This lovely little puppy has brought so much happiness back to our house. The kids adore her, and she loves to chase them around the house when they get rambunctious. I love having her curl up next to me when the kids are at school. It’s nice to have peace and quiet without being alone. And even though she’s pretty attached to me, she always loses her mind when Mike gets home from work, sprinting to beat the kids to meet him at the door every night.
This lovely little puppy has also brought a wave of destruction. Rigby was not a chewer when she was a puppy, but Schuyler…if she can get her mouth around it, she will chew on it. She gnaws on her food bowls, crate door, crate mattress, etc. But she will also chew up literally anything else she comes across. Rogue toy? Goner. Shoe? Hope you didn’t want to wear it again. Blanket or pillow? We now know what kind of stuffing several of our pillows were filled with.
Keeping chewable things out of Schuyler’s reach is easy enough (even James has finally realized that he’d better put away his toys unless he wants them destroyed), but there are some things I can’t move. Like the corners of walls. Look at what she did to the corner of my step.
I don’t want to say that picture makes me feel murderous, so I won’t say anything.
Keeping her in her crate 24 hours a day is not a solution (but don’t think I didn’t consider it) because she has to learn how to live in this house. But since I also have to keep an eye on the other destructive member of this house (James, the one who is old enough to start fires), I can’t watch this pup 100% of the time.
I got a product (Nature’s Miracle) that is supposed to repel pets from wherever it’s sprayed but guess what? Schuyler thinks it is DELICIOUS. Like, she followed me around when I sprayed it and then lapped it up like it was the most delicious wood seasoning she’d ever tasted. So that’s $15 I’ll never see again.
You gonna spray that wood or….
Honestly. This dog. Tell me how to make her only chew on her toys because I’m gonna lose my mind.
RzDrms says:
Spray that s*** on her toys.
Allie says:
I think it’s time to bring back the gated community
Julie says:
Can’t wait to read the comments on this because we are having the same problem with our, now 8 month old, puppy. Just recently he decided that the remote control to the able was so delicious he would chew on it every single time we turned our backs on the remotes. I went to Comcast over the weekend and the lady at the counter took one look at the chewed up remote I brought as evidence that she said “I’ll get 2 for you, in case that happens again” Lord have mercy, this dog will chew ANYTHING!! 5 pairs of reading glasses, 4 remote controls, countless blankets, crate bedding, tables, THE OTHER DOGS EARS! Good luck. I’m currently using vodka as my safe place.
Jennifer says:
Thankfully none of my dogs are chewers, but I have heard that the bitter apple spray is the way to go for that dogs that chew. Good luck – the puppy stage can be challenging!
Stacey says:
Try Bitter Apple spray. And put vanilla on her toys so she identifies the smell with her own toys.
Linnae says:
This is what we used as well, and it worked great. Good luck!
Nancy Smego says:
Bitter apple always worked for me. Not sure if that’s what in the product you already bought. Buy something that has a really unappealing (yet harmless) taste and try it out~!
Toni says:
Luckily I don’t have a chewer, but I have also heard the bitter apple spray works. Good luck!
Barbara de Lap says:
This is what my mom used for over 50 years for puppies who chew.
http://www.dogforums.com/dog-training-forum/39997-how-use-alum-spice.html#/topics/39997?page=1&_k=6p738c
Jen says:
Our dog was the same way and thought the anti-chew stuff was a treat!
We made sure that he always had a toy within reach and my parents started to carry toys with them to give to him in case he looked like he was starting to chew things. Also, when he started to mouth on us with those sharp dagger baby teeth, we made him bite himself (either his paw or his lip). He learned that it was painful to bite people and he stopped.
Chris says:
Hate to break it to you but I had a pup who thought bitter apple spray was just the right seasoning to make everything taste better…..
This also reminds me of our first puppy when I was a kid. My mom and I had never had dogs. She didn’t want her chewing on things so she put tabasco sauce on thing she didn’t want her chewing on. Turns out our little darling loved tabasco and while she wasn’t interested BEFORE the sauce was added she chewed everything once my mom put it on because YUMMY! LOL Good luck! Could it be that she’s teething? When our little one was teething we gave her ice cubes- it helped the pain and served as a nice distraction. She is now 5 and has an ice eating issue, but hey…..;)
Chris says:
Shill out the moolah for a reputable dog trailer to come to your home for one or two sessions. It will change your life and be so worth it. Chewing on that much stuff is a habit you want to stop NOW.
Jackson says:
I agree although I id not use the one we had for that but for other behaviors and she was very helpful. I had to change some of my behavior.
michelle says:
I also recommend bitter apple spray, ice cubes, and kongs, and nylabone plastic bones. Try to get some toys that are meant for chewing and not just stuffed animals. There are also lots of edible bones you can get her to chew on, but stay away from rawhide.
Becca says:
Oh yikes… That photo of your step makes ME feel murderous! No advice – just pure sympathy. Good thing she’s cute?
Kandi Ann Brewer says:
No one mentioned the way I use, You tell them NO CHEW and then immediately give them a chewable toy. If you can’t watch her, she must must must go in her crate. No way around that one.
Angela Peterson says:
Our trainer recommends lemon juice or a vinegar/water solution in a spray bottle. Good luck!
Trudy says:
A friend of mine used hot sauce for his bulldog! Mean but it worked. With my pup who loved eating my books I got her a deer antler and she just prefers to chew that over everything
Jackson says:
Have you tried Bitter End? It worked for me and I will use it again with my new puppy.
Jillian says:
Have you tried a baby gate?? It gives them much more space than a crate and is open!
Gabie says:
People probably won’t like this but our dog liked to chew the corners of our baseboards so I put a tiny bit of cayenne pepper on all of them and problem solved.
LaFawne says:
Just please be careful with any sprays- natural or not. Your pup can have an allergic reaction. She is adorable, good luck to ya! Most grow out of it, but will your house still be standing when she does? LOL I lost two good recliners to our boy (but he was worth it)
Melissa says:
Ugh! Our puppy was a big time chewer (his preferred flavor was wall.) He eventually grew out of it and now just chews on toys and rawhide bones. When he was a compulsive chewer it was when his puppy teeth were falling out so we figured it was probably pain more than anything. We bought a bunch of soft rubber teething toys and he soon learned those were much better than walks and his water bowl. His favorite was the puppy kong filled with peanut butter! We also gated him in the bathroom when we weren’t home so my husband only had to putty and paint a few walls.
Megan says:
Oh man. Our puppy wasn’t THAT big of a chewer but she did get the corner of our entertainment center (and then a few days later got the other side so…I guess at least now it’s even?) and we never really resorted to the spray. The best thing that worked was redirection – if she had something that wasn’t hers, we took it and said a sharp “uh uh” and gave her one of her toys. Eventually we combined this with clicker training, so she’d get a click & a treat for choosing a toy. We don’t have two kids to wrangle though!
Kirsten says:
I’m so interested to read the comments too – we just got our puppy a week ago and while he hasn’t destroyed any actual objects – he likes to chew on our hands and nip in a playful way. Trying redirection and toys, etc…I’m hoping this is a puppy phase that will end at some point. Bring on the advice, readers! haha
Jeanie says:
I’m so sorry, but I’m laughing my a$$ off. She will likely stop all the chewing when she gets her grownup teeth, but I know that isn’t much of a comfort right now. Also? I have one that’s about seven-ish years old (not sure because he was a stray) that STILL chews things. I’ve seen him actually eat napkins and pieces of material. I hate to think how much I’ve spent on dog beds because of that dog.
Cheryl says:
We had a big biter/chewer that NOTHING worked on and what finally broke her of it was spending time at doggy day camp. Our trainer suggested it because the theory is that the other dogs in the pack will show her that it isn’t acceptable. We went from full on chewing to not in about 2 days at doggy day camp.
Melanie says:
Could you keep her on a long leash and tie the leash around your waist? You could leave some toys within range and that would give her enough space to roam a bit but stay within your sight and hopefully avoid further destruction. I used this technique with my dog when she was a pup and it also taught her to calm down when she was home, which was nice.
Lorraine says:
We had a German Shepard puppy who chewed the walls. The only thing that worked was vinegar sprayed on any surface he tried to chew on. The house smelled like a salad but it worked. And we had lots of chew toys to give him whenever we saw him chewing. He’s 18 months now and has finally outgrown the chewing and will go get one of his many toys. Good luck!
Jackson says:
I’m still giggling that your house smelled like a salad :). What we won’t do for our beloved pets.
twingles says:
I have a step that looks like that – my dog did outgrow the chewing….and yours probably will too. Until then tire her out with a good game of tug that will satisfy her need to mouth things and get her to sleep. And if she will go in her crate, that’s where she should be when you can’t watch her to keep off the things she likes to chew that can’t be removed.
My kids each had a pair of shoes chewed up by our dog and after I replaced them he chewed up the next pair. “Guess you’re wearing chewed up shoes” I told the kids (who were 12, 12 and 9 BTW) – one good thing about a teething puppy is the kids learned to put stuff AWAY!
Rebecca says:
My dog is a chewer (but, thankfully, only of his toys) and will DESTROY any toy he can. It’s fun to have tennis balls and everything, however I’ve switched him over to just a few things that are meant for extreme chewers. Maybe that will help curb her chewing? Those baby teeth need work! I have a fake bone, something that looks similar to a pretzel, and just got him a rabbit stuffed animal that feels as strong as cement. Check out the pet store aisles and look for things with “extreme” or “level 10” chews. If you catch her chewing something she shouldn’t, tell her no sternly and then get her interested in her toys with lots of praise.
Now if only I could get my dog from sneaking the cat food when I forget to put it away…
Vicky says:
Try dabbing a little jalapeño juice or garlic on the places she chews.
Becky says:
Our puppy is now 9 months old, and she has destroyed 5000 puppy toys, a brand new pair of boots, the insoles of several pairs of shoes, a couple of pillows, a bath towel, a blanket, several food bowls, a million potty pads, A BRAND NEW FITBIT CHARGE HR and $16 cash, including the leather wallet it was in. Today, she was quietly laying in the floor shewing her rope like a good girl, but chewed a bit too much and ended up going through the carpet. We have needed new carpet for awhile now anyway, but still. *sigh* Bitter Yuck! was the only thing that would work to get her to stop chewing the potty pads, but we haven’t used it on anything else. I guess I should be thankful she hasn’t chewed our walls or furniture…yet.
CJ says:
My dogs have never been terrible about chewing things -but I have always given them lots of things TO chew on. Deer antlers are a popular item around here. Those nylon bones are highly recommended -but my dogs have always turned their noses up at them. I think the key is giving them appropriate things to chew on, and being proactive about telling her no when she chews something and then putting her in a place with bones and toys she can have. There are also toys that are made from fire hose that are super strong. She is SUCH a cutie -almost makes me want one…except then you mention chewing and training and yea…:) Good luck!
Nadine says:
Try all the sprays until one works for your dog. Bitter citrus worked for our chewer.
Kitty says:
This will probably sound awful, but since the sprays don’t seem to work and she is literally destroying your house, might a remote control shock collar do the trick? She will probably just get a mild zap with her first gnaw and never try to taste your steps again.
Kitty says:
I posted that and then realized, with the name Kitty, my comment might seem like it was written by an evil cat out to destroy all dogkind. Cue the evil laugh?
(Muah ha ha.)
Stephanie says:
This made me LOL.
Jannette says:
I was laughing the moment I saw Kitty!
Kerri says:
Our Golden retriever that we got as a puppy ate everything in our house for 2 years. 2 YEARS! Chairs, woodwork, toys, shoes. And she’s a glorious 7 year-old angel now. But she forever broke me of puppies. Hence the recent adoption of our fabulous senior lab mix. Cuz puppies? Well they’re cute and they deserve awesome forever homes. Just not my home.
GreenInOC says:
My suggestion might seem radical but change her food to raw meat & bones. She’ll get her teething issues taken care of with the gnawing required to rip and tear that meat apart (and not on your steps – that makes me want to cry!), and she’ll be exhausted. She isn’t too little or young for it.
I’ve fostered 16 dogs & 2 cats and 14 of the dogs were puppies & one the cats was a kitten (not at the same time, that would be crazy!) I fed all of them raw meat & bones (I feed what’s referred to as “franken-prey”), from their first meals with me. Not a single one of them chewed anything but their food.
The youngest was 3#, 5 week old stray and without hesitation she climbed on top of her hunk of meat and ripped it apart with gusto!
Carrie says:
1. Prioritize exercise. Whether she needs a couple of walks a day, likes to chase a ball, or needs to find a few puppy buddies to wrestle with, make it happen as much as you can. You want her to be EXHAUSTED as much as possible when she is in the house so that she will learn that being at home means lying around (not wrecking things).
2. Shift your focus from stopping her from chewing to making sure she only chews on appropriate things. For all of my dogs, edible stuff was always a better bet than toys for this purpose. Figure out what she likes and what lasts a long time. My favorite hack is to freeze everything so it takes her longer. Freeze peanut butter in kongs, freeze treats inside ice cubes, and get those frozen marrow bone things. Then train yourself to make sure she has one of these things ANYTIME she is awake and nobody is playing with her.
3. Make a big exaggerated deal out of scolding her if she chews on bad stuff and praising her when she is chewing on good stuff you have given her. Teach the kids to do the same thing. If she cannot be supervised because of whatever else is going on in the house, she MUST be crated (ideally with a good thing to chew on in there).
Remind yourself that doing all of the above is worth the trouble even though it is annoying and time-consuming especially for someone with work and kids. The payoff for making all of this stuff a priority NOW is a better life for her (and also your house!).
Stephanie says:
My beagle, Ellie (now 10), was a terrible puppy. She once chewed through TWO couch cushions. I thought my mom was going to murder ME. (I brought Ellie home unexpectedly at 17…heh). She chewed shoes, socks, chair legs…anything but her toys.
I tried everything. The only thing that worked for her in terms of discipline was the good ol’ newspaper. Every time I caught her chewing something (or doing any of the dreaded puppy catastrophes), I rolled up a newspaper, smacked her nose with it, and immediately put her in her crate for “time out.” Eventually she got the hint. 10 years later she’s still terrified any and all newspapers.
Good luck! The good thing is that like kids, puppies go through stages. I know you’ll come up with the best solution for her.
Teresa says:
Smartbones are an awesome alternative to rawhide and our beagle who loves to chew can’t get enough of them. Spray the wood and then give her a chew alternative.
Susan Culver says:
Make a mixture of water and cayenne pepper and put it in a spray bottle and spray your stairs. The mix shouldn’t hurt the wood and she’ll stay away from them. I’m not sure of the ratios but I’ll bet if you look on The Google, you’ll find the recipe. We used it on our first lab, who chewed EVERYTHING, and it worked like a charm.
REK981 says:
Um, depending on her genetics she may be a lifelong chewer. I have a border terrier mix and he is 5, and STILL CHEWS! We did every spray and he always has his Nyla bones. Redirecting didn’t help. We have to keep him away from stuffed animals but pillows are safe. He has chewed a doorway (looks similar to your step). He chewed table legs as well. Get a good trainer STAT. Good luck.
nancy says:
my first pup was a chewer. still is but now only the stuff she is allowed to chew. tried various no chew sprays she loved them all. vet told us to use lemon juice from fresh lemons or tabasco sauce. they worked great. we also redirected any time she was caught chewing something she was not allowed. just a simple no and give her something she was allowed to chew. luckily she was a fast learner and only chewed the corner of 1 wall and the rockers on my rocking chair before getting the idea. good luck
Paula says:
My beagle was a chewer as a puppy and also loved all of the “anti chew” sprays. Clear, roll on deodorant did the trick. I just covered the edges of my coffee table and chair legs, after a couple of weeks he left my furniture alone. Dog toys, he still destroys to this day, but oddly he has learned to leave my kids’ stuff alone.
Tori says:
Our pup was a chewer extraordinaire, especially as a youngster. He got the corner of a stair, corners of a (fortunately distressed-finish) coffee table, corner of a wall, etc. As well as murdering several innocent pillows. When we had to leave him alone, but needed more space than a crate, we gave him the gated community and removed what was tempting. We tried Tabasco and various sprays. He actually licked the Tabasco off the wall, he loved it. The only spray that worked was the bitter one. I’d recommend trying a couple until you find the one that works. We also had success with making other toys extra desirable by hiding treats, smearing with a bit of peanut butter, etc. The interactive toys were a success. Good luck!
Meg says:
We taught Ruby the command “Leave It” (Heard this from the Dog Whisperer Ceasar Millan) Works for food dropped/medicine dropped, things you dont want chewed or anything you dont want the dog to touch. In the early months when we said “Leave It” we would move her away and give her something she was allowed to chew on…..every…single…time. It seriously worked and to this day when I am cooking if I drop food and its not something I want her to eat I still use the command. Replace what she is chewing on with something she is allowed to chew on. Now she will search out her several bones (like nylabones) in the house if she needs to chew. We always have a few out for her. Also, now that she is 2 she only does this obsessive chewing when she needs more exercise. So another very important point is that first thing in the morning get the dog out and walked (another tip from Ceaser). This will help get rid of the nervous energy which in turn is all the chewing. We did try the Bitter Spray but found her licking it too much and it didn’t really teach her what to do instead of chewing.
Jana Frerichs says:
Bitter apple spray. That should do it and it is only a phase. It doesn’t last forever, fortunately, for my puppy who was a major chewer! All of the remote controls are still reminders of that time!
Debbie says:
So sorry to tell your this Heather, but I have an 8 year dog that still chews. She has destroyed so many things!!! We have tried every possible spray, put her through many months of training and private training, crated when we aren’t home and even bought the K9 Ballistics dog bed (which got chewed). Good luck! I hope its just a phase for you. We still love our dog through good and bad.
Jenny says:
I don’t know if this will help with a puppy, but we have used a squirt/spray bottle filled with water with our kittens. Whenever they were doing something naughty, we’d give them a few squirts of water and it seemed to get our point across (well, except for the one kitten who loved water!)
Becki says:
Our Pomeranian Taffy was a chewer. She outgrew it after 2 years. 2 years of forgetting and leaving my favorite sandals out – GONE, books on the bottom shelf – GONE etc, buttons on a carelessly tossed shirt – GONE. We got a new TV stand – a very nice wood one and my husband threatened the dog with death if she chewed it – meanwhile – I went on Amazon Prime Today and had ordered wood colored rubber corner bumpers for all of the “good” furniture pieces. It worked! For some reason – she had no interest in them. But .. it did take 2 years – and after that – was like the “chew” switch turned off.
Ann says:
Our puppy did the same thing. I started giving her bully sticks at the suggestion of our dog sitter and it had totally stopped her chewing on other things. Good luck!! ?
Bestadvisor says:
We have been using Bitter End for a long time and it works great!
Miriam says:
I have a little puppy who is also a chewer. She is a chihuahua mix. She is currently six months old and I just had her spayed last week. I was told that the spaying might actually calm her down a bit. Well, so far…NOPE. I will say though that she hasn’t been chewing on our furniture in a while. To help curb her chewing I just have tons of puppy chew toys in a little basket and I throw it around her to play with and she absolutely loves it! I guess always having a little chew toy on hand might help? Also a bone to gnaw on seems to keep her preoccupied as well. I also have started spraying her with water every time she bites my ankles when I’m walking. I was told to use lemon juice and water (and I might try this again in the future) but she loved that stuff!!!
Kat says:
oh man this sounds like I could’ve written it! I have a 10 mo old puppy at home that is a VICIOUS chewer! She will chew anything and everything! She especially loves WOOD… so my dining room table leg, rungs on the chairs, china hutch, wine rack, linen cabinet… oy! I have tried everything to stop her as far as sprays. Sprays from the store, the bitter apple and the natures miracle. Yep, my dog thinks they taste yummy too! I tried making my own spray with cayenne… she loves that too! Final straw, I tried barely diluted tobacco and guess what? She loves that TOO! We had to reinstate the gated community! It stinks, but I hope that she will grow out of this. She is a stubborn little thing too, so when we say no, I am pretty sure if she had fingers she’d flip us the bird while smiling sweetly. We still love her though! LOL
Laura says:
Bitter Apple Spray, Vicks Vapor Rub (worked best for my dog) and I heard a trainer suggest a pepper/water spray. I’d check with your vet first but the Vapor rub was suggested by ours and it worked.
Tricia says:
Our boxer did that to our coffee table! I feel stabby every time I look at it. She also ripped up the under part of the couch. That was a fun thing to wake up to. We have a baby gate that keeps her in the kitchen-family room so she can’t go roaming all willy nilly around the house unaccompanied. And when we leave that big room, we put her in the crate if it will be more than a minute. Good luck! Like kids, it’s a damn good thing they are cute! haha
Rachel says:
Isn’t nature’s miracle for cleaning up pee? I’ve heard bitter apple, but teaching her an appropriate replacement is best.
Meghan says:
Things we did:
– keep puppy close with a long leash that is attached to you so that they are able to play but are within eyesite, mostly to be able to correct the behaviour as soon as it begins
– have another toy immediately available to give when puppy starts chewing something they shouldn’t
– gate off areas if able, similar to keeping the puppy within eyesite
– for our puppy in particular – they would turn to chewing or digging in the backyard when they were bored so even more walks and play started happening
Lissa says:
Lots of great advice here. Mine would be to get pet insurance on her. Cheap as a puppy and will cover her (and your) bills if she shallows something she shouldn’t or can’t pass or eats something toxic. Get it now before she has a medical “history” that makes this lovely habit a pre-existing condition. Trapanion is the cheapest, most inclusive company I know.
Lissa says:
That’s Trupanion.
Angie says:
We use Tobasco sauce on the items we dont want the pup to chew. Mine is a 11 month German Shepherd that chewed walls, lintels and anything he could except shoes. The Tobasco sauce works like a charm!
Daniel says:
Adorable puppy !!!!! Really look smart and intelligent ,
Love with best love !!!!!!!!!!!
Jen Hoo says:
Oh.? Little puppy is so cute, just like my little dog name is Kino. It’s so cute and clever.