How to stop your dog from chewing your furniture and belongings.
A lot of people struggle with their dog chewing their furniture and belongings. This can cause people to spend lots of money replacing their belongings, and cause some people heartache if their dog destroys something priceless! When your dog chews up your furniture or belongings, you might feel frustrated with your dog and at a loss for what to do. Here is some information as to why your dog might be chewing your furniture, and how to stop it!
Your dog is chewing your furniture because they have too much freedom in the house.
A lot of young dogs and puppies get in trouble with chewing furniture or household belongings because they have too much access to your valuables when they aren’t ready for that kind of privilege! All dogs love to chew, and especially young dogs. While a puppy is growing up, they may want to chew anything in site, and won’t inherently understand what is ok and not ok to chew up. If they aren’t allowed to rehearse chewing on the wrong things, a lot of times they will simply learn that they can chew on the bones and bully sticks you provide them with, and nothing else! In order to prevent your puppy or dog from chewing on your furniture or belongings, it’s essential that they are not given the opportunity! This means keeping them confined to parts of the house that are “safe” and without furniture or belongings that could be chewed on. If you don’t have a part of the house that is free from furniture or belongings, you will need to use a crate. You may need to check out my blog post on how to crate train your dog! Using the crate when you can’t supervise your dog will ensure that they don’t get into trouble and chew on the wrong things.
Your dog is chewing your furniture because they need to chew!
This may sound super obvious, but a lot people don’t actually know what it means to provide their dog or puppy with adequate chewing opportunities! Many times I have gone to a client’s home and they have tons of plushies and interactive toys for their dog, but not a lot of chewing options. If you have a puppy or young dog (or even adult dog!) you will definitely be spending a solid portion of your pet care budget on chewing items if they are exhibiting signs of needing to chew. Dogs want to chew on things that they can break down—so the super, duper hard plastic chews are often not enjoyable. Some chews are way too soft and broken down in seconds. The key is to find a size-appropriate chew for your dog that can last! My personal dogs (ages 7 and 11 years old) are still big chewers, and they are “aggressive chewers” — meaning they can break things down super quickly! I like to use Bully Bunches 10 in “Monster” sized bully sticks and these 10' in Amazing Dog Treats. If you’re going to buy bully sticks, make sure you buy a “bully stick holder” like a “Bonivet” bully stick holder. This makes it less likely for your dog to swallow the end of the bully stick. If your dog or puppy isn’t making a dent in the bully stick, that means it’s too thick for them! They should be able to work through it in the same day.
Your dog is chewing your furniture because they are bored.
A lot of times, dogs end up chewing your furniture or belongings because they have pent up energy or are bored! Many dogs need either two walks a day, or an opportunity to run freely, for at least 30 minutes a day. Outside of physical exercise like walks and runs, many dogs need mental stimulation—this can look like obedience training, search games, and dog treat puzzles. Working with your dog for a few minutes a day doing trick training, or providing them with opportunities to exercise their natural instincts like using their nose, can satiate their needs and reduce the likelihood that they will end up chewing on your furniture or belongings. I like to use things like “snuffle mats'“ for my dogs, which turns 60 second meal time into something engaging and satiating.
Ultimately, if you’re having a problem with your dog chewing up your furniture or belongings, and none of these tips and tricks worked for you, get help!
