How to Stop a Dog From Chewing
As you’re walking down the pet store aisle, you can’t help but notice rows of chew deterrents promising “no more chewing.” But does it work for most dogs or, better yet, puppies?
50/50 Chance
After years of polling puppy and adolescent clients about the effectiveness of dog chew deterrents for their pets, I’ve found it’s almost always split down the middle. For some dogs, it works wonders. The other half of dogs love the taste–go figure.
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Half of Dogs Will Still Chew
Puppies chew. It’s going to happen so now it’s time to prevent those furry termites from eating your baseboards. Have dogs evolved to enjoy bitter tasting sprays? Maybe, but I think there’s much more to it.
Let’s face it. The urge to chew is powerful for young dogs and puppies so most will push through the nasty taste and sink their little teeth into your soft (and gorgeous) hardwood floors. Plus, constant exposure will dull sensory senses. Have you ever been in a heavily deodorized room? At first, you gag and then after a few minutes, you don’t smell it any longer. 🙂 Don’t forget, chewing deterrents have a minimal residual effect, meaning the nasty taste fades over time.
Now, let’s look at our behavior. We don’t normally prevent chewing. Instead, we spray previously chewed areas with deterrents. Oops. We’re reacting instead of being proactive, as our puppies just learned how to chew on our house.
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3 Steps to Get Your Dog to Stop Chewing
A dog safety gate (baby gate) works much better in the long run. By blocking access to unoccupied rooms, you’re preventing dog chewing by supervising puppies and ensuring they have plenty of items to chew on instead.
As with anything, a multi-prong approach is always best. I rarely find a solution that works alone.
- Set up a barrier (dog safety gate) to block access. Now, this is not forever. You just have to block access until your dog learns to chew on appropriate items instead.
- Get on your hands and knees, and spray chewing deterrents on items you don’t want redecorated with puppy pinholes.
- Now, give your dog plenty of chew toys, which work better than chew deterrents. 🙂 Bully sticks, food stuffed toys and interactive food toys will keep your puppy or dog busy for hours, meaning your house is safe for now!
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