Puppy chewing can be a major nuisance for a new pet owner, as well as destroying precious belongings. This can quickly lead to frustration on the owner’s part and confusion for the puppy. After all, a young puppy does not know that chewing is bad behavior since it feels good to him.

Chewing generally occurs while teething, because is soothes sore gums. While it is pretty much impossible to stop your puppy from chewing altogether, you can train him to chew on approved toys or bones.

In order to stop puppy chewing, you must give your pet something of his that he is permitted to chew on. Take away what your puppy should not be chewing on, reprimand him gently, and replace it with his own toy. Praise your puppy for chewing on his own toy, showing him that this is an acceptable way to ease his sore gums.

Ideally your puppy should not be able to get to any objects he cannot chew on, but this is not always possible to accomplish. There are deterrent sprays that can be used on such objects to make their taste unpleasant. These sprays will not harm your pet or young children, but will make puppy think twice about chewing on the object.

It is easier to prevent puppy chewing than it is to correct unwanted habits. Do not allow your puppy to have unrestricted access to areas or items that are off limits. Place puppy’s approved chew toys and bones in his special area, and praise him openly for chewing on these. If he does get something he is not allowed to have, distract him, take it away, and give him his own chew toy. Do not harshly punish him for his chewing as he is only doing what feels good, and do not punish him if you do not catch him in the act. Punishing him hours after the fact will only confuse him, and he will learn nothing from it. This will accomplish nothing except to cause a strain in your relationship with your dog.

With proper training and reinforcement, you can keep puppy from chewing your belongings. Teach chewing puppies what they are allowed to chew, and help them ease sore gums in a safe and acceptable manner. This puppy training can be a lot of fun, and will teach your dog proper behavior before he develops bad puppy chewing habits.