Ruby loves socks. She doesn't eat them. She doesn't chew them into little shreds (anymore). She just loves to have socks near her when she lounges or sleeps.
When we first got Ruby, one of the requirements of our adoption agreement with the shelter was that since she was under 1 year old, we had to take her for basic obedience classes. Mind you, this was before I myself became a certified instructor, so we diligently took her to puppy class.
One of the lessons we learned was the importance of helping your dog be successful. If your dog chews your favorite shoes, it’s because you left them within reach and the dog assumed since it was on the floor it was fair game. So, help the dog succeed and keep your shoes in the closet out of reach. Give them appropriate chew toys instead and praise them whenever they are playing with the chew toy instead of the shoes. Problem solved – unless you’re Ruby.
In our bedroom, we had a small open laundry basket in the corner. Once she was housebroken and allowed access to the entire house, Ruby would regularly rummage through the basket and find a suitable sock to play with for the day. At first she chewed the ends, or the toes, or the heels…
Whenever we would catch her in the act, we’d remove the sock and give her an appropriate chew toy (at that time it was a Kong...but she soon learned to tear those up so now it’s a tennis ball). Thinking back to our lesson, I promptly purchased a clothes hamper with a cover to prevent Ruby from getting into the basket and helping herself to forbidden chew toys.
Now, my husband comments constantly that one of the reasons he loves the dog so much is that she’s not the brightest but she’s the happiest dog he’s ever known. Ignorance is bliss perhaps? Well, I love to take every opportunity I can to prove to him that she is indeed a clever dog.
Ruby is a medium-sized dog, weighing around 50 pounds. We thought the tall hamper would surely thwart her sock fetish. However, the hamper I chose has a swinging lid that can either be lifted up, or pushed down to put the clothes in. Apparently, if the clothes are close enough to the top, Ruby has figured out how to shove her head in and find her prize. When we’re home, she doesn’t get the opportunity to chew socks anymore since her tell-tale prance through the house once she has found her sock is a dead giveaway that she’s up to something.
What we are consistently entertained by though is how her fetish has evolved. As I mentioned, she no longer chews socks to shreds. Instead, if we have left her alone while we’re out to dinner or shopping, we will often come home to find her curled up comfortably in her chair, with one of our socks tucked snugly next to her like a teddy bear. I could easily prevent this by simply making sure the bedroom door is closed before we leave. But how can I deny her a teddy bear to nap with? Since she would rip to shreds an actual stuffed animal of any kind, her only toys are tennis balls and bones – not very snuggly. She makes us smile every day, and since she doesn’t destroy the socks, I figure there’s no harm in letting her snuggle up with something cozy that has our scents on it once in a while.
On that note, if your dog does have a problem with chewing your clothes, your shoes, or anything else in the house he shouldn’t be chewing, you should definitely take steps to direct the chewing to more appropriate things.
Help your dog succeed by puppy-proofing the house, much as you would baby-proof a house. Get down on the floor and crawl around at the dog’s level. Look for wires, shoes, remote controls, anything that would be within chewing reach, and move or block them from access. An ounce of prevention here can actually save your dog’s life, and save you a lot of frustration and money in replacing chewed items.
Dogs, especially puppies, love to chew. It’s a natural behavior and if properly directed, will not be an issue. If you catch your dog chewing, for example, the leg of your expensive dining room table, tell him “no” and immediately provide a suitable chew toy and praise for chewing the right thing. To discourage chewing for items that you can’t put out of the dog’s reach, there are many products available that can be applied to furniture, such as Grannick’s Bitter Apple. Most dogs will be put off by the bitter taste and will look for something else to chew on. This again is where you help them succeed – give them a Kong, or Nylabone to chew and praise them for chewing the right thing.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I think Ruby just pranced through the house – was that my blue sock?!
