You know that feeling when you get home from work… and your cute, adorable, sweet puppy is happy to see you! But then… you see shredded pillows. Or a torn up corner of your furniture. Or a ripped-to-pieces rug.

Let’s take a look at our Pup Tip #3 (included in your starter kit) and get some tips to stop this behavior.

Pup Tip# 3: Chew toys for your new puppy.

• Carefully choose your dog toys. Only give dog toys to your puppy. And be careful with plush toys as they have pieces that your puppy can remove (eyes, squeakers, limbs, etc). Keep it to toys that can’t be shredded to pieces.

• Put away anything that a dog can chew on. Anything! Shoes, clothes, kid toys, cups, bags, plasticware, purses, etc. Keep cleaning products and medications out of reach.

• Divert when chewing. Interrupt him/her and then divert the attention to an object that is safe to chew on - like a chew toy. Reward and praise him/her when doing so.

• Don’t give old shoes or socks for chewing on. This would be an “accidental” approval to chew on your personal items. Oopsie.

Additional Tips:

• Be attentive. Always keep an eye on your puppy - they are like small children and will be anything in their mouths.

• Keep contained. If you’re gone during the day, keep puppy contained in a crate or a puppy pen. Puppies chew on things because they are bored, so at least you can control some of this.

• Leave your scent behind. Simply rubbing puppies favorite toy between your hands will pick up your scent and make him/her content. And avoid emotional farewells because they lead to whining, barking and destructive behavior. Try playing soothing music when you’re away.

• Exercise daily. Engage in appropriate exercise for your puppy. This will keep them from getting bored and burn some energy. They’ll sleep really good!

So… in short… make sure you’re puppy has plenty of appropriate toys; crate them when you’re away; get lots of exercise to avoid boredom and chewing other things; praise them when diverting attention - and don’t give them your shoes or socks to chew on. =)

Alright, short story time. Here is a perfect example of why you should do everything possible to keep your puppy from being bored. We had just finished building our new home in 2018. Rylee was fully trained and well behaved - he was a year and a half then. After moving in we decided to purchase a small piece of furniture for our sitting room. We started weening him by letting him lose in the house. We’re home at lunch to check on him - so its just a few hours, he should be fine.

Except the time we got home, he looked ashamed and we did our routine walk thru the house to check it and BAM! I found pieces of material and stuffing in the front room. He shredded the front lower corner of our little couch. MAYBE… a toy got stuck under it and he tried to get it? MAYBE he just found himself chillin there and it turned ugly? Who knows. But this was the last thing he ever mis-chewed.

Here’s an idea (then I’ll shut up). Barkbox! They will send you treats and toys appropriate for your puppy. I did a 6 month subscription; a box showed up every month; Rylee LOVED it (my hubs - not so much) but we got a great collection of toys — and he’s hasn’t been bored since. =)