Well, unfortunately you can’t stop a puppy from chewing. Puppies need to chew because they are teething.

But, you can prevent them from chewing your shoes and furniture by providing them with appropriate items to chew like bully sticks and toys.

The following are some of our tips to stop a teething puppy from inappropriate chewing.

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Why do puppies need to chew everything?

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Why do puppies need to chew everything?

Puppies explore with their mouths

Puppies chew when they’re bored!

How long does the puppy chewing stage last?

What is safe for a puppy to chew on?

Puppy teething toys

How to stop a puppy from chewing – 7 tips

1. “Puppy proof” the room to prevent chewing

2. Rotate toys to keep your puppy interested.

3. provide different types of toys for teething puppies.

4. Calmly say “no” when your puppy chews something inappropriate.

5. use bitter apples spray to stop a puppy from chewing

6. Train your puppy to lie down and stay.

7. provide your teething puppy with lots of exercise!

How to stop a puppy from chewing when left alone

How to stop a puppy from chewing shoes

How to stop a puppy from chewing and gnawing furniture

When do puppies lose their baby teeth?

Adult dogs also chew!

Raw bones for chewing

When puppies start teething, their gums hurt, very similar to what human babies experience when their teeth start coming in. They’re going to look for something chewable to ease the pain in their gums.

It’s really important that puppies are offered safe and appropriate items to chew while they go through the teething stage.

Also see our post: stop a puppy from biting!

Puppies explore with their mouths

Puppies are curious and explore their surroundings with their mouths and their paws. They’re just as interested in chewing on one of your fingers as they are on a furniture leg or shoe. It’s simply fun for a puppy to chew and gnaw!

We’ll be showing you ways to redirect your puppy’s random chewing attacks to more proper ways to use his sharp puppy teeth.

That brings us to another reason why puppies chew on everything.

*If you just got a new puppy, download my free puppy training guide. Klikk her

Puppies chew when they’re bored!

Lana

Teething puppies who are bored are probably the worst combination and will get into considerable chewing mischief unless redirected!

Bored puppies will find something to entertain themselves, and it’s usually something we won’t appreciate.

Things that come to mind are those expensive leather loafers, a wooden furniture leg, clothes, kids’ toys or electrical cords. The list is obviously endless.

The same concept applies to adult dogs, by the way. They can get bored too!

Adult dogs also need an outlet for their boredom. While bored puppies are usually only annoying, adult dogs who aren’t challenged mentally can represent a real danger to themselves and others.

For example, an adult dog might dig themselves out of their yard, just to mention one potentially dangerous situation.

*If you just got a new puppy, download my free puppy training guide. Klikk her

How long does the puppy chewing stage last?

Puppies start their teething phase between 5 to 8 weeks of age. but this is only the beginning! the worst chewing stage usually lasts five to six months, and many young dogs continue to chew after that.

Looks cute. also bites!

What is safe for a puppy to chew on?

Puppy teething toys

Bully sticks
Trachea chews
KONG toys
Nylabone chew toys
Himalayan cheese chews

See our post: Which chews are best for puppies?

Our favorite puppy chews are filled, frozen KONG toys. simply fill your puppy’s KONG toys with peanut butter, yogurt or his food, stick them into the freezer overnight, then offer to your puppy.

He’ll be busy entertaining himself for quite some time with his fun chew while soothing his sore gums with the amazing food. 

How to stop a puppy from chewing – 7 tips

1. “Puppy proof” the room to prevent chewing

Lindsay tried to “puppy proof” her living room and home office the best she could by keeping items off the ground. These were the rooms her puppy Remy spent the most time in when he was not in his kennel.

Remy would grab stray socks, cups, pens or pretty much anything that happened to be on the floor! So Lindsay also made sure there were no chargers, head phone chords, etc., dangling at Remy’s eye level.

She kept all her shoes on a small shelf and after telling Remy “no” a few times, he understood shoes on the shelf were off limits. 

She also knew not to trust Remy for more than 3 minutes or so unsupervised. Each pup is different.

*If you just got a new puppy, download my free puppy training guide. Klikk her

2. Rotate toys to keep your puppy interested.

Offering a variety of toys helps to keep the puppy’s interest.

Lindsay kept 2 to 4 toys out for her foster puppy Lana at a time. Lana had about 5 favorite toys to chew and play with, so whenever she was not in her kennel, Lindsay chose a few toys to give her.

That way, if Lana tried to chew or grab something like the remote control or a sock, Lindsay would calmly say “no” and then offer Lana a rope toy or ball. “Flink pike!”

You can also mix up the kinds of treats you use to stuff in Kongs and other treat-dispensing toys. one day it might be peanut butter and a biscuit the next it might be yogurt or a banana. 

Miss Lana

3. provide different types of toys for teething puppies.

It helps if you know what types of toys your puppy likes to chew the most. Lana loved to chew on rubber Kong-type toys, balls and rope toys.

She didn’t care as much for plastic squeaky toys, and she didn’t get to have stuffed toys because she ruined them immediately!

Same goes with edible chews. Some puppies like to chew on Himalayan cheese chews or bully sticks while others might like Greenies or hooves.

4. Calmly say “no” when your puppy chews something inappropriate.

Rather than ignoring Lana for chewing something, Lindsay would calmly and firmly tell her “no” and then quickly offer her a toy and reward her.

Some trainers will tell you to just ignore unwanted behavior, which is a terrific idea for many scenarios. For chewing, we like to catch the puppy right before she has a chance to chew or right as she has the item and tell her “no.”

Look at this crazy dog:

5. use bitter apples spray to stop a puppy from chewing

If your puppy just can not seem to leave certain items alone such as a table leg, bitter apple spray is one tool to consider.

Bitter apple spray is just as it sounds. It’s a bad-tasting spray that will not harm your puppy but will hopefully stop her from chewing furniture, her leash, etc.

Some puppies don’t seem to even notice the spray, while it does work well for others.

*If you just got a new puppy, download my free puppy training guide. Klikk her

6. Train your puppy to lie down and stay.

Teaching your puppy all the basic obedience commands like sit, down, stay and come will help her build more self-control overall.

The most valuable command when dealing with chewing is “stay.” That way, you can put your puppy in a down/stay, and she will stay there for at least short periods of time. start with just a second or two, of course, and slowly work up to 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 mins, etc.

7. provide your teething puppy with lots of exercise!

Increasing your teething puppy’s exercise is not going to stop her from chewing, but it will decrease her energy overall which means she is more likely to relax and just lie down.

OK … sometimes it may seem like your puppy is never going to be tired, but increased exercise can only help. Make sure your puppy is getting time to run and play in an off-leash area if possible, and make sure to take her on long walks.

See my post on walking a puppy before she’s had her vaccinations.

How to stop a puppy from chewing when left alone

Use a kennel or gated-off area when you can’t supervise.

When Lindsay couldn’t supervise Lana, she left her in her kennel. even if Lana was left alone for 15 minutes while Lindsay took a shower, it was just easier to leave Lana in her kennel.

Leaving her alone for even 10 minutes would give her way too much time to chew something she shouldn’t.

We like to recommend a kennel (crate), but you could also try gating off a bathroom or kitchen area or perhaps using an exercise pen, which is a gate set up sort of like a toddler’s “play pen.”

When your puppy is alone, you want to leave her some tempting, appropriate items to chew on like a Kong toy. It also helps to provide exercise before you leave and again when you return.

How to stop a puppy from chewing shoes

Prevention is always our first approach when it comes to puppies chewing on items they’re not supposed to be chewing. That’s why our top three tips to stop a puppy from chewing shoes are:

1) Don’t leaveshoes out and within the puppy’s reach

2) offer your puppy an appropriate chewing alternative to shoes 

3) Crate/kennel your puppy when you can’t actively watch her or keep her contained inside a play pen

If your puppy managed to sneak a shoe and you’re catching her chewing it, gently take the shoe away and offer your puppy something appropriate to chew on instead. This could be a dehydrated chew, a rubber toy, or a filled dog food puzzle.

Don’t make a substantial deal out of it, but firmly say “NO” while your puppy chews on the shoe, then take it away from her. 

This scenario would also be a good opportunity to introduce your puppy to the “leave it” command if she doesn’t know it yet. say “leave it” the very moment she drops the shoe and goes for the appropriate chew (toy) instead. 

If you come home to chewed up shoes and your puppy is the obvious one to blame, don’t. She won’t be able to make the connection between the destroyed shoes and your anger.

Instead, blame yourself for having left the shoes out within your puppy’s reach and promise yourself it won’t happen again.

Remove the shoes, take your puppy out for a walk or some playtime, then offer her a puppy proof chew. You’d have to catch your puppy in the chewing act to make her understand why you’re upset because dogs live in the present. 

*If you just got a new puppy, download my free puppy training guide. Klikk her

How to stop a puppy from chewing and gnawing furniture

Furniture legs are particularly tempting for puppies to chew on because they’re usually made of wood, and which puppy doesn’t like a nice wooden stick to chew on?! 

But all jokes aside, the same three concepts apply that we mentioned in the previous section how to stop a puppy from chewing shoes:

1) Don’t leave your puppy out within easy reach of the furniture 

2) offer your puppy an appropriate chewing alternative to furniture 

3) Crate your puppy when you can’t actively watch her or keep her contained inside a play pen

If you catch your puppy in the act of chewing on your dining room table’s legs, give her a firm “NO.” Then, redirect her to an appropriate puppy chew (toy). You could also try the bitter apple spray approach or a similar chew deterrent and spray your furniture legs, fabric or door frames.

When do puppies lose their baby teeth?

Most puppies lose their sharp puppy teeth at around 12 weeks old. Puppies lose their baby teeth slowly over a couple of weeks.

You might notice a puppy tooth on the ground (they hurt to step on!). Or, you might never even see them as many puppies end up swallowing their baby teeth while eating or – surprise, surprise – while chewing!

From this point onward, their adult teeth will slowly start to come in. 

They puppy will have his adult teeth by around six months old, but that does not mean the chewing stage is over!

*If you just got a new puppy, download my free puppy training guide. Klikk her

Adult dogs also chew!

Young adult dogs as well as older dogs might continue to chew because:

it’s an instinctual need
chewing & gnawing exercises their jaws
it engages them mentally
relieves boredom
some dogs are just naturally inclined to chew more than others

Barbara’s dog Wally was 1.5 years young when she adopted him, and she quickly noticed that Wally most definitely likes to chew!

He didn’t get into anything inappropriate because he had plenty of dog specific chewing options, but he did manage to destroy a puppy KONG toy Barbara had left over from her previous dogs.

Wally simply gave it a good bite one da