Chewing is a natural dog instinct that is common in both adult Basset Hound and puppies. It is a destructive behavior that results in your dog chewing on items in the home.
Your Basset Hound does not intentionally do this but the behavior needs to be controlled.
Without control, it leads to a behavioral problem that leads to the destruction of items in your home which can be very frustrating.
It is important to understand why chewing occurs so that you can implement the right method to train your Basset Hound against this behavior.
So, why does your Basset Hound chew everything?
In this article, we will look at the reasons why Basset Hounds chew everything and what to do about it.
Here’s why a Basset Hound chews everything
A Basset Hound may chew everything because of stress, puppy teething, separation anxiety, fear, boredom, attention-seeking, or inadequate training. Chewing is a natural instinctive habit that is common in all dogs but if not controlled can lead to a behavioral problem that is destructive.
Common Reasons Why Basset Hounds Chew everything
Stress and frustration
Sometimes a Basset Hound will chew when they are experiencing a stressful situation. They chew on anything in sight as a coping mechanism.
Stress and anxiety can come from moving to a new home, a change of routine, being in a crate, or the introduction of a new pet in the home.
Puppy teething
A Basset Hound puppy that is teething will chew everything in sight. This is normal because chewing helps to ease the irritation, pain, and discomfort due to the growth of adult teeth.
Puppy teething starts at 3 to 4 months and up to 8 months. Therefore a Basset Hound puppy will chew on everything to feel better as the process continues.
This can be a very frustrating stage because your puppy will constantly search for items in your house to chew on.
By being aware of this stage of development, you can put in place appropriate measures to help your puppy get through it without damage to your house.
Separation anxiety
Basset Hounds are very attached to their human companions and are highly susceptible to separation anxiety.
Separation anxiety means that a Basset Hound becomes extremely anxious when left alone and separated from its owners. This occurs in dogs that are very dependent on their owners or very attached.
A Basset Hound with separation anxiety shows distressing behaviors such as restlessness, withdrawal and being quiet, scratching on doors, barking excessively, shivering, shaking, pacing, refusing to eat, and chewing on items to try to cope with the anxiety.
Fear
Fear is a normal response in animals. Basset Hounds can be frightened by a variety of things from situations, objects, or people which present a real or perceived danger to them.
This can be from traumatic experiences, loud noises, or other perceived dangers.
Fear and anxiety can be caused by poor socialization, dementia due to aging, an individual Basset Hound’s temperament, and illnesses that contribute to phobia and fears.
A fearful and anxious Basset Hound will show behaviors that indicate they are distressed such as pacing, trembling, crying, drooling, excessive barking, growling, snapping, incontinence, excessive grooming, and chewing on objects.
Boredom
Basset Hounds get bored when they’re not physically or mentally engaged. When bored, they direct their energy and attention to activities that can be destructive such as chewing on everything.
The Basset Hound is not a high-energy dog but requires activities and exercises for enrichment and to be healthy.
If they are not provided with activities to physically and mentally engage themselves and outlets for pent-up energy, they get bored and chew for fun.
See Also: Basset Hound digging: Causes and how to stop it
Seeking attention
A Basset Hound chewing everything can also be a call for attention to have you focus on them. Basset Hounds love and thrive on human company and your dog may just want to spend more time with you.
To do this and to get your attention, they can communicate by engaging in destructive behavior because they know you will focus on them.
Inadequate training
Basset Hounds are naturally compelled to chew on things for exploration, during teething, or for fun therefore it is in their nature to do it.
If not controlled this natural habit can become destructive and everything in your home will be a target for destruction.
A Basset Hound without adequate training to avoid chewing on items in the home will continue to chew anything that they can get.
Therefore inadequate training contributes to a Basset Hound chewing everything.
How to stop your Basset Hound from chewing everything
Properly manage the puppy teething stage
During the puppy teething stage, a Basset Hound puppy will chew on everything to relieve its discomfort as the adult teeth come in.
To manage this and to help them during this stage, provide alternatives for them for pain and discomfort relief.
You can do this by providing ice cubes or toys and washcloths designed for teething puppies which can be frozen and chewed on to relieve gum discomfort.
Training
Training is required to teach your Basset Hound desired behaviors that you want them to have such as not chewing everything in your home.
This can be done by training them on what they can chew on such as their toys and what items are off-limits.
Continuously use positive reinforcement to train them by rewarding good behavior with treats or praise, so that they understand and show what is required of them.
Command words are also important to stop your Basset Hound from engaging in chewing when they start or are tempted to chew an item they are not supposed to chew.
Training is also helpful in teaching your Basset Hound how to cope with separation anxiety or fear-related anxieties.
You can also seek the help of a certified professional veterinary behaviorist to help you with the training process against destructive behavior.
Exercise and activities
Exercises and activities help to reduce boredom and help to redirect your Basset Hound’s energy to beneficial tasks. This reduces destructive chewing.
Also, spend time with your Basset Hound by playing with them regularly so that they can utilize their energy and bond with you.
When you do not have time to be with your Basset Hound, you can also enroll them in a dog daycare where there will be activities to engage in.
Enrichment Toys
Provide toys to your Basset Hound which will engage them and what they can chew on. This includes chewing toys for medium-large dogs.
This minimizes destructive chewing in your home. Toys distract your dog as the main focus and also help puppies during teething to ease discomfort, and also reduce stress or frustration in your dog.
Toys can also be used in training sessions to teach your Basset Hound about items that are ok to chew on and what household items are off-limits.
Utilize chew deterrents
Another way to prevent your Basset Hound from chewing on everything is to use chew deterrents which are safe bitter solutions that are sprayed on the items in the home to discourage your dog from chewing on them.
Grannick’s bitter apple spray for dogs on Amazon is a great chew deterrent. You can also DIY a simple deterrent mixture consisting of apple cider vinegar with water and spray it on pillows, furniture, or other items.
When your Basset Hound starts to chew on the sprayed items, they will taste the bitter solution which will discourage them from continuing their chewing mission.
Supervise your Basset Hound
Supervise your Basset Hound when in the house to keep an eye on what they may be up to. Keeping watch allows you to be aware of inappropriate behavior and give you the opportunity to correct it.
Dog-proof the home
Keep valuable items in your home out of reach to avoid damage from your Basset Hound.
For example, put magazines, newspapers, and books on drawers or shelves, use indoor dog gates or prevent access to some rooms.
Conclusion
Chewing is a destructive behavior when not controlled therefore it is important to train a Basset Hound not to do it on certain items in the home.
The first thing to do is to know the reason behind why your Basset Hound chews everything, then secondly implement the appropriate action to control the habit.
Always be patient with your Basset Hound and do not punish them by yelling or hitting them which will negatively influence them and increase their anxiety.
Even well-trained Basset Hounds slip up and chew on everything because chewing is a normal instinctive dog habit, therefore be calm and patient with them when it occurs.