Dog trainers Sian Lawley-Rudd and Frankie Jackson say is often an instinctive, sensory behaviour that can also win attention from owners.

The insight comes in an explainer published on Kinship, where the trainers discuss why many dogs are drawn to tearing tissues, cardboard and wrapping paper and how the action fits into normal canine responses.

Sian Lawley-Rudd, an ethical dog trainer and trauma-informed coach affiliated with Lavender Garden Animal Services, described the behaviour as a basic outlet. “Ripping things is a natural outlet for dogs,” she said, framing shredding as more than mere mischief and instead part of how some dogs manage energy and emotion. Lawley-Rudd also advised that owners can redirect these paper-ripping urges by providing safe chew toys and food-stuffed puzzle toys, which cater to their natural chewing and foraging instincts.

Frankie Jackson, a certified trainer and canine behavior consultant with Canine Counseling, noted how the behaviour often begins in puppyhood. “Puppies, in particular, explore their world with their mouths, so shredding can start as curiosity and become habit if it’s rewarding,” Jackson said, highlighting the way reward — even accidental attention — can reinforce the action. He emphasized that, unlike other destructive behaviors, paper tearing is typically a form of play and is considered normal, especially if the dog is not ingesting the paper.

The trainers link the motion and texture of paper to sensory satisfaction: the ripping action delivers a distinct physical feedback that many dogs find pleasurable. Facts drawn into the piece underline that dogs commonly use their mouths to decompress; for some animals, shredding provides both a tactile thrill and a repeatable routine that can become self-reinforcing. Interestingly, studies suggest that dog breeds play a minimal role in this paper-ripping propensity, accounting for only 9% of behavioral variation on average.

Kinship’s article also uses a brief home example to illustrate the pattern: a family dog named Sandy that loved ripping paper on Christmas morning. That anecdote serves to show how the behaviour can appear in everyday, benign contexts and be interpreted as playful by owners.

Beyond curiosity and sensory play, the trainers pointed to attention dynamics. Jackson said dogs may deliberately use behaviors that elicit a response. “They’re specifically using a behavior that they know will get them attention, even if it’s negative,” the trainer explained, connecting paper-shredding to basic learning principles rather than to malice. Additionally, providing appropriate enrichment through durable chew items can help steer dogs away from unwanted paper shredding.

Lawley-Rudd emphasized the emotional dimension for some dogs. “Shredding can be a way to release tension, especially for dogs who get overwhelmed or don’t have many other calming outlets during the day,” she said, underlining that the same action can mean different things depending on the animal’s broader state. Understanding these nuances helps owners better interpret their dogs’ behaviors.

The Kinship explainer positions these observations as part of a larger picture of normal canine behaviour: shredding can be sensory, exploratory or attention-seeking, and it sometimes shifts from an occasional activity to a persistent habit when the dog finds it rewarding. The piece draws on the two trainers’ experience to map how owners might interpret and respond to the behaviour without casting it solely as a disciplinary problem.

As an evergreen explainer, the article compiles those professional perspectives to help owners understand why ripping paper is so compelling for many dogs and how it can reflect instinctive and emotional drivers at once.

Source

Original reporting: view the original article.