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Saving the sofa
How to stop a dog chewing furniture
A chewed table leg is a clue, not a crime. The dog's age, the time of day and what got damaged tell you most of what you need to know, and the fix for a five-month-old puppy differs from the fix for a two-year-old left alone all afternoon. This page covers both, plus the management that keeps your furniture whole while the habit changes.
Before you start
Before you start, read the damage: what was chewed, when, and how old your dog is
Look at the evidence for a week. Write down what got chewed, the time of day and what had just happened. The ASPCA groups destructive chewing into teething, boredom, distress at being left, hunger in dogs on restricted diets and frustration, and the pattern usually points to one of them. A puppy gnawing chair rungs in the evening is in a very different place from an adult dog shredding a cushion by the front window while you were out.
Then protect the furniture before you train anything. Close the doors to rooms with good furniture, put a gate across the living room, move cushions and throws out of reach, and push a box or a chair against the legs your dog likes. The ASPCA suggests a taste deterrent too: dab a little on a tissue, let the dog taste it, then apply it to the furniture daily for two to four weeks, alongside something the dog is allowed to chew.
- A week of notes: what, when, right after what
- Doors closed and a gate across the living room
- Cushions and throws lifted out of reach
- A taste deterrent tried on a tissue first
The steps
Protect, rotate, schedule and trade: seven steps that give chewing somewhere to go
Chew rotation is the habit most households skip. A basket of twenty toys on the floor becomes wallpaper within a week, while two or three chews that change every couple of days stay interesting, which is the ASPCA's advice too. Keep a library of six to eight items with different textures in a closet: a rubber toy you can stuff, a firmer long-lasting chew, a puzzle feeder and something soft for supervised tugging or carrying.
Then schedule the chewing. Every dog has hours when it chews, often after a walk, in the evening slump or just after you leave, and the ASPCA suggests food-dispensing toys stuffed with part of the daily meal at exactly those times. When you catch your dog on the furniture, stay calm: remove it, hand over an approved chew and praise it when it starts. A quiet swap repeated a hundred times beats any scolding.
- 01
Close doors, gate the living room and block the furniture legs your dog has already chewed.
- 02
Build a library of six to eight chews in different textures, and put only two or three out at a time.
- 03
Swap the chews on the floor every couple of days so each one comes back new.
- 04
Stuff a food toy with part of the day's meal and hand it over at the times damage usually happens.
- 05
When your dog mouths furniture, calmly lead it away, offer an approved chew and praise it the moment it starts chewing.
- 06
When nobody can watch, use a crate the dog already likes or a small gated room with safe chews.
- 07
Give a sniffing walk or a short training game before the dog is left on its own.
Teething or boredom
Teething and boredom look alike on a chair leg, but age and timing tell them apart
Teething runs on a timetable. In the AKC's puppy-teething timeline, baby teeth begin to fall out around 12 to 16 weeks and the adult set should be in by about six months, which is also when the ASPCA says the intense chewing phase usually ends. A four-month-old chewing everything is answering sore gums, and the answer is safe things to gnaw, frozen ones included, and fewer chances to find the wrong ones.
After about six months, a dog that still eats furniture is more often bored, under-exercised or keeping up a habit that teething started. Adolescents have energy a short leash walk barely touches. Weather plays a part on Cape Ann too: a run of nor'easter days indoors, with the yard iced and the beaches blowing, can leave any dog looking for a job, and sofas are close at hand. A daycare day on Dogtown's indoor play floors before a storm is one way to plan for it.
| Sign | Teething | Boredom | Distress at being alone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical age | Under about six months | Any age, often adolescents | Any age |
| When it happens | Any time, worse when gums ache | Quiet afternoons and evenings | Soon after you leave |
| What gets chewed | Anything at mouth height | Whatever is in reach and interesting | Doors, window frames, things by exits |
| What helps | Safe chews, frozen toys, puppy-proofing | Exercise, food puzzles, chew rotation | A separation plan, often with your vet |
Mistakes we see
The chewing mistakes we see are retired slippers, punishment after the fact and a toy box that never changes
Handing a puppy an old slipper or a worn-out cushion sends a mixed message, and the ASPCA warns against it, because a dog cannot tell the retired item from the new one. Punishing damage you find later is the second mistake. The ASPCA is clear that a dog cannot connect a scolding with chewing it did earlier, so it learns only that your homecoming is unpredictable, which can make an anxious chewer worse.
The third is a crate or gated room used for whole days. The ASPCA puts a ceiling of about six hours on that kind of confinement, and a dog shut in longer with nothing to do will find something to destroy. The last is too little to do overall. Chewing is how many dogs settle themselves, so the goal is never zero chewing; it is chewing on the right things at the right times, with enough exercise that the urge shrinks.
- Old shoes, slippers or cushions as toys
- Scolding damage found after the fact
- Confinement stretched past about six hours
- The same toy basket, untouched, for weeks
When to call us
Call us when the chewing happens only while you are gone, or when the week has no room for exercise
Damage gathered at doors and window frames, starting soon after you leave, with drooling, howling or accidents, points toward distress at being alone, and that is not a chew-toy problem. Record a few absences and talk to your vet; the ASPCA recommends working with a board-certified veterinary behaviorist or a certified applied animal behaviorist. Our trainers can coach the home plan alongside, in private sessions from $94.
If your dog swallows fabric, foam or splinters, call your vet or the nearest emergency hospital; Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn is open 24 hours, and ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 may charge a fee. For bored adolescents, a Dogtown daycare day at $42, or an Academy half day at $69 with puzzle and scent games, spends energy the sofa would otherwise absorb, and a frozen Kong add-on is $6.
At Dogtown
Energy and enrichment
Daycare and Academy days, frozen Kongs and puzzle add-ons, and private sessions from $94 when chewing has a deeper cause.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Why has my adult dog suddenly started chewing furniture?
Do bitter sprays work on furniture?
How many chew toys should my dog have?
Is it okay to crate a dog that chews furniture?
Will my puppy grow out of chewing furniture?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- ASPCA: destructive chewing
- AKC: a timeline of puppy teething
- ASPCA: separation anxiety
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Chew toys, not chair legs.
Tell us your dog's age, what gets chewed and when. A trainer will reply within the hour on business days.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
