Wondering whether poodles are aggressive chewers or not? Yes, poodles are aggressive chewers. They have an almost uncontrollable desire to chew on anything they can get their hands on.
If you own a Poodle, you should be aware that your dog can chew things for a variety of reasons, including aggression, teething, and even a defensive instinct.
Poodle Puppies chew to explore their surroundings and to relieve the intense feelings associated with teething. On the other hand, adult poodles chew to relieve separation anxiety and boredom. If you do not act quickly, then this chewing can become a permanent habit, affecting your dog’s behavior.
Today I will let you know several possible reasons why are poodles aggressive chewers and their possible solutions to help you out.
Why Do Poodles Become Aggressive Chewers?
It is natural for poodles to chew aggressively on objects as they explore their surroundings. Chewing serves several purposes for a poodle. Poodles can also become aggressive chewers to relieve pain caused by incoming teeth in poodle puppies.
Chewing also helps to relieve boredom and can ease mild anxiety or frustration. But excessive chewing can be dangerous for your poodle.
Below are some reasons for poodles being aggressive chewers.
Medical Issue:
One of the most common issues is one with the teeth, but this is easily detected. Aggressive chewing is your poodle’s way of alerting you that something is wrong, which could be pain or any other medical issue.
The dog may feel threatened, and displaying aggression and chewing is his way of defending himself. If your poodle feels extreme pain and disturbance, he may even attack and bite his owner.
If the Poodle’s behavior changes and it begins acting in ways it has never done before, you should be concerned about its mental and physical health.
Anxiety Separation Chewing:
Poodles can also chew aggressively due to anxiety separation. Poodles can chew to relieve the stress of separation anxiety. They usually only chew when they are alone or chew the most intensely when they are alone.
Other symptoms of separation anxiety include whining, barking, pacing, restlessness, urination, and defecation. Please read our Separation Anxiety article to learn more about it and how to treat it.
Seeking Attention:
Your poodle maybe chewing aggressively to attract attention. When your dog feels alone and ignored, he tends to chew aggressively on objects, furniture, and other things.
Hunger:
If your poodle is on a calorie-restricted diet, he might chew and destroy objects. This type of chewing is typically directed by dogs toward objects related to food or that smell like food.
Tips to Stop Aggressive Chewing in Poodles
Now that you know why your poodle is chewing aggressively, you might probably look for different ways to save and train your poodle to be a good dog.
However, training your poodle to be a good dog will take time. So, you can get him there by following these simple steps.
Teething:
Poodle chewing is motivated by the desire to investigate interesting objects as well as the discomfort of teething. Poodles go through a stage in which they lose their baby teeth and experience pain as their adult teeth begin to emerge.
This period of aggressive chewing usually ends around the age of six months. Some people recommend giving puppies ice cubes, frozen dog toys, or frozen wet washcloths to chew on to help relieve teething pain.
Lack of Exercise:
Some dogs simply do not receive satisfactory physical and mental encouragement. When poodles get bored, they look for ways to keep themselves entertained, and chewing is one option.
To prevent aggressive chewing, make sure your dog has plenty of opportunities to exercise both his mind and body. Daily walks and outings, off-leash play with other dogs, tug and fetch games, clicker training classes, dog sports, and feeding meals in food puzzle toys are all excellent ways to accomplish this.
Stress:
When a poodle is stressed, he will chew aggressively. When some stranger dog comes closer to a poodle, he does not get along with it or when he is confined in a car and is teased by children.
Avoid exposing your dog to situations that make him nervous or upset to reduce the aggressive chewing of your poodle.
Socialization:
Poodles are fun-loving and energetic dogs. If you keep your dog inside the home and didn’t take him out frequently, he is more likely to have severe aggressive chewing, bite intensities, and stressed.
Socializing your poodle with other dogs will relieve his stress, reducing the amount of tension.
Things to Avoid When Your Poodle Do Aggressive Chewing
If your dog is acting aggressively or chewing things, then there are few tips that you should avoid while making him calm.
- Do not show your dog the damage he caused and then spank, scold, or punish him. He can’t relate your punishment to something he did hours or even minutes ago.
- Do not use duct tape to keep your dog’s mouth shut around a chewed object for an extended period. This is inhumane, will teach your dog nothing, and has resulted in the death of dogs.
- Do not attach a broken object to your dog. This is cruel and teaches your dog nothing.
- To prevent chewing, do not leave your dog in a crate for extended periods.
- Do not muzzle your dog to keep him from chewing.
How to Keep Calm to Your Poodle When Chewing Aggressively?
It is important to strengthen the positive behavior in your poodle while training him to stop aggressive chewing. When your poodle gets calm and relaxed, reward her with a treat and verbal praise, saying “good dog.”
When you do this regularly, your poodle will learn to differentiate between good and bad habits. This will eventually assist you in getting your poodle to stop aggressive chewing.
Are Poodles’ Aggressive Chewers? Conclusion
Poodles are very energetic and loving dogs. If you think about are poodles aggressive chewers? So, the answer is yes, poodles can be aggressive chewers. They can become aggressive chewers due to different reasons and health issues.
Always remember to teach your poodles to act as good dogs from a young age. If you failed to complete your poodle’s training, it might result in aggressive chewing of your poodle dog.