Pet owners love being greeted at the door by their furry companions. There is nothing quite like the joyful tail wags and happy dances that await us after a long day at work. However, coming home to see the living room sofa ripped to shreds, with foam chunks scattered across the floor amid the smiling jowls of your pet, is definitely not the welcome we hope for.
- The Psychology of Chewing: Why Do Dogs Do It?
- Expert Steps to Stop Your Dog From Chewing Furniture
- 1. Exhaust Them Physically AND Mentally
- 2. Utilize Doggy Daycare and Professional Walkers
- 3. Provide High-Value Interactive Toys
- 4. Manage the Environment (Dog-Proofing and Crates)
- What NOT to Do: The Danger of After-the-Fact Punishment
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Why does my dog only chew my things, like shoes or pillows, instead of their toys?
- Does bitter apple spray actually work to stop chewing?
- At what age do puppies usually stop chewing on furniture?
- References
Dealing with destructive chewing is one of the most frustrating challenges a pet parent can face. Replacing expensive rugs, shoes, and couches takes a massive toll on your wallet and your patience. But before you get angry at your pup, it is critical to understand that dogs do not destroy furniture out of spite or malice.
“We all love spending time with our dogs, but we need to leave them at home alone sometimes,” explains Laura Roach, a certified dog trainer from the nationally trusted pet care franchise Camp Bow Wow. “Nobody wants to come home to chewed-up shoes or ripped furniture. A tired dog is a good dog, so it’s important to give them exercise and socialization.”
Ensuring your pooch is well-behaved while you are gone is a vital piece of dog training. In this comprehensive guide, we will dive into the psychology behind destructive chewing, how to tell the difference between simple boredom and severe anxiety, and the expert-approved steps you can take to stop a dog from chewing furniture for good.
The Psychology of Chewing: Why Do Dogs Do It?
To stop the behavior, you must first understand the “why.” Dogs explore the world primarily with their noses and their mouths. Chewing is a completely natural, biologically necessary canine behavior.
When a dog chews on a bone (or your wooden coffee table), the physical act of gnawing releases endorphins—specifically dopamine and serotonin—in their brain. This naturally soothes them, relieves stress, and makes them feel good. If your dog is destroying your home while you are away, they are likely using chewing as a coping mechanism for one of three underlying issues:
1. Severe Boredom and Pent-Up Energy
This is the number one culprit. If a dog—especially a high-energy working breed like a Labrador, German Shepherd, or Husky—is left alone for eight hours a day in a quiet house without adequate exercise, they will find a job to do. If you do not provide them with an outlet for their energy, they will invent their own outlet, which usually involves unstuffing your sofa cushions.
2. Separation Anxiety
The ASPCA notes that separation anxiety is a severe panic response to being left alone. If your dog is chewing specifically around exit points (like destroying door frames, window sills, or the carpet near the front door), they are likely suffering from deep anxiety, not boredom. This panic is often accompanied by excessive drooling, pacing, and house-soiling.
3. Puppy Teething
If your dog is under 6 to 8 months old, they are likely teething. Just like human babies, a puppy’s gums hurt as their adult teeth push through. Chewing on hard objects, like the wooden legs of your dining chairs, provides physical relief to their sore gums.
Expert Steps to Stop Your Dog From Chewing Furniture
As Laura Roach noted, an overabundance of both energy and boredom usually explains why some dogs go absolutely nuts when left alone. Here is exactly what professional dog trainers recommend to curb chewing antics and protect your home.
1. Exhaust Them Physically AND Mentally
The golden rule of dog training is: A tired dog is a good dog. However, a quick 15-minute walk around the block is not enough for most dogs. You need to physically exhaust them before you leave for work.
Furthermore, you must exhaust them mentally. Mental stimulation tires a dog out significantly faster than physical running. Practice 15 minutes of advanced obedience trick training right before you leave the house. A mentally exhausted dog doesn’t have the brainpower or the desire to think about getting into trouble; they just want to sleep.
2. Utilize Doggy Daycare and Professional Walkers
Dogs are incredibly social pack animals. If they are holed up indoors for too long, they can easily develop depressive or destructive behavioral issues.
- Enroll in Daycare: Drop your dog off at a reputable doggy daycare a few days a week. Services like those at Camp Bow Wow provide vast play areas where your pup can run, wrestle, and socialize all day while you are at work. They will come home exhausted and happy.
- Hire a Mid-Day Dog Walker: If daycare isn’t an option, hire a professional pet sitter to take Fido for a 30-to-45-minute walk in the middle of the day. Breaking up the long hours of isolation gives them something to look forward to and burns off that mid-day energy spike.
3. Provide High-Value Interactive Toys
You cannot just tell a dog “no chewing.” You must tell them “chew on THIS instead.” If you leave your dog alone with nothing to do, they will find something.
Purchase heavy-duty, interactive dog toys to keep your pet busy while you are gone. Ditch the standard food bowl and use puzzle feeders. A highly effective method is taking a durable rubber KONG toy, filling it with wet dog food and peanut butter, and freezing it overnight. When you give this to your dog as you leave for work, it will take them 45 minutes of intense, focused licking and chewing to get the food out, leaving them perfectly satisfied and ready for a nap.
4. Manage the Environment (Dog-Proofing and Crates)
Until your dog has earned your trust, you must manage their environment. Do not set them up for failure by leaving them loose in a house full of chewable temptations.
- Crate Training: According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), a properly introduced crate utilizes a dog’s natural denning instinct. It keeps them safe, prevents them from practicing bad habits like chewing furniture, and provides a cozy place to sleep.
- Use Taste Deterrents: If you cannot crate your dog, use a specialized taste deterrent spray, like Bitter Apple spray, on the legs of your furniture. The foul, bitter taste will quickly discourage your dog from putting their mouth on the wood. *(Note: This should be a secondary measure, combined with exercise and appropriate toys, not a standalone fix).*
What NOT to Do: The Danger of After-the-Fact Punishment
If you walk through the front door and find your couch destroyed, do not yell at or punish your dog.
Dogs live entirely in the present moment. If they chewed the couch three hours ago, and you yell at them now, they have absolutely no idea why you are angry. They will simply learn to fear your arrival. Even if your dog looks “guilty” (cowering, ears pinned back, tail tucked), they are not feeling guilt; they are exhibiting “appeasement behaviors” because they are reacting to your angry body language and trying to calm you down. Punishment ruins trust and increases anxiety, which will only lead to more destructive chewing in the future.
Conclusion
Coming home to ruined furniture is infuriating, but it is a problem that can be solved with dedication and a change in routine. By understanding that chewing is a symptom of boredom, teething, or anxiety, you can take proactive steps to meet your dog’s biological needs. By increasing their daily physical exercise, providing intense mental enrichment, utilizing the help of professional daycare or dog walkers, and safely managing their environment, you can successfully stop a dog from chewing furniture and restore peace to your home.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why does my dog only chew my things, like shoes or pillows, instead of their toys?
Dogs are heavily scent-driven. Your shoes, socks, pillows, and the couch cushions smell intensely like you. If a dog is feeling slightly anxious or lonely while you are gone, chewing on items that hold your scent is incredibly comforting to them. To fix this, you must redirect their chewing by making their own toys higher value (like stuffing them with food) and putting your shoes safely out of reach in a closet.
Does bitter apple spray actually work to stop chewing?
Yes, taste deterrents like bitter apple or bitter cherry spray can be highly effective for many dogs. However, they only work as a training aid, not a magical cure. If a dog is severely bored or suffering from panic-induced separation anxiety, they will chew through the bitter taste anyway. It must be used in conjunction with proper exercise and mental stimulation.
At what age do puppies usually stop chewing on furniture?
The intense, pain-driven chewing phase of puppy teething usually subsides by the time the puppy is 6 to 8 months old, once all their adult teeth have fully erupted. However, if the puppy has reached a year old and is still chewing the furniture, the behavior has transitioned from teething to boredom or a deeply ingrained bad habit that requires active training to break.
References
- Camp Bow Wow. Doggy Day Care & Training. CampBowWow.com
- ASPCA. Separation Anxiety in Dogs. ASPCA.org
- American Kennel Club (AKC). Destructive Chewing. AKC.org
