Stop a Dog from Chewing

Dog chewing is a natural behavior but may create a lot of problems in a household and may also cause dog injuries. You can stop a dog from chewing, but you need to identify the cause for this behavior and apply the most appropriate training techniques and tips.

Dogs chew on different things including your furniture or shoes due to various reasons:

  • Teething
  • Boredom
  • Curiosity
  • Medical condition
  • Behavioral Training

You need to make the dog understand that chewing is not acceptable and there are certain boundaries he is not allowed to cross.

When you see him chewing on your couch or cables, use a sharp "NO" or other disapproval word and take the dog to his crate. Leave him there for 5 to 10 minutes and then take him back to the room and give him a chew toy.

Make the dog understand that chewing on a toy is good, while chewing on furniture is unacceptable.

Praise your dog or give him a treat when he is chewing on toys.

Varied Chew Toys

Chewing is an instinctual behavior for dogs, so they need to chew on things. Offering your dog the right chew toys will keep him busy and focused on the toys and not other objects in your home.

The chew toys should be of different textures, sizes, softer or harder; make sure you offer variety to your dog, otherwise he will turn to cables and shoes.

Games with Chew Toys

Dogs like challenges and playing a game that involves finding things is always interesting for them.

Hide several of your dog's chew toys and use a command/question such as "Where's the toy" or "Find the toy". Praise your dog whenever he finds the chew toy and your dog will know that finding and chewing on that toy is an acceptable behavior.

Repellents

Sometimes, none of the mentioned techniques work to stop your dog from chewing. Use bitter taste repellents such as bitter apple or eucalyptus on the cables, shoes or furniture. The dog will not like the odor or the taste and will keep away from these. Just put a few drops of repellent or spray the furniture corners and other things.

You may find such bitter taste repellents at pet stores, just make sure the repellent is not toxic for the dog.

To encourage good chewing habits, put a chew toy next to the bitter tasting shoes or cables and the dog will surely chew on the toy.

Hide the Target Objects

If your dog targets certain objects such as shoes, you can hide these. Lock the shoes and bags in a closet or hide the cables under tape or metal covers.

Unfortunately, you cannot hide all the furniture, so you also need an additional method to keep your dog away from the furniture.

Typically, dogs that get enough exercise are less likely to develop behavioral issues such as chewing or barking, so it's recommended that your dog works out regularly.

Dog chewing behavior may be corrected, however if the cause of the dog chewing is medical or stress, visit your vet.

 

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