Discussions

I'm looking for advice on what to do with my 11-month old puppy.  
 
I recently rescued a puppy that has now turned my furniture into a chew toy. He has not taken well to his kennel at all, I try to get as much energy out of him as possible before going to work and I leave toys and treats around the house to try and keep his mind busy. Unfortunately this has yet to do the trick and his favourite time-passer is chewing on the couch. I work evenings from 3pm to 11pm and am not able to take him to a doggy day care as the hours don't seem to line up. I'm willing to try anything that isn't going to bring harm to this dog, he really is a sweet dog, just has a terrible habit. Help us!

When our lab was a puppy, she had similar issues - like chewing the toes off my husband's new cowboy boots! We bought her a Kong and filled it with peanut butter and that kept her busy for quite a while, especially when they are teething and need to chew it seems. Also rawhide bones was something else she enjoyed. I think you can also buy some kind of non-toxic spray like bitter apple that you can apply to help curb the chewing. good Luck.

Keep exercising the pup before you go to work.  
 
Use the kennel!!! It's not just to keep your furniture safe, its to keep the pup safe. What if they choked or chewed an electrical cord? The pup will get used to the kennel if you are consistent.  
 
Put a toy in the kennel, like the above mentioned kong with peanut butter to make the kennel attractive. Make sure you have lots of chew toys that the pup likes as well, some breeds are just more prone to chewing. (my last one was and chewed more things that I can tell you, we used a kennel until he was about 8 and stopped the chewing.  
 
Good luck!  

Kennel the puppy when you are away. It's the only way to keep them out of mischief and keep them safe.

My puppy hated the kennel too (to the point he screamed bloody murder for 6 hours straight) I thought it was a lost cause, but now you just open the door and he runs in. Luckily my puppy hasn't chewed anything he wasn't supposed to (he better not, he has a TON of toys). Does he chew furniture when your home? Try picking him up a bone from the butcher (a real bone) and giving it to him only when he's in the kennel. My puppy still can't be in the kennel if we're home, so all that training where they say put them in the kennel for a couple minutes at a time while your home didn't work. He wouldn't settle. If he really really won't adapt to the kennel, is there a room or space you can block off instead? If none of that works, you could find someone who could come take him for a walk halfway through your shift, it might help break it up. I had a dog with severe separation anxiety and he would pull his fur out while I was away for work, I'd come home on my lunch break and hang out with him and it seemed to help.

You can get a corral type of pen that gives him a little more room to roam but keeps him away from the furniture until he grows out of the chewing stage. Then you can work with him when you're home . Here's what I mean;  
http://www.midwestpetproducts.com/midwestexercisepens  

My pup doesn't seem to be chewing while I'm around, so I can't catch him in the act and re-direct him, it's strictly while I'm at work. Most days I'm able to stop in part way through my shift and let him run around the back yard for a bit, but it doesn't seem to be enough to stop the furniture chewing. I'm worried if I kennel him, he will hurt himself trying to get out, and I'm worried if I don't kennel him, he will get into something that could also hurt him. I have an older 7 year old dog that is great in the house, has never gotten into anything she shouldn't. I think we're part of the problem lies is the younger pup is extremely attached to my old girl. If at any moment, she is not in his direct line of sight, he becomes very anxious.

Alexander Keith said "You can get a corral type of pen that gives him a little more room to roam but keeps him away from the furniture until he grows out of the chewing stage. Then you can work with him when you're home . Here's what I mean;   http://www.midwestpetproducts.com/midwestexercisepens   "

My dog hates the kennel too, but does much better in one that he can see out of. Tried the plastic one where he can only see out the front and he totally freaked.  
He will never like it, but does much better in a wire one.  
Also the idea of putting the dog in one room, e.g. laundry room with his bed and blanket, toys while you are away is preferable to giving him free reign until he settles down.  
Good luck.

i had a puppy that thought anything made out of wood was her personal chew toys.. my coffee table, kitchen table, dressers, etc. I sprayed bittering spray on it and it worked.. we even had to do it to an outside bush that my fully grown adult male started to chew and wouldnt leave alone (and believe me there is not shortage of bones in this house for him). You can get it at the vet (its called Cothivet i believe) or at any pet store

I have friends that used the bitter Apple spray on furniture and other affected items with their young pup, and it worked great!  
 
You can usually buy it at any pet store. It's made for this very purpose with young dogs chewing possessions and furniture.  
 
https://petvalu.com/product/43880/dog-spray-grannicks-bitter-apple  
 
There is also a homemade version should you care to go that route. It won't harm your pet, as they don't like the concoction of apple cider vinegar and vinegar. It might be worth a go to start!  
 
 
http://www.ehow.com/way_6581669_homemade-bitter-apple-spray.html  

Thank you everyone for all the tips and tricks! Like I said, I'm willing to try anything!