Have you ever come home from work only to find a sofa cushion or even a table leg completely destroyed by your dog? Destructive furniture chewing is not an uncommon behavior in dogs, but it is thankfully one that can be prevented with some basic ground rules and techniques. The following is a guide that will help you learn how to keep your dog from chewing furniture.
Make sure that your dog is getting enough exercise and mental stimulation every day
One of the most common reasons why dogs chew on furniture or even chew it up completely is that they don’t get enough physical exercise or mental stimulation during the day. Dogs that have too much energy and dogs who mentally bored, frustrated or anxious are prone to destructive behaviors such as chewing on furniture. Make sure that you are walking your dog, playing with them, and providing them with some type of stimulation when you’re not at home such as hide-and-find chew toys, music, and other entertainment.
Use bitter sprays on frequently chewed furniture
One of the simplest methods for keeping your dog from chewing furniture is to make the furniture taste as unappealing as possible to your dog. This can be safely accomplished with dog-friendly bitter sprays, which can be directly sprayed on many different types of furniture. The sprays will give the furniture a nasty, bitter taste that is very unappealing to dogs. Most dogs will avoid attempting to chew something more than once after they have gotten a taste of a bitter spray in their mouth.
Redirect your dog’s desire to chew into appropriate toys
Chewing is a natural behavior, so your dog will need some sort of appropriate outlet for chewing. You can help reduce their desire to chew on furniture by redirecting their chewing behavior into appropriate toys. Make sure that these chew toys are appropriate for the dog’s breed and age first, then have them placed in accessible areas throughout the home. If you see your dog chewing on furniture, redirect them with a chew toy. Over time, they will start to gravitate towards the chew toy—and not your kitchen table legs—when they have the urge to chew on something.
Take your dog to the vet if the behavior won’t stop
In some cases, you may find that your dog’s chewing behavior does not stop even if you give them plenty of alternatives, make sure they exercise, and do your best to train them. In this case, it may be possible that your dog’s destructive furniture chewing is related to some underlying problem. If your dog won’t stop chewing despite your best efforts, book an appointment with your vet so that they can determine if something else might be going on with your pet.
Chewing is a natural behavior in dogs, but you don’t have to put up with your furniture being chewed on. If your dog is prone to chewing furniture, make sure that you implement patient training, offer alternatives, and meet your dogs physical and mental needs to reduce this problem behavior.
