Advice for chewing in dogs.
- Provide chew toys: Give your dog safe, durable, and appealing chew toys and bones. When you catch your dog chewing, stop them with a verbal command or a loud noise, then offer them a chew toy. When they start chewing on the toy, praise them.
- Exercise and mental stimulation: Bored dogs may chew to entertain themselves. Take your dog on walks, play fetch and tug, and try dog sports. You can also feed them in food puzzle toys.
- Dog proof your home: Keep valuable items out of reach and put away laundry in a closed hamper.
- Use deterrents: Apply a product to household objects that tastes or smells unpleasant to dogs, but not to humans. You can buy a commercial spray or make your own with apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, and water.
- Crate train: Crate training can be effective when you can't supervise your dog. Make sure the crate is comfortable and provide chew toys inside.
- Redirect behaviour: Use the redirection training technique to redirect your dog's chewing to an appropriate behaviour. For example, if your dog is chewing on a table leg, redirect them to chew on a bone.
