Rescue Dog Robbie’s Guide to Chewing

Hi everyone,

I’m Robbie of “Hello My Name Is Robbie” video fame.  

The usual human who blogs this thing is off to kennels so I’m getting to hijack it to discuss the hot dog topic of chewing.  

Many of my chums from Rudozem Street Dog Rescue are adopted as pups who have never lived in a house before so I thought it would be useful to give them a household guide to chewing.

I’m pretty good at that “I’m ever so sorry” look.

1. Choose what you chew very carefully

First off, the most important thing to remember is to keep each individual item you chew under £100.  Once your chewing goes above this much, your human won’t just do the “Bad Dog ” lecture.  They cry.  If this happens you find that your treat and tummy rub allocation goes down.

However, when I found out how to open the spare room door and chewed an awesome thing in a bag called a “wedding dress”, it didn’t go so smoothly – totally worth it though.  There is only so long any human can hold out against sad, vulnerable puppy dog eyes.  Also, once you have destroyed a high value item, they won’t sweat the small stuff like slippers so much.

Somehow, chew toys are never as satisfying as something belonging to a human…

2. Work out how to get at what’s chewable

As you try out items around the house, you may find that your humans start to put things up high and/or doors gets closed to restrict your access to areas of the den.  

If you find this is severely restricting your chewing habit, then you may need to stop for a while.  This will make your human think you have learned not to chew and lull them into a false sense of security.  This should ensure that enjoyable yummies like gloves, loaves of bread and newspapers return to jaw level and bedroom doors are left open for a “grab-and-go”.

This photo of me at the shelter made my human want to adopt me.

3. Think ahead and find a discreet chewing spot

When employing the grab-and-go technique, you will need to have a suitable chewing spot lined up.  As we all know, humans don’t understand chewing, so if they are in the house and you can’t control the urge, then it is essential to have somewhere you can take what you fancy and escape to get some chewing in before the item is confiscated.

Of course the size of your new den will determine where your bolt hole should be.  I’d recommend behind the sofa or under the dining table.  Better still, if you have a garden, wait until the door is open and go out there.  This has the added benefit of there being mud to drop your chewie into to enhance the flavour.

4. Watch out for unexpected chewing opportunities

Never underestimate the value of sublety – if your human thinks you are being snuggly, you can quite often get away with gnawing the button off a cardigan or the zipper of a cushion before your human even realises what is happening.

Perfect an air of innocence for when your humans find your latest chew

5. Get your timing right

Make sure you fit in as much chewing as possible while you are a puppy.

Once you get older, it gets harder and harder to find new things to chew and you will not feel the need to chew so much.  I’ve explained to my humans numerous times that, because I am still a puppy, they need to accept that I want to try new things.  If they weren’t prepared for this, they should have invited an older, quieter dog who only enjoys a chew on Christmas and birthdays to stay instead.

I think the lesson is slowly sinking in.  Besides, my female human says she likes her new ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ Halloween costume so everyone’s a winner.

I left behind a lot of friends at the RSDR shelter who would love to a human of their own. If you would like a bundle of fun like me in your life, then please have a look at all the dogs and cats who are still waiting for a den to call their own.

Until next time,  happy chewing and paws up chums,

Robbie