Why does my dog eat cardboard?
This is a question that we often get from sitter and owners who work with Rover. Help the community out by answering them in our forum!
3 Answers
Your dog could be bored. Leave toys out to distract him while you're gone, including something appropriate to chew on.
Your dog is likely suffering from separation anxiety. It is common for nervous pets to eat things they normally would not. Be careful, too much paper or cardboard can "clog" their system and cause damage to their intestines. Make sure your dog is having normal bowel habits, otherwise they need to see a vet.
It might be because it feels good to him! If you'd rather they not chew on cardboard, find something that is more appealing to replace it. Maybe a toy that he has to work on for a while to a get a treat out.
Comments
This can vary from not serious to very serious. A condition known as pica causes some dogs to eat non-food items, like paper products. There may be either a medical or behavioral cause for this behavior.
How old is your dog? If your dogs a puppy or a least a 1yr old he's still in a chewing faze. Try getting one of his rubber bone wet put in a bag & place it in the freezer until you get a small bit of ice forming. If you can get some organic peanut butter with out sugar or it begin "processed"
You can add it to the frozen bone you have after you take it out of the freezer. If that doesn't stop your dog from chewing up carbord try some wooden chew toys you can find on petco site or some bitter apple you can spray the carbord. PS is your dog allergic to peanut butter? Use almond butter