore, animals should be treated not to reach the furniture as chewing objects.
- Hornbeam is the strongest and healthiest wood that can be given to dogs.
What are the main causes of chewing?
Chewing is a natural canine behaviour. Think about your dog’s wolf ancestors tearing apart a prey animal. Those sharp teeth are there for a reason. Chewing also helps dogs clean their teeth and exercise their jaws. And most importantly, it’s fun. Chewing is a great way for dogs to pass the time and amuse themselves. It’s unrealistic to expect your dog to never express this instinctive behaviour.
Puppy teething
Just like human babies – puppies are teething and the process is as stressful for animals as it is humans.
Puppies may start to chew on wood to relieve any pain or discomfort that comes with teething. At four to 30 weeks, puppies’ teeth start to grow rapidly and the process can be quite uncomfortable for the young ones, which could be the primary reason why you spotted some unsightly teeth marks on the wood trim.
In adult dogs, dental problems may result in incessant chewing.
A dog might be bored
Dogs get bored, just like humans do. Compulsive chewing, along with obsessive licking and over-grooming in canines, is a few tell-tale signs that they’re in need of more physical exercise and mental stimulation.
Anxiety
It’s quite possible that your dog is feeling nervous, upset, or a little worked up and is trying to cope by taking it out on the wooden window frames or furniture. Find out what’s going on with your canine buddy and know how to stop your dog from chewing on wood.
Dogs get anxious over different reasons and you must try to find out what’s causing your dog to behave destructively. Could your dog be suffering from separation anxiety? Have you moved to another home or has there been a major change in the household lately?
Breed instict
This is a very interesting fact which might be very new to you. Some dog breeds may have stronger chewing instinct than others. Hunting dog breed, for instance, are predisposed to grab things with their mouths as dictated by their instincts.
Is chewing wood dangerous?
Branches
Random branches found it nature can be dangerous for two main reasons – dogs’ mouths and intestines can be harmed due to splintering if the wood is not suitable for the dog:
- 🟡 Small pieces of wood can lodge splinters in the mouth and oesophagus, causing damage.
- 🟡 Large pieces of wood can cause even more significant problems, including perforated intestines or stomach lining and obstruction of your dog’s bowels.
Furniture
You may have noticed that wooden furniture might be beloved by your dog as a chewing object. Is it not only expensive for you – it is really poisonous for your dog. Wooden furniture has a finishing top layer – lacquer and wood treating chemicals which are extremely hazardous for all living when consumed.
Solutions might be applied when it comes to furniture – either it should be kept away or you will have to train your pooch new commands. If the animal is not prompt to learn new behaviour:
Add something to the wood that will keep them away (bitter apple, lemon peels, lemon juice or a spray designed to keep dogs off furniture). Be sure to spray it on the object – NEVER on a dog, especially not in its face.[1]
Play and training is the best communication when it comes to stopping unwanted behaviour. Trying new commands for furniture such as “No” or “Stop” and always rewarding them with treats for good behaviour.
Poisonous natural wood
If you live in an area with pine trees, you really have to keep a close eye on your dog. The reason is that pine – specifically Norfolk pine (Christmas trees are typically Norfolk pines) – is poisonous to dogs.
The fallen branches in the yard and forests can be very tasty for the pooches but they contain bacteria and microorganisms which can be dangerous for dogs’ health and upset dogs’ tummies pretty fast.
A safe wood for chewing
ROCKETO gets back to basics and thinks about what nature already intended for our dogs. That is why we believe that a wooden stick will always be the first choice for dogs when it comes to chewing, playing, or relieving stress whilst chewing. Hornbeam is well known for its strong structure and unlikelihood to split.
We use only the leftover parts of sustainably grown and cut trees. Then we gently air-dry for days so that the wood becomes extra solid and almost unbreakable. The size and shape might differ in nature.
We have created a different size for different pooches. Why? The hornbeam chewing toy should be a comfortable bite size for dogs to play with. The smallest size might too small for big breed pooch andvise versa – the smallest pooches would be frustrated with biggest size hornbeam. Here you can see the size grading according to dogs weight:
Hornbeam timber is a pale, creamy-white with a flecked grain. It is extremely hard; in fact, it has the hardest wood of any tree in Europe. Nowadays, it’s mainly used for furniture, flooring and woodturning, but traditionally the wood was made into ox yokes which were used to join a team of ploughing oxen together.
A tonic made from hornbeam was said to relieve tiredness and exhaustion, and its leaves were used to stop bleeding and heal wounds. [2]
Summary
As chewing is a natural habit for dogs – it could come from different reasons related to dogs’ emotional health. It is said that wood chewing is good for teeth cleaning – it can be very dangerous for the mouth and gut health. It all depends on the kind of wood – the strength and density and sap ingredients. We are happy to introduce a safe and durable wood solution – a Hornbeam which has been treated from branches and cut in comfortable size for the dog.
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