Kroki

Question · Dog

How do I stop my dog chewing furniture?

The short answer

First work out when your dog chews: while you are home, at night, or only when left alone. Then meet the need behind it with more exercise and sniffing, daily chews and food puzzles, and a safe area without tempting furniture. If chewing happens mainly when your dog is alone, started suddenly or comes with other changes, talk to a vet and a behaviour professional. Kroki, a reward-based training app for puppies and dogs, has steps for chew items instead of furniture.

How to do it, step by step

  1. Find the pattern

    Note for a week when and where the chewing happens, and what came before: a short walk, a long day alone, visitors, a new diet, the doorbell. A dog that chews only when alone needs a different plan from one that gnaws the sofa while you watch TV.

  2. Rule out health causes

    Sudden chewing in a dog that never did it before, chewing combined with licking, drooling, a changed appetite, or a dog on a calorie-reduced diet that starts gnawing things are all reasons for a vet visit. Sore teeth, an upset stomach and hunger can all drive chewing.

  3. Give the jaws daily work

    Adult dogs still need to chew. Offer a long-lasting chew every day at the times your dog usually goes for the furniture, plus food puzzles or a stuffed rubber toy for part of each meal. Rotate a few items so they stay interesting.

  4. Add sniffing and movement

    A walk where your dog can sniff freely, a short search game in the garden or scattering part of its food on the lawn tires the brain as well as the body. Many furniture chewers simply have too little to do.

  5. Protect the furniture for now

    Close doors, use a gate, move chair legs out of reach or cover them. A dog that keeps practising on the table leg keeps the habit. When you catch it chewing, swap calmly for a chew and praise the switch.

  6. Make time alone easier

    Before you leave, give a walk and a calm chew, and leave your dog in a room with nothing valuable to damage. If chewing focuses on doors, windows or exits, or comes with howling, pacing or accidents, your dog may be finding being alone hard; keep absences short and get professional help.

  7. Teach a settle spot

    Reward your dog for relaxing on a mat or bed with a chew, starting when it is already sleepy. Over time, that spot becomes where it goes to gnaw, instead of the corner of the sofa.

Living with a teething puppy?

For a puppy, chewing everything is part of growing up and of new teeth coming through, and it usually eases by six to seven months. Puppy-proofing, cold chews and a pen do most of the work. The puppy page covers those teething months in detail.

What drives chewing in adult dogs

Chewing keeps an adult dog’s jaws strong and teeth clean, so it never fully stops. The ASPCA lists several reasons why grown dogs turn to furniture: too little physical and mental exercise, frustration, stress, hunger on a calorie-reduced diet and distress when left alone, which typically shows as chewing mainly or most intensely while the owner is away, often with whining, barking, pacing or accidents.

Pain can play a part too. In a review by veterinary behaviour specialists, destructiveness when left alone was among the complaints the authors agreed could be linked to pain, and they described a dog whose destructive behaviour when alone started suddenly (Mills and colleagues 2020). Across their referral cases, they estimated that around a third of dogs with problem behaviour had a painful condition.

Most dogs rest while their people are out. In a study of twelve dogs without known problems with being alone, the dogs were inactive most of the time, whether they were alone for half an hour, two hours or four hours (Rehn and Keeling 2011). A dog that spends its time alone chewing doors or sofas is therefore doing something unusual, and it is worth asking why.

What the chewing pattern can tell you

  • Chewing while you are home, often in the evening: usually boredom or habit; more daily activity and a set chew time help.
  • Chewing only when alone, focused on doors and windows: often a sign that being alone is hard; get professional support.
  • Chewing at night: check that your dog’s last outing, meal and sleeping place suit it; some dogs wake up restless or hungry.
  • New chewing in an older dog: think of pain, dental problems or age-related changes, and see a vet first.

What doesn’t help

  • Telling your dog off when you come home to damage. It can’t link that to chewing hours earlier and may become worried about your return.
  • Shutting it in a crate for long hours just to prevent chewing. The ASPCA advises against confinement longer than a few hours.
  • Taping or tying the mouth, or a muzzle to stop chewing. These are dangerous and cruel.
  • Home remedies like chilli or vinegar. They can irritate your dog and don’t teach what to chew instead.

When to see a professional

Some chewing needs more than training. Get help if:

  • your dog may have swallowed wood, foam, fabric or other pieces, or is vomiting, straining or off its food after chewing

    Emergency: get help now

  • the chewing started suddenly, comes with licking, drooling, changes in eating or weight, or your dog is older or on a diet

    Have a vet take a look

  • your dog chews mainly when alone, especially doors and windows, or also howls, paces, pants or soils the house

    Get support from professionals

The help pages list services in Germany, Austria and Switzerland only. Elsewhere, ask your vet practice who they recommend near you.

Frequently asked questions

Why has my adult dog suddenly started chewing furniture?

Sudden chewing in an adult dog often has a cause such as pain, hunger, stress or a change in routine. Start with a vet check, then look at what changed around the time it began.

How do I stop my dog chewing furniture when home alone?

Leave your dog in a safe area without furniture it can damage, after a walk and with a long-lasting chew. If it chews mainly when alone, especially around doors, ask a behaviour professional for help.

Why does my dog chew wooden furniture?

Wood is firm, gives a little and smells interesting, so it satisfies the urge to gnaw. Offer tough chews made for dogs and block the furniture until the new habit holds.

Do home remedies like vinegar stop dogs chewing?

Home remedies rarely help for long and can upset your dog’s nose or stomach. A dog-safe bitter spray can protect one spot, but the chewing need still has to go somewhere better.

Why does my dog chew furniture at night?

Night-time chewing can come from restlessness, hunger, needing the toilet or simply being awake with nothing to do. Check the evening routine and leave a safe chew by its bed.

Can a grown dog learn not to chew furniture?

Yes, adult dogs can learn new chewing habits when their needs are met and the furniture is protected for a while. A habit of years takes patience, so expect several weeks of management.

What are the best long-lasting chews for adult dogs?

Sturdy rubber toys you can fill with food and natural chews sized for your dog are good options. Supervise new chews and take away pieces small enough to swallow.

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