How to prevent your dog from biting furniture and insurance tips
Dogs bring humans such good things and make us feel such gratifying feelings that there is nothing or no one that can make us forget them throughout our lives. Dogs mark us, and often, we prefer them over many people.
However, when a dog lives in a home and begins to have destructive habits, the situation can become a serious problem, and the only solution is to pay attention to the pet to find the reason for its behavior and provide all the necessary help. In addition to having good pet insurance that covers everything related to the animal and its physical health, dogs’ behavior must also be educated, especially when they live in the same space as humans.
¿Why does my dog bite wood?
Any dog, regardless of the breed, can bite furniture for various reasons at a certain moment in its life, especially when they are younger. The good thing is that it is not a habit that lasts forever, as it has a solution. Some of the most common causes are:
- Teeth: if the dog is still a puppy, it is possible that it feels discomfort in its teeth due to the falling of baby teeth and the appearance of adult teeth. It is normal for puppies to chew everything, and sometimes, biting furniture, baseboards, or doors can provide them with relief.
- Stress: another quite common reason is that the dog is stressed because it spends a lot of time alone at home. In this case, it may need to go out more often or that the outings are longer than usual. A dog that bites furniture may be bored or upset with its owner’s behavior. It is amazing how intelligent they can be, and if the owner knows their pet well enough, they will soon understand the message. Occasionally, it is very healthy to go out into the open field so that the dog can run, play, and inspect the environment calmly; that is the best way to reduce stress.
- Lack of space: following the previous point, spending most of their time in a space where they cannot release the adrenaline they would like can also lead to harmful behaviors for the dog.
- Frustration: the frustration caused by being left alone at home while all family members go out every morning to do their daily tasks can also cause boredom that, combined with anger, may lead the dog to bite doors or furniture in the home.
¿What to do to stop it from biting furniture?
Following some elementary guidelines to educate them can prevent your dog from nibbling on furniture, positive habits that you can teach them from the moment they arrive at your home at a few months old.
Living with a pet should be a pleasant experience that provides us with joy and well-being. If we cannot control the instincts that dogs possess by genetics, which can entertain themselves by biting the objects around them, this coexistence experience can sometimes be a nuisance.
Protect your home from actions like the ones we mentioned and go out calmly knowing that, even if you have to leave home, you will find the furniture just as you left it.
According to specialists, the most advisable thing in these cases is to pay attention and try to identify the cause of such behavior first. Once the case has been studied, with the help of a professional if necessary, and the cause is known, it will be easier to avoid this behavior through education and by implementing a series of techniques that can benefit your pet a lot. For this, you must bear in mind that many times it is simply a training problem and that the dog only intends to get your attention.
Home remedies to prevent my dog from biting furniture
Everyday and simple practices such as taking it out more often or going out the same number of times but for a longer period of time will allow you to take long walks with your dog and make it release all the adrenaline and stress it has accumulated throughout the day.
In this way, coming home will be a moment of relaxation and rest, a pleasant moment for him and not a traumatic one.
There are also innovative techniques such as, for example, dog massages. Believe it or not, you can give them to them yourself, and this helps them to relax quite a bit. Changing the diet can also favor a change in behavior in the animal, as something may not be sitting well with it. It is advisable to go to the veterinary center in these cases in case the assessment and advice of a professional help.
If we are dealing with the case of a puppy, none of the previous strategies may work, since, at such an early age, they are not yet trained. What we can do is start getting them used to biting their own toys and educate them by changing their focus of attention when we see them biting furniture.
For puppies who feel discomfort in their teeth or for those adult dogs who love to bite objects, there are toys designed to relieve this need to bite things. They are sturdy toys that can be chewed and nibbled, made so that while the dog relieves its urge to bite, it strengthens its teeth.
To take care of your pet and not stress it with scolding and anger, use positive reinforcement. This is always more effective than making it feel that you are angry, something that can scare it or even depress it.
Every time your dog bites a piece of furniture, correct its action at that moment and offer it a reward when it stops doing so. With patience and without stopping insisting, you will achieve your goal in less time than you think.
¿How can home insurance respond?
Can you imagine going out one day and coming back to find everything destroyed? Door frames, doors, furniture, or any other wooden element are the typical objects that dogs tend to nibble on. It is more common than you think. In these cases, it is convenient to contact your home insurance, as there are some policies that do take care of everything related to living with a pet at home. Extra pet assistance is a fairly unknown and very useful coverage, which can help you through a telephone service that offers veterinary guidance, training, etc. That is why it is convenient to call the insurance company to resolve any doubts in this regard.
Each type of policy will offer specifications both if the home is owned or if we are dealing with a rental property. How does insurance act in each case? It all depends on the coverages contracted, but the most normal thing is that it takes care of the damages. In the Essential Home policy, you cannot hire this coverage for your pets, but you can do so in the Optimal Home and Supra Home policies at El Corte Inglés. Likewise, you can enjoy this guarantee both in the Home Tenant Insurance at El Corte Inglés and in the Home Landlord Insurance at El Corte Inglés. Do not hesitate and take advantage of the opportunity for your insurance to help you cope with this stage of your furry friend.