Why Does my Dog Only Chew my Clothes?

My dog chews a lot of things but it seems it shown a preference for my clothes. Why does my dog chew only my clothes and no one else’s in the house? If this is a question you have, you are in the right place and we will do our best to help you answer it.

So, why does your dog chew only your clothes? The main reason this happens is due to the fact that your dog is very close to you and your clothes carry your scent as well as your sweat and dead skin cells. This combination of sensual stimulants helps calm them and also tastes good.

Reasons Your Dog Chews Clothes?

Dogs, especially puppies, chew a lot of things around the house. Puppies will chew and nip just about everything in sight. It is their way of exploring the world and is a natural part of their growth process.

It is to be expected that as they grow closer to one particular person in the household, they will chew that particular person’s clothes and shoes more than anyone else’s.

Because you are reading this, we will assume that that person is you and you want to understand why this is and how to stop this behavior from happening.

Why your dog only chews your clothes in particular

Let’s look at the possible reasons why your dog will pick your clothes over others. Your scent is on the clothes As puppies grow, they may be part of a family where there are a lot of people but some dogs will pick one person who they will be closer to than anyone else.

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When that person is you, they will want to be close to you as possible and love everything about you. If you are not around, the closest thing to you they can find are your clothes and shoes.

These carry your scent

especially if you’ve worn them before. This chewing behavior is quite common in puppies and less so in older dogs. The saltiness of your sweat and dead skin cells taste great to them When you wear clothes, your sweat and dead skin cells will remain on them.

These have a salty taste that dogs really love. The combination of these as well as your scent is an irresistible proposition for your Basenji.

In extreme cases, your dog can actually get obsessed with an item of your clothing such as socks or something that carries a strong scent.

Teething

When they are teething, your puppies will want to chew on a lot of things, and naturally, things that carry your scent will be very attractive to them meaning that they will chew on those more than others.

The teething process makes their gums uncomfortable giving them the urge to chew on things. When this happens, discourage them from chewing your clothes but rather get them some dog chew toys to chew on.

Dog Anxiety

When your dog or puppy is anxious about something, they will chew on something that has your scent on it. This helps them to become calmer.

This behavior will often happen while you are not around, which may the cause of the anxiety in the first place. When you are there, they feel no need to engage in this behavior.

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When an older dog starts chewing your clothes Sometimes an older dog may all of a sudden develop the habit of chewing your clothes or shoes.

Though this is not as common as in puppies, it can happen. The leading causes for this are anxiety and boredom. Again, this behavior will usually happen when you are away and they are left alone for a period.

How to deal with the dog chewing your clothes

When it comes to dealing with this behavior, you want to nip it in the bud as soon as possible. In the case of puppies, be firm with them and tell them to stop. Instead, replace your item of clothing with a chew toy that they can use.

A Kong with a treat inside like peanut butter is a good and tasty alternative to your socks or tee shirt. Make sure that you deal with this behavior early on in order to avoid problems in dealing with this behavior later on.

In the case of older dogs, you need to train them to stop engaging in that kind of behaviour. If you fail to get positive results through your own efforts, engage the services of a trainer or behavioural specialist to get rid of this behaviour.

Though it may start off being cute in the beginning, it can quickly get out of hand. Some owners reported that their dog got so possessed with some socks so much that when the wife came home from work, the dog could literally pull the socks off her and be occupied with them for hours. Whenever anyone would try to take them away, he would growl, nip and bite.

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That’s the last thing you want to be dealing with. Get help as quickly as possible from a professional if the problem is beyond your scope.

Conclusion on Dog Chewing your Clothes

At the end of the day, the reason that your dogs will chew your clothes is that they love you and want to be as close to you as they possibly can. Though it’s a cute behavior in the beginning, when not controlled, it can quickly get out of hand.

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