The overwhelming majority of pet owners will experience (at some time) a new toy that was purchased with great enthusiasm by the dog. But only lasted for a few minutes before being destroyed, i.e., emptying its contents, ripping it apart, or having all parts strewn throughout the room. The destruction of toys by pets could easily be seen as merely a bad behavior, but this destructive behavior is almost always a result of a combination of the pet’s instincts, environmental factors and lack of fulfillment of other essential needs.
Identifying the cause(s) for a pet’s destruction of toys allows us to differentiate normal chewing (or biting) behaviors exhibited by our pets from destructive habits. Understanding the motivations behind your pet’s behavior will allow you to make decisions that provide mental stimulation and also ensure your pet’s safety.
Chewing Is a Natural Instinct
As mentioned previously, one of the primary reasons dogs chew is that it is an innate canine behavior. Chewed toys serve several purposes: they help with relief during the teething process for puppies, they assist adult dogs in relieving stress by allowing them to engage in exploratory behavior through the mouth and they also help keep the jaw muscles strong.
In addition, many times, the destructive nature of toys is directly related to an individual dog’s natural tendency to tear and shake toys, mimicking its natural prey like environment. Therefore, while the act of chewing is not inherently abnormal, it is the extent and frequency of chewing that determine whether it is a concern.
Boredom and Lack of Mental Stimulation
Many times, destructive tendencies exhibited by dogs are due to a lack of adequate physical activity and/or mental stimulation. Dogs that do not receive sufficient physical or mental stimulation will often find alternative ways to utilize excess energy. This can include furniture, household items, or available toys.
While there are many possible causes for destructive tendencies in dogs, a common cause is insufficient mental and physical stimulation. When toys are the only outlet for a dog’s excess energy, they will often be utilized excessively and aggressively. Instead of using a toy gently as intended, the dog may chew more intensely when under or overstimulated.
Frustration and Excess Energy
Some higher energy dogs cannot settle into calm play. They tend to rapidly move from chewing toys to ripping them apart, shaking them, or dismembering them.
These behaviors are usually associated with higher energy dogs that either do not get enough physical activity or whose owners’ daily schedules are irregular. As a result, the dog’s excess energy goes toward toys, which the dog destroys.
Another cause of frustration is when dogs are isolated for extended periods of time. When left alone, many dogs will quickly destroy their toys simply because they need something to do while waiting for human interaction. If this behavior seems excessive even after increasing exercise and attention, a vet clinic can help determine whether something else is going on.
Breed Tendencies and Natural Drive
Some dog breeds exhibit destructive tendencies towards toys (and other items) because of their instincts.
Many retriever breeds and terrier breeds, along with working breed types (i.e., herding type breeds), have strong prey drives. Therefore, if they see an object resembling a small animal, they will vigorously shake, pull and tear at it until it is destroyed.
Although destroying an object is a demonstration of the dog’s instinctual nature, the destruction should be directed toward the appropriate objects. Without training, this drive may be directed toward unacceptable objects.
Toy Design and Material Weakness
Not all cases of toy destruction are a result of the dog’s behavior. Sometimes, it is simply a weakness in the toy.
Poorly constructed toys made from low quality materials with weak stitching or poor attachment to one another allow the dog to easily find and chew on the weak areas of the toy. Additionally, once a toy starts to come apart after being chewed on, the dog tends to want to continue to dismantle it further.
Therefore, destruction can sometimes be encouraged by design instead of intent.
Attention Seeking Behavior
Some dogs are taught by their owners that when they tear apart a toy, there will be an opportunity for them to have some type of interaction. While this may include positive attention (such as praise), it also includes negative attention (scolding, taking the toy away), which can also support the destruction of toys.
Eventually, these dogs will begin to repeat this destruction solely because they see this as a way to get the attention of their owner. In general, social dogs who tend to enjoy interacting with others as opposed to playing independently are most likely to display this level of destruction due to seeking attention rather than simply being bored or acting on instinct. Therefore, while excessive toy destruction can stem from boredom and/or instinctual chewing, it is often a result of learned behaviors.
How to Reduce Excessive Toy Destruction
Reducing destructive behavior towards toys involves determining why your pet is behaving in such a manner, rather than simply eliminating the object causing the behavior.
Provide appropriate outlets
Pets that have a strong need to chew require durable toys that can withstand the force exerted upon them. These types of toys allow pets to engage in natural chewing behavior without the immediate destruction of the item.
Increase physical activity
Increased levels of physical activity provide pets with an outlet for pent up energy, thus reducing the likelihood that the pet’s excess energy will be expressed through destructive play. Even moderate increases in physical activity can decrease a pet’s overall enthusiasm displayed during playtime with toys.
Add Mental Stimulation
Engaging pets mentally, through puzzle toys, scent games and other structured activities, provides pets with something to think about. Engaged minds typically exhibit less impulse to engage in destructive behaviors, such as tearing and chewing objects.
Rotate toys regularly
Constantly providing pets with access to the same toys results in boredom and overuse of those items. Replacing toys frequently keeps the environment new and interesting for pets, thereby preventing repetition of destructive behaviors.
When Destruction May Signal a Deeper Issue
In many cases, there is an association between excessive destruction of toys and stressful or anxious behavior. For example, separation anxiety can result in more intense chewing or destruction of objects when the pet is left alone. If you find that your pets destruction of toys includes restlessness, vocalizing (barking), etc., and if your pet has destroyed several different types of household items, this could indicate a larger problem than simply playing.
Conclusion
There are many causes for why a dog destroys toys. Most of these causes have nothing to do with a mental issue. Many factors contribute to how a dog interacts with objects, including instinctual behavior, the amount of energy a dog has available for activity each day, whether the dog is bored, etc. Understanding what motivates your dog to chew and providing ways for your dog to engage in stimulating activities will allow you to limit excessive destruction of toys and still provide opportunities for your dog to exhibit normal behavior.
