How to Stop a Dog from Chewing: 8 Proven Solutions That Work

7 min read

Knowing how to stop a dog from chewing is something every dog owner eventually needs. I found this out the hard way when my Labrador worked his way through a phone charger, a corner of the sofa, and — his crowning achievement — a passport that had approximately three months of validity left on it. Not spite. Not stupidity. Just a dog with too much energy, not enough appropriate outlets, and unrestricted access to things he should not have had.

That last part is the key insight. Chewy’s certified trainer Victoria Schade puts it well: chewed items are a puppy-proofing failure, not a puppy failure. Dogs do not know the difference between an expensive shoe and a chew toy unless you teach them. The goal of how to stop a dog from chewing is never to eliminate chewing entirely — chewing is natural, healthy, and necessary for dogs — but to redirect it from your belongings to appropriate outlets.

The first step is working out why your dog is chewing. The solution for boredom chewing is completely different from the solution for anxiety chewing, which is different again from teething or attention-seeking. Getting this wrong wastes weeks. Getting it right usually produces results fast.

📌 Internal link: How to help a dog with separation anxiety → https://dogsandcatshq.com/how-to-help-a-dog-with-separation-anxiety

📌 Internal link: How to crate train a puppy → https://dogsandcatshq.com/how-to-crate-train-a-puppy

Why Is Your Dog Chewing? Diagnose This First

Tribeca Soho Animal Hospital identifies the main causes of destructive chewing. Identifying yours before choosing a solution saves significant time:

• Boredom and under-stimulation— dogs without adequate physical exercise or mental engagement chew to entertain themselves. Most common cause in adult dogs.
• Separation anxiety— chewing focused near exits, occurring specifically when you are absent, alongside other distress signs. A different problem requiring a different solution.
• Teething— puppies between 3 and 6 months old chew to relieve gum discomfort. Usually resolves when adult teeth are in at 6 to 7 months.
• Attention-seeking— chewing gets a dramatic reaction, and even negative attention is still attention.
• Barrier frustration— chewing focused on gates, doors, and confinement areas when your dog wants to get through them.
• No appropriate chew outlets— if you have not provided anything acceptable to chew, your dog will find something on their own.

8 Proven Methods: How to Stop a Dog from Chewing

1. Management — remove the opportunity

K9 Mania Dog Training is direct on this: how to stop a dog from chewing furniture starts with removing access to tempting items while you train. Keep shoes, charging cables, remote controls, and laundry out of reach. Use baby gates to limit access to rooms with tempting items. This is not the long-term solution, but it prevents the behaviour from being rehearsed and reinforced while training takes effect.

2. Provide appropriate chew outlets — the real fix

The most effective long-term answer to how to stop a dog from chewing is giving your dog legal, appealing chewing options at all times. Chewy recommends rotating 3 to 5 different chew toys to maintain novelty — a toy that has been available constantly loses its appeal. Bringing toys out fresh makes them exciting again.

• Rubber toys like KONG — stuff with peanut butter or wet food and freeze overnight for maximum engagement
• Nylabones and hard rubber chews — for powerful chewers who destroy softer toys quickly
• Bully sticks, antlers, or raw meaty bones — natural chews that satisfy the instinct at a deep level
• Rotate weekly — novel items always win over familiar ones

💡 The frozen KONG trick Stuff a KONG with peanut butter, kibble, and wet food mixed together, then freeze overnight. A frozen KONG occupies most dogs for 30 to 60 minutes. It is the single most useful tool in managing chewing during unsupervised time — and it works for separation anxiety, post-exercise rest periods, and keeping a busy dog occupied while you make a phone call.

3. Redirect immediately when you catch them

If you catch your dog chewing something they should not have, interrupt calmly — say their name or clap once — and immediately offer an appropriate chew toy. When they take it, praise enthusiastically. This teaches them what they are allowed to chew rather than just what they are not.

Chasing a dog who has grabbed a forbidden item is a mistake that pet owners repeat constantly. The moment you chase, it becomes a game and the item becomes more valuable. Instead, go to the treat cupboard, drop some treats on the floor near your feet, and let the dog come to you. The forbidden item gets dropped. You pick it up. No drama.

4. Bitter deterrent sprays on target areas

Bitter apple spray creates an unpleasant taste on specific surfaces — furniture legs, cables, skirting boards — that discourages chewing there. K9 Mania Dog Training identifies bitter apple as the most effective commercial deterrent. Apply to specific target surfaces and reapply every few days as cleaning removes previous applications.

An important caveat: deterrent sprays protect specific surfaces while you work on the actual cause. They are a supplement to training, not a replacement for it. A dog driven by anxiety or boredom will find something else to chew when their usual target tastes unpleasant.

5. Exercise and mental stimulation — often the real solution

The healthyskin4dogs training guidance states it plainly: a tired dog chews less. For boredom chewing specifically, meeting the exercise requirement is often more effective than any specific training technique. A dog that has had a proper run, a training session, and a puzzle feeder to work through is a dog that sleeps rather than redecorates your furniture.

In my experience the correlation between exercise and destructive behaviour is one of the most reliable patterns in dog ownership. Days with a proper workout produce calm evenings. Days with a cut-short walk produce chewed things.

6. Crate training for unsupervised periods

Until how to stop a dog from chewing is well-established, crating during unsupervised time prevents access to forbidden items and keeps the dog safe. Chewy is clear on this: do not crate a dog showing signs of true separation anxiety — confined dogs with genuine separation anxiety may self-injure. For all other chewing causes, a correctly introduced crate is one of the most effective management tools available.

7. Teach the leave it command

A reliable leave it gives you an active tool to interrupt approach behaviour before chewing starts. The moment you see your dog approaching a forbidden item, say leave it — when they look away, mark and reward. Over time this redirects attention from temptation reliably and on cue, giving you control in real situations rather than just after the damage is done.

8. Address separation anxiety as a separate issue

Chewing that happens only when you are absent, focused near exits, and accompanied by other distress signs is separation anxiety — not a chewing problem. Standard chewing solutions do not fix this. The approach involves graduated departure training starting from seconds, high-value frozen toys left only during departures, and in moderate to severe cases, veterinary support including medication alongside behaviour modification.

What Does Not Work — And Why

Punishing a dog for chewing something you found after the fact is one of the most common mistakes dog owners make. Chewy is explicit on this: dogs cannot connect punishment to behaviour that happened even a few minutes ago. You come home to a chewed chair leg and scold your dog — from their perspective, you arrived home and became angry for no discernible reason. It creates anxiety without teaching anything useful.

Giving old shoes or worn clothing as chew toys is also a mistake worth flagging. Your dog cannot distinguish between your old trainers and your good ones. You are teaching them that shoes are acceptable chew items.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When do dogs stop chewing everything?A: Puppies usually reduce teething chewing significantly by 6 to 7 months when adult teeth are fully in. Adult chewing from boredom or habit takes longer to resolve and depends almost entirely on how consistently appropriate outlets and management are applied. Most dog owners see significant improvement within 3 to 4 weeks of consistent management and enrichment.

Q: Why does my dog only chew when I leave?A: Chewing that happens specifically during your absence is almost always separation anxiety or separation frustration. The chewing is self-soothing during a stressful state. A frozen KONG provided only at departure helps mild cases. For dogs showing more intense distress signs — pacing, vocalising, attempting to escape — see the separate guide on separation anxiety.

Q: Does bitter spray work on all dogs?A: Most dogs, yes. Some dogs either habituate to the taste over time or are sufficiently motivated by the chewing instinct that they persist regardless. For these dogs, physical management — baby gates, crates, removing access — is more reliable than deterrent sprays alone.

📌 Internal link: How to help a dog with separation anxiety → https://dogsandcatshq.com/how-to-help-a-dog-with-separation-anxiety

📌 Internal link: How to teach a dog the leave it command → https://dogsandcatshq.com/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-leave-it-command

📌 Internal link: How to crate train a puppy → https://dogsandcatshq.com/how-to-crate-train-a-puppy

⚠️ Disclaimer This article reflects the personal experience and research of the author. It does not replace professional veterinary or dog training advice. For severe behavioural issues, please consult a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KSA) or veterinary behaviourist.