My 6 month old puppy is chewing up our couch when we are not at home.?

Question

She also pulls all the pillows off the couch. I feel like she is too old to crate. We have tried the bitter spray and that does not help. Any Advise?

Answer 1

Wipe a little pepper on it. He will never do it again. Sounds terrible, but as a last resort, DO IT. It's better than having to buy a new set of furniture or getting rid of pet.

Answer 2

It's never too old to crate train. It may be a little more difficult, but sounds like it's necessary to change her behavior. If you don't do it now, it will only get worse. Get a crage large enough for her to stand up in and turn around - no larger. Start putting her in the crate when you have to leave the house. Put a toy or chew toy in there with her as a treat. Make it exciting. If you have to, push her in with all your might. I foster rescue dogs, so there are times I am dealing with adult dogs that have never seen a crate, and usually after a few days, they come to accept it. I have found from personal experience, that they do better when the crate is in my bedroom, especially for keeping them in there at night, as then they feel more reassured because you are right there. The first few days will probably try your patience, but you need to be strong and do this. It is for her own good, as you probably will not keep a destrutive dog, and by then she is not a good pet for anyone. Think long term here.

Answer 3

I really don't think she's too old to crate, but if you absolutely don't want to, get a baby gate or large kennel to put in the house. I purchased a plastic kennel run that's about 3 feet x 6 feet that I used to leave our puppy in while we were away. Or you could get a baby gate and block off the kitchen. Just don't give her free reign of the house if you don't want your furniture destroyed.

As for the chewing, you might check your pet store for some type of dog repellant. I purchased some "bitter apple" the other day and sprayed it on an area where my puppy was chewing. I haven't noticed her chewing on it since then.

Also, if she starts chewing on the couch, divert her attention to one of her toys. Give her a replacement chew, so to speak. You might also want to see what types of toys she has that are similar to your pillows, etc. Although dogs love those plush toys, they look and feel like our pillows, comforters, etc. If we let them chew on things like that, then why are we surprised when they go for our stuff that looks and feels exactly alike?

Lastly, you might get her some more chew toys/treats to keep her entertained while you're gone. My dog loves those knuckle bones with meat on them and kong toys that you can fill with peanut butter and then freeze. They also have bones they can chew on and that you can fill with goodies like yogurt, peanut butter, cheese wiz, etc. Give her something to keep her attention. They love those things! And if you freeze them, they last much longer and aren't as messy.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

I got my dog, Kinzie, when she was eight weeks old. She started chewing things up when she was about four months old. We also have a dog, Hayden, that is about a year older than Kinzie and she also began chewing and tearing things up. We tried the Bitter Apple, but that didn't really work. I tried crate training at the very beginning but I was not impressed with the results because Kinzie became very timid and fearful. The only thing that seemed to work was this. I began leaving the dogs in the backyard when we were gone. If we came home and everything in the backyard was ok, we praised them and they each got a treat. If something had been torn up, we didn't scold them but they also weren't praised or rewarded. After about two months, we moved them into the kitchen. We closed the doors and for one area where there was no door, we put up a baby gate. About this time we also began doing a little training, simple sits, downs, and stays. We began to do the same thing each time we left. We had them sit, told them that we would be back, and gave them each a treat. After doing this routine consistently for about a week, they seemed to calm down when we left. We continued our routine of what we did when we got home. (Important note: when they were left inside, because they were so young, we put a pillow near their food and water and we put newspapers as far away from that area as possible so they had a place to go to the bathroom. Puppies cannot "hold it" like adult dogs, so if you are going to be gone longer than an hour, they need a bathroom place.) After we had no incidents for a month, we expanded their space into the living room but closed off the bedrooms. We also began leaving the TV on low for them. They didn't immediately begin behaving, but we have not had a furniture problem since. They have chewed up books and newspapers and such, but we have learned to pick everything up from the floor and follow our routine closely. They only ever misbehave when something is off such as the lights being out or the TV being off. We have also found great success with taking them to the dog park for about 20-25 minutes once or twice a week. If you can go everyday, that is great, but most people can't work that into their schedules.

Some other easy ways to stop chewing are to get Nylabones or Kong toys. Whenever you see the puppy chewing on his toys praise him in a high pitched voice and if you see him chewing on something he shouldn't be, scold him sharply, but do not yell or hit. We have found that the more upset you get, the more agitated and confused the puppy gets and it usually results in worse behavior such as wetting in the house or nipping.

If your dog shows no interest in Nylabones, try boiling them in chicken or beef broth and then freezing them. It locks the flavor into them which makes them more interesting to the dog.

Sorry that was so long, but it does seem to work. My dogs are three and four now and we leave them in the house with a dog door to the dog run in the backyard. I hope this helps. I know how frustrating it is to be unsure how to stop the bad behavior, but try to stay positive. Good luck!

Answer 5

Try using a crate. I know you think that she is to old but I assure you she is not. Give her a "Kong" filled with treats and rawhides to chew on. She is probably bored and needs something to do when you are away. If she is chewing inappropriate things she could also swallow hunks of your couch or pillows or whatever and it could cause stomach problems. I knew a dog that got a piece of cloth caught in her intestines and had to have emergency surgery to remove it. A crate is not only a good way to keep your furniture safe but your dog as well.

Answer 6

I agree that the puppy's not too old to crate trained. But don't use the crate to solve all your problems. Try to confine it to a space in the house that it cant destroy,put in bedding water,and toys and a radio tuned low to a all talk station..Give the puppy lots of quality time when you are at home.

Answer 7

Seems like your puppy doesn't have enough toys to play with. That's what puppies do when they are bored and also teething (!). Really try the crate or even the playbed for toddles if you think crate is to "harsh" for your puppy, it will keep the puppy away from your furniture. Give her more toys to chew on and play with.
And good luck.

Answer 8

Crate her. No dog is ever too old to crate. Get a big cage type crate and put her in it every time you leave. Get her some chew toys.

Answer 9

Absolutely! Use the crate, but make sure it's big enough to let her stand up and turn around.

If you have the space, you might also try putting a run or cable outside and leaving the puppy there while you're away.

Answer 10

I was in the same boat as you, but I was able to block off my kitchen (no carpet), with baby gates, nothing in there to get a hold of but her toys. If unable to do that crate training is the best , never to young or old.

Answer 11

Crate training works great. She may just ahve too much energy. You should take her for a walk in the morning so she can expend some of that energy while you are gone. Also try this training website: it really works!