Is your Husky leaving you sockless?
You are not alone!
Lester is a proud dog dad of Lala. She is an eight-month-old Husky.
Lala is adorable and sweet, but she is a sock monster.
She loves socks so much that she keeps on eating them.
Do you have the same problem as Lester did?
Don’t worry. I got you covered.
Today, you will discover
- 7 reasons why your Husky eats socks.
- What happens if your Husky swallowed a sock.
- What PICA is and how it can endanger your fur baby.
- 5 tips on how to stop your Husky from becoming a sock monster.
- And so much more…
Table of contents
Why does my Husky eat socks?
Huskies eat socks for one of the following reasons: they’re suffering from PICA, seeking your attention and interaction, resource guarding, they like your scent and odor, experience anxiety, or boredom, they’re spoiled or are still teething. Plus, your Husky loves you and chewing the most.
7 reasons why your Husky eats socks
#1: Your fur baby might have PICA
PICA is common amongst Huskies and other breeds. It is a condition that makes them eat non-food items.
Some dogs only eat one type of object while others eat a wide variety of items, according to PetMed.
You could find it funny the first time it happens, but it can endanger the health of your dog.
West Park Animal Hospital claims that the items swallowed by your dog can cause some serious medical emergencies.
They can block the stomach or intestines of your dog. When this happens, it will be difficult for your fur baby to digest their food.
The blockage can prevent blood from flowing. It may also be hard for your dog to poop that may result in absorbing toxic contents.
Here are the signs and symptoms of an intestinal blockage:
- Choking.
- Drooling.
- Vomiting.
- Lethargy.
- Lip Smacking.
- Abdominal pain.
- Loss of appetite.
- Difficulty defecating.
- Coughing and sneezing due to object blocking respiratory tract.
The story of Sierra
There is a Husky named Sierra. She eats fur and anything that touches the floor. She even tries to eat the couch.
This habit of hers started ever since she was a puppy. Sierra had to undergo surgery because she swallowed socks and a towel.
The story is an example of how PICA can endanger the health of your fur baby.
In most cases of PICA, the cause of it is the psychological problems of a dog. Yet, Sierra’s PICA might be psychological or medical issues.
A dog with PICA needs a behavior modification if what causes it is psychological. If it is a medical issue, veterinary treatment is necessary.
You might also want to check out: Why is my Husky always hungry?
#2: Attention and interaction
Your dog discovers that stealing and chewing your items can grab your attention. They will parade your sock for you to see, this way, you start interacting with them.
Dogs are like infants. They also love to grab your attention and always long for your interaction.
Your dog seeking your attention and interaction can start as a game called Keep-Away. This game is fun, but this can lead to a medical emergency once your dog swallows your socks.
To prevent your dog from doing these things, you need to stop reacting every time they steal your socks. You can also give them toys to play with as a bargain from chewing socks.
#3: Husky is guarding your socks
Your Husky tends to guard what is important to them.
If they perceive socks as a precious item, they will swallow them to keep them safe and away from other pets and you.
This behavior is known as resource guarding or possessive aggression. It can be scary for some dog parents.
And your reaction to their behavior can either help or make it worse.
If your dog is suffering from resource guarding avoid:
- Leaving items on the floor that they might guard.
- Punishing their growl.
- Playing with their chews and food.
Signs your dog is guarding the socks include:
- They may lower their head and growl at you as a warning to back off.
- May show signs of distress.
- Your Husky may swallow the sock.
You should connect with a behavior consultant or dog trainer if your Husky has this kind of problem.
#4: Odor and scents
A study published by Behavioral Processes Journal showed how the reward area in the dogs’ brains reacted more to the scents of their humans. It’s stronger than those from familiar dogs or other people.
Your dog encountering your smell feels like the way you react to the cologne or perfume of your loved one.
Your scent and odor make your fur baby feel secure and loved. That is also the reason why your dog loves your feet and socks so much.
Compared to many parts of your body, your feet have more sweat glands. When you use your socks for hours, it soaked all your characteristic odor. Thus, your dog likes to chew on them plus they love the stinky smell from it.
One of those reasons is your feet have more sweat glands than any other part of your body.
#5: Boredom and anxiety
According to a study, 72.5% of dogs exhibit anxiety.
The most common anxiety trait with 32% of dogs was noise sensitivity. The second most common trait was fear with a prevalence of 29%.
Having predominance of 5% and 14%, the most uncommon traits are aggression and separation-related behavior.
Same as you, your pet also experiences these kinds of anxiety. Plus, they are social creatures. They easily get bored.
If you don’t give them enough attention, your Husky will find entertaining things to play with, such as socks.
What they find interesting and fun might often be destructive to your things and home. Since your pet becomes anxious and bored easily, you need to find ways to comfort them even if you are out.
One of the best ways to calm your dog is by playing therapy music. This is what I use for my dog. You can find free therapy music both on YouTube and Spotify.
Having a panoramic camera installed in your home is also helpful. You can watch their moves and speak to them if you want.
When you get home, allow your Husky to cling to you for several minutes up to an hour.
#6: Spoiled brat
Many of you might be guilty of this.
You love your dog so much that they became the Queen or the King of your house.
Your fur baby does whatever they want and whenever they want because you tolerate them.
You allow and give so many things to them that they forgot how to behave.
#7: Baby Husky
Your Husky is teething. They also grow new teeth during development as human babies do.
You may see them chew non-food items like socks. The texture of the fabric is comforting to your dog’s mouth and it’s chewy.
Chewing a sock gives them an enjoyable experience because of your scent soaked in the sock. Aside from chewing socks, your puppy bites your feet from time to time.
What happens when your Husky ate a sock?
The sock they eat will pass across like the normal digestive process. It will come out from the stomach to the small intestine. After that, the sock will go through the large intestine and it will push through.
You don’t need to worry about anything as long as your fur baby is eating and doesn’t have any signs and symptoms discussed in tip number one.
The problem is when the sock gets stuck somewhere in the narrow areas and it starts to swell. When this happens, your dog needs to undergo surgery to remove the sock.
Note: Surgery is very expensive but it can be a life-saver.
What to do when your Husky swallows a sock?
If your Husky swallows a sock you must immediately contact your veterinarian. Take your fur baby to the vet’s office as soon as possible.
They also show you the steps on how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver to your dog.
If your pet is choking check the mouth.
When you see the sock stuck somewhere in their mouth you can pull it out. Be careful. If it’s deep in your dog’s throat then you need your vet’s help to get it out.
5 tips to stop your Husky from eating socks
#1: Call for a professional help
When your Husky is out of control you need to seek professional help. Your vet can help you determine what causes it.
If it’s a medical issue they will handle it. But they may refer you to someone like a behavior consultant that can help you with behavior modification if the cause is psychological.
According to MSD Vet Manual, the techniques in behavior modification are learnable. You only need to invest more of your time and effort.
#2: Declare a sock lockdown
Your Husky loves socks a lot and they grab any opportunity they can to chew it. Thus, it is important to keep your house clean and organized.
This looks like an easy step to make but having children in your home is another story. It will prevent you from putting the socks in the laundry basket before your fur baby can get them.
So the best thing to do is declare a sock lockdown.
Put socks in a place that is unreachable from your Husky. You need to ask your spouse and your children for help. Let them know that you need to save the socks from the sock monster.
The implementation of sock lockdown will be successful if you help them understand. By doing this, it will also save you from stress, heartaches, and money.
#3: Increase the mental and physical stimulation
Your dog will start developing behavioral issues once they get bored. PICA for example. It urges your dog to eat non-food items like socks. To avoid this from happening you need to add brain games to stimulate them mentally.
Aside from physical exercise, you need to add mental stimulation to your dog’s daily routine. Dogs are intelligent creatures. Giving them something purposeful to do elevates your dog’s life.
According to the AKC hyperactivity and destruction problems are resolvable when you add the following things to your dog’s routine:
- Hide and seek.
- Play the Go Find It with your dog.
- Expose your dog to the outside world.
- It’s playtime stimulation with your iFetch.
- You should put those dog tricks into action.
- Learn some tricks even if your dog is already an adult.
Increasing the mental and physical stimulation of your dog can also be beneficial to you. Most of these things promote a healthy and active lifestyle so it’s a win-win situation for both you and your dog.
#4: Do not react and avoid chasing them
Dogs are attention seekers. They are always dying to interact with their humans. They do things like parading and chewing your socks to get your attention.
One of the best ways to prevent your dog from eating your sock is not minding their behavior. This may be difficult for dog parents who love their fur baby so much. Yet, this will prevent them from becoming sock monsters.
It’s a battle between you and your dog. The one who gives up losses and the one will become the boss.
#5: Bargaining socks with toys
You need to say no to your dog if you catch your dog chewing non-food items like socks. Just replace it with an approved toy. Once they give you the sock and start chewing the given toy praise them.
You can also give them some healthy treats once they start chewing the approved toy. This way your dog will learn that chewing their toy is more rewarding than the sock.
Conclusion
These are the 7 reasons why your Husky eats socks and the 5 tips to stop it. Remember that stopping your dog from eating socks doesn’t happen overnight. You and your dog need to invest your time and exert more of your efforts for it to succeed.
If you think this article is helpful, let me know by sharing it with your friends and loved ones on your social media accounts.