Have you ever noticed some underwear go missing, just to find it a couple of days in a place that it shouldn’t be? You may also find it could be shredded to pieces, which is less than ideal. This can be super frustrating and cause you to feel like yelling at your dog.
But why do they do it? The following post is a guide through the reasons your dog does this, and I’ve also included some solutions to the problem too. Keep reading to find out more!
Table of Contents
- Why Does My Boy Dog Eat My Underwear?
- How To Stop My Dog From Eating My Underwear?
- How To Stop Your Dog From Chewing on Your Underwear – Answered!
- Why does my dog eat my underwear: FAQs
Why Does My Boy Dog Eat My Underwear?
There are a few common reasons why your dog may be chewing on your underwear:
- Demanding Attention
- Separation Anxiety
- Weaning Too Soon
- Pica Syndrome
- Behavior Disorder
- Boredom
These reasons will also depend on a few different factors, such as their age, their temperament, and their breed. Some dogs are just more prone to chewing on, eating, and/or destroying clothes or other things that indigestible.
This behavior in most cases are not intentional, even though at times it can feel like from your perspective that it is almost on purpose.
As a pet parent, we’ve all been in this situation. It can be super frustrating and can feel like chasing them around the yard after it. In these situations, there is absolutely no benefit from scolding them, and they will not know why they are being scolded.
Pica Syndrome
If you’ve not heard of it before, pica syndrome is a disorder that can cause dogs to be attracted to items with hold no nutritional value.
They become obsessed with chewing on various household item that they are able to get their paws on. This can include underwear, mattresses, shoes, and any other inedibles that might be lying around.
While this disorder is most commonly found in puppies, some dogs will carry this on to adulthood. Saying that, this is rare. Pica syndrome is a likely reason for why your dog is chewing on your underwear.
A good place to start in dealing with this syndrome is contacting your vet. They can properly examine your dog in terms of any psychological factors or physiological issues which could trigger this disorder in your dog.
Luckily, pica syndrome can be treated and they can have a few dosages, followed by a change in diet and some training. Once this has ben carried out, your dog should eventually stop eating and chewing your underwear.
Puppy Teething
If your dog is still a puppy, then they may still be teething. Puppies who are between 4-7 months are usually in their peak age for teething and they might just be trying to relieve themselves from the pain of teething.
Teething can be really uncomfortable for your puppy’s mouth. This is why they will chew on almost anything just to alleviate the symptoms.
During this time it is best to make sure you don’t leave anything valuable lying around the house. Make sure there are always chew toys scattered around the place as they will resort to chewing on these. This little tip will save you many frustrating moments when you find something behind the sofa all torn up and chewed!
Scents
Dogs are very perceptive animals; hence why their sense of smell is much stronger than that of humans. This causes them to focus and rely on smell to navigate through their environment.
Given this fact, they tend to be drawn to their owner’s undies because the undies carry a strong smell of their owner. You might find this disgusting but it is just natural instinct that causes them to do this!
When this is the case, your dog will play with your underwear with excitement whilst smelling your pheromones with keen interest, thus causing him to accidentally or deliberately chew on them.
While this can be very frustrating, this may be your dog just trying to show you that they loves you.
Natural Attraction to Waste Products
You’ll have notices before when out walking, if there is some faeces or pee on the sidewalk, your dog will sniff it out for sure. This is because dogs are naturally attracted to waste products. They are curios creatures and they discover the world by following their nose.
If you leave your underwear or period underwear in the hamper for a long time unwashed, they will accumulate dirt and all sorts of germs over time. This will be sure to attract your dog. Dogs are also naturally attracted to the smell of blood, which will explain their strong attraction.
It is recommended not to be careless with dirty underwear because it will harbor lots of dirty bacteria. If your dog was to chew on these they will end up consuming lots of these bacteria which can be very bad for your pooch.
Boredom
If your dog doesn’t have anything to do, or they don’t have any toys around them they will often go and look for something else. In this instance, they will look for something which you use.
It is likely they do this in order to attract your attention. If they want you to give them love, they think that taking something of yours will get you to give them attention.
If they do this, it won’t work to forcefully take back the underwear while yelling. They will just go and find something else to chew on.
Make sure that you replace the underwear with one of their toys so that they don’t go and find something else to chew on that they shouldn’t be.
How To Stop My Dog From Eating My Underwear?
In most cases, your dog is just trying to get your attention. Due to the fact that they can’t talk, this is the only way in which they can get your attention.
Get A Laundry Hamper With A Lid on It
If your hamper doesn’t already have a lid on it, it can be super easy for your dog to just take your underwear out of the hamper. A laundry hamper with a lid on it is a good way of preventing them from rooting through your things.
Get Them Food-Dispensing Toys
You can distract your dog from your underwear and get him to focus on a toy that dispenses food. You can spice up the experience by stuffing the toy with really delicious treats. This will completely distract them from even going at your laundry basket. There are many food-dispensing toys for dogs in the market.
Reward Your Dog For Eating The Right Things
If you see your dog playing with the correct toys pat them on the back, cuddle them, and give them even more delicious treats, but do the opposite when they veer off the road. This will train him to chew mostly edible things and do away with anything otherwise.
You can practice this by ignoring them whenever they they do the wrong thing, after removing whatever they shouldn’t be eating from their possession.
Try Using Anti-Chew Spray
You can get a dog anti-chew spray with citrus or bitter apple taste. Spray it on the laundry hamper where you keep your undies and can even spray it on the undies themselves. The taste will deter him from chewing any further after a first bite. Over time, he will learn not to chew at all with the thoughts that you’ve sprayed the undies again, even if you didn’t.
Just Put The Underwear Away Completely
Although tasking, you could just do the chore of getting your dirty laundry washed. Make sure that you put the clean laundry away after , or at least keep it out of reach of your dog! Choose to put your undies in places where they will be completely out of your dog’s sight.
I do not recommend that you put them under your bed. Your dog will be able to slide in there and drag them out; instead, you can hang them on a wall hanger if you have one. Avoid putting undies in a cloth rack with fabric exterior; your dog may tear through it in desperation.
How To Stop Your Dog From Chewing on Your Underwear – Answered!
Hopefully, these tips and tricks will help you to stop your dog from chewing on your underwear, or even anything they shouldn’t be chewing on.
It is not dangerous for your dog to chew on them, but it is not very hygienic either.
If you enjoyed this post, I have a few others on a similar topic. You can check out some of my previous blog posts below:
- How Long is 3 Months in a Dog’s Life
- What Does my Dog’s Sitting Position Mean
- Can Cats Smell Better Than Dogs
Why does my dog eat my underwear: FAQs
Dogs will often go for underwear and socks because these will carry the strongest of your scents. Your underwear will carry the strongest of your scents along with any pheromones that these types of clothes carry.
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