How to Stop Your Puppy From Destructive Chewing

We’ve all been there – you go into your closet to take your favorite pair of shoes and noticed that they’ve been torn to pieces. Who’s to blame? The new puppy, of course. Chewing habit can be destructive sometimes, that’s why it is important to keep your puppy’s chewing behavior under control.

Be attentive – Make sure you always keep an eye on your puppy to protect him from his own curiosity and lack of common sense.

Create a confinement area – If you have to leave your puppy alone, make sure he is confined in a safe and cozy place. Puppies generally chew on things when they are alone and bored. Make sure the confinement area must be free of objects, except for those chew toys.

Prevention is key – It is advised to put away all the things that your puppy can get into his mouth, including shoes, children’s toys, plastic bags, clothes, medicine container, wallets and purses – just about everything. Do not even allow the puppy to go to the bathroom unsupervised, since there are various objects to have chewed, such as toilet paper. Always keep your jewelry and other valuable objects in a safe place so that the puppy cannot reach them.

Choose puppy toys wisely – Many animal toys have pieces that can fall off or be chewed off. This can even become a choking hazard. So, it is vital to choose the puppy toys that are designed with a puppy’s safety in mind.

Discipline is a must – The puppy needs to be taught early on that they just cannot chew on anything. But, also remember that a puppy is not mentally and emotionally mature enough to learn all the lessons. You will need to keep everything else out of his reach.

Exercise daily – Age and breed appropriate exercise will not let your puppy get bored and refrain it from chewing on your household stuff. Exercise will also help to keep his energy level balanced. Boredom and high energy levels are some common reasons for destructive behavior.

Correct then divert – If you find your puppy chewing on an inappropriate object, correct him and then divert his attention to some other object. This object can be a meat-scented nylon bone or a rubber toy that is safe and non-damaging to the teeth. If he obeys and chews on the appropriate object, praise him.

Except chewing toys, do not give your puppy anything to chew on – Remember, if you are giving your puppy anything to chew on, you are unintentionally teaching him that it is acceptable to chew on things such as shoes, socks etc. And there will come a day when you find your puppy chewing on your favorite or expensive pair of shoes. Your puppy cannot distinguish which shoes are the good ones and which ones are for him.

All the above mentioned points will help you control the destructive chewing habit of your puppies. We, at Mill Creek Vet, provide advice and suggestions about how to channel your puppy’s urge to chew in the right direction.