8 Easy Ways To Stop A Dog From Chewing Electrical Wires!
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To stop a dog from chewing electrical wires, make the cords hard to reach (cord protectors, cable covers, or routing them behind furniture), make them unappealing with a pet-safe bitter spray, and give your dog better things to chew, plus training, exercise and attention. For puppies, supervision or a puppy-proofed room is the safest bet until the chewing phase passes.
This matters because chewing a live cord can cause burns and electric shock, which can be fatal. Here are 8 ways to keep your dog away from your wires.
How to stop dogs from chewing electrical cords?
So let’s find out what you came for! Here are 8 different methods that stop your dog from chewing wires.
Let’s dive in!
Cord Protectors
Installing cord protectors for all your cables is the best way to secure victory in this war over cords. Your dog might turn grumpy for a day or two after you install them, but maybe then they will finally give more attention to their abandoned chew toys.
You can try a chew-repellent spray on your cords too, but you will have to deal with the pain of applying it repeatedly since it keeps wearing off. Skip homemade hot sauce or pepper mixes: they can irritate your dog’s eyes, nose and mouth, and you shouldn’t be spraying watery liquids onto electrical cords anyway.
Cord protectors are permanent and don’t have this problem, for this reason it’s one of the best methods to protect your electrical cables.
Read More About: 5 Best Cord Protectors For Dogs
Training
Training your puppy at a young age is the best way to keep them from chewing on things around the house – especially electrical cords.
Teach your puppy the “leave it” trick so that anytime your dog tries to approach a wire, you can use the command. It takes patience and a lot of treats, but once it’s established, it will be easier for you and your dog.
Here is how you can do the “leave it” command:
How to train your dog to stop chewing electrical wires
- Present a low value treat in one hand and close it. Once your puppy starts to investigate, say the command “leave it” and keep your hand closed. Once your puppy gives up, give a high value reward.
- Leave treats around the floor and use the “leave it” command repeatedly to let your puppy know not to eat the kibbles. Once your pup complies, give them a better reward like their favorite toy or a more tasty treat.
- Practice around wires. Once your puppy gets close to electrical cords, say the word “leave it” and when it stops or hesitates, give your dog a treat for complying.
Deterrent spray
In some homes with dogs that aren’t trained, it might be harder to impose obedience training. So, you need to think of other ways to control your pet’s chewing behavior. In this case, you can purchase anti-chew spray specifically made for dogs. But before you get one, you need to make sure that it’s safe and non-toxic for pets.
Don’t forget to unplug the cord before you spray, use a light mist, and let it dry completely before plugging it back in!
Read More About: Best Bitter Apple Spray For Dogs
Give your dog chew toys
According to Langley Animal Clinic, chewing toys have several benefits. Aside from lowering a dog’s stress level, it also promotes oral health. Ultimately, it can help minimize plaque and tartar build-up, which then can fend off bad breath.
However, it’s not advisable for your pet to chew on other things aside from dog-safe chew toys. So, it’s time to take a trip down the pet store and get your dog that squeaky rubber duckie that you said you’d get for later!
Spend Time with Your Dog
Dogs are like humans too, if you’ve been locked in the house all day for the whole week, you become bored. So they might display signs of boredom by keeping themselves busy with chewing on things around the house. To address this, it might be helpful to spend more time with your dog. Take them out for more walks or play with them more often.
Tire Your Dog Out
When dogs are tired, they won’t have interest in doing other things other than sleep. Make sure that you are giving them the right amount of exercise based on their breed, weight, and age. Aside from the health benefits it brings to the table, a tired dog won’t have any energy left to chew on anything.
Visit your local vet
If all of a sudden, your dog started a habit of chewing on things, you might want to schedule a vet visit. Sometimes, when dogs develop compulsive chewing without notice, there might be an underlying health issue behind it.
In case something is wrong with your dog medically, it’s better to know it sooner than later. If your pet is showing other alarming signs like lethargy, vomiting, or loss of appetite, allow your doctor to conduct the necessary examination to be able to prevent future complications from happening.
Hide your cables
It may sound simple, but blocking off access to the cords is one of the most reliable fixes, especially while you’re still working on training.
You can hide the cords behind furniture so they won’t see them. If they don’t see it, they won’t be tempted to play with it.
In addition, there are countless cable management tools online that you could use to hide your cables from your dogs. Unplug chargers and appliances you’re not using, and when you can’t supervise a puppy, keep it in a crate or puppy-proofed room without accessible cords.
Why do dogs chew on electrical cords?
Dog owners need to know that chewing is a natural thing among dogs, as stated by ASPCA. It can stem from a lot of things and in some way, it can also be a good thing, especially for puppies when they are just growing their tiny teeth.
In order to be more informed, here are a couple of things as to why your dog can’t keep their mouth away from electrical cords:
Read More About: Why Do Dogs Chew On Electrical Cords?
1Curiosity
Similar to toddlers, puppies like to explore things around them and this includes electrical cords that may seem appealing to them.
2Chewing phase
The puppy teething phase usually runs from about 3–4 months of age until around 6–7 months, when the adult teeth are in. This is the stage where they lose their puppy teeth and chew on a lot of things to ease the discomfort, and many dogs keep up a strong urge to chew well into their first year.
3Destructive behavior
The chewing stage may continue up until their adult stages if you don’t correct the behavior. They may think that chewing on electrical cords and other things is okay because they aren’t prohibited from doing so.
4Boredom and separation anxiety
If a dog doesn’t get much exercise or time out of the house, it can grow bored. Similarly, if your dog isn’t used to being left alone in the house, it could result in separation anxiety which then might lead to constant chewing.
Dangers of chewing electrical cords?
Some dog owners might not see chewing as a serious matter but in contrary to this belief, it does pose dangerous risks when your dog chews on things like a plugged electrical cord. According to PetMD, electrocution could result to mild or severe health emergencies like the ones listed below:
Mild Symptoms of electrocution
- Drooling and salivation
- Pain and discomfort around the mouth area
- Minor burns in your dog's mouth
Severe Symptoms of electrocution
- Difficulty breathing
- Seizures
- Collapse
- Unconsciousness
- Irregular heartbeat
There may be delayed onset of signs after a day or two. Oftentimes, mild symptoms may get worse especially if burned skin becomes infected. Your pet may show an increased sign of pain and you may notice a foul smell coming from their mouth.
In worst case scenarios, some dogs may develop pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) and in unfortunate incidents, this may lead to death due to cardiac arrest.
What to do if your dog chews a live cord
- Don’t touch your dog yet. If your dog is still in contact with the cord, switch off the power at the outlet or breaker first, or you could be shocked too.
- Check breathing and alertness. If your dog has collapsed or isn’t breathing, get emergency veterinary help immediately.
- Call your vet even if your dog seems fine. Mouth burns can be hard to see, and fluid in the lungs can develop hours later, so a vet check is recommended after any electrical shock.
Read More About: Dangers Of Electrical Cords And Dogs
Final thoughts – Better Safe Than Sorry
Making sure that your home is a safe environment not only for humans but for your furry pals is important. We hope that you find all our suggestions helpful and that these will solve your troubles with electrical cords! Cords aren’t the only household hazard; we also explain what happens if a dog eats a magnet.
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