Minature Pinscher - Eating underwear

[bneily]

My little Min pin Roxy has been eating my wifes underwear.
I haven't been able to break her of this habit. She will go for days or even a couple weeks, then she will eat 4 or 5 pairs of them.

Do you have any ideas why she would be drawn to her underwear?

Thanks,

Brandon

[Annie]

Hi there,
How old is she? I had this problem when my dog was under a year old. I think she was lonely....so I was careful to keep my underwear away from her, but left an old gardening jumper ( that smelt of me) for her to cuddle with and the problem stopped. Now my dog is older I don´t have to be so careful,
Annie

[KOPsarah]

hi there Brandon thanks for your post.
Your situation is quite common and there are a number of possible reasons for your dogs behavior. The most likely are loneliness, attention seeking and boredom. The best solution is to restrict her access to the underwear and replace them with lots of other items for her to focus on. As Annie suggested leaving her with clothing or bedding that smells like your wife may comfort her while your out. Also consider purchasing toys such as a mini kong or treat ball both of which will keep your dog entertained for a long time while she trys to extract the food. Other items such as chew toys and dental bones should also help. Try to establish a little collection of toys she loves and can play with independently and then rotate them, giving out one or two favorites each time you leave the house or when she is bored.

Also your reaction to her underwear eating is important. If she does manage to get access to underwear and you catch her with them give a calm firm no command, remove them from her and put her outside, in her crate or in another room for a 5 minute time out.

Hope this helps please don't hesitate to ask if you have ay further questions or comments.