How to Prevent Your Dog From Chewing Your Clothes and Furniture

Is there anything worse than coming home and finding your clothing or your furniture chewed to a slimy mess by your
dog, if only because he was bored? It's infuriating, and what's even worse is that your dog almost never knows what he did wrong.

Sure, there are some cases where a dog can recognize that he destroyed something you care about, but in most instances of chewing, it has very little to do with malice and much more with a lack of boundaries and a desire to be
closer to you.

The Motive Behind Chewing

Dogs chew no matter what. They are born with the urge to chew, and it's simply a matter of where and what they chew. That said, they will chew on your possessions for a variety of reasons.

For starters, it could be that you encouraged that behavior when he was little. A lot of owners will witness their puppies teething and get them the nearest thing to chew - often an old shirt or shoe.

The problem being, of course, that by giving him those old pieces of clothing, you've just taught your dog that it's
OK to chew on your possessions when he needs a good gnaw.

It's impossible to go back in time and stop a dog from chewing on your stuff, but it can be stopped once it becomes a problem.

Another common chewing issue is that your dog simply misses you and goes to the nearest thing he can find to remind himself of you - an object that smells very much like you.

Other dogs simply enjoy chewing on things, destroying them in a fun, playful manner, trying to stay occupied.

Stopping that Chewing Behavior

There are many ways to limit chewing behavior. Initially, you can limit your dog's access to the parts of your home.
Don't allow him into your bedroom when you're gone, or if you have to, crate train him, and put him in a crate when
you're gone.

If this is not an option, you need to lay down the law and show him that your possessions are not chew things.

You can spray on bitter apple or cayenne pepper to deter the activity, as well as provide a replacement chew in the
form of a Kong toy or a rawhide.

You can also consider watching your dog while you are at home to undermine the behavior. Keep a close eye on what
he plays with and how he plays.

If you encourage play with his own toys and discourage it with your possessions, he will learn pretty fast that there are boundaries he should not pass.

Most of all, set those boundaries and stick to them. That means not letting him on your furniture without permission, not allowing him into certain rooms and setting out a number of command words that he can quickly and easily recognize in a pinch.

Dogs are creatures of habit. If you create a habitual environment for him, he will quickly adapt to it and stop his destructive behaviors.

But, you need to be as consistent as you expect him to be. Your dog is going to chew on things no matter what you do.
It's impossible to stop him, and if you try, you'll only confuse him. But you can very easily get him to stop chewing on things that are actually important to you.

With careful attention and a big dose of exercise, no dog needs to turn into a piranha in your closet, destroying
everything you've ever put on.

the Dutch Guy