How to Get Your Dog to Stop Chewing Your Furniture

Video Transcript

"Let's talk about how to get your dog to stop chewing furniture. Now, there are lots of reasons that dogs do that, especially puppies that are teething, and they're trying to explore the world by chewing on everything, and so it can be quite a nuisance, obviously. Another reason that dogs can do that, is if they have separation anxiety. Taking their frustrations out on pillows or furniture, can be a way of making them feel better,when you're not at home, so talk to your veterinary clinic. They can help you decide which is the problem, and how to deal with it, and in most instances, there's a reason for that, and with puppies especially, you've got to make sure that you're providing toys in the environment, and that if they don't have any toys, they're going to look for something to chew on, so multiple toys is a good thing. Also, reinforcing positively when they're chewing on something that they're allowed to, by praising them, and then letting them know that they're not allowed to chew on the furniture. If they go over there and approach it, and start licking it, let them know that, that is not what they're supposed to be doing. Also, you can use deterrents. There are some sprays that contain bad tasting things, like bitter apple or Bitran, and what these do essentially, is you can spray these on areas that you know that they're trying to chew on, and when they get that taste a few times, very commonly they'll stop, and so use positive and negative reinforcement, when you can, especially positive, because they really respond to that, and then teach them what they're allowed to chew on, and what they're not allowed to chew on."