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Training Video: How to stop a puppy chewing

Updated 04 March 2025

Read time: 1 mins

Pooch and Mutt's expert trainer, Jon, is here to show you all the tips and tricks on how to help a puppy stop chewing!

In our training video, Jon explores training methods that help steer your puppy away from destructive chewing. Chewing is a natural behaviour for young puppies, but it's important to have it under control, especially for when they're older where it can become a harder issue to tackle!

Top tips on how to stop a puppy chewing

When our puppy chews puppy toys, use a calm, gentle voice inflection. This can also be paired with stroking the puppy calmly. Puppy’s will do what is safe and rewarding.

Chewing is a reward alone for the pup, but we want to reinforce that they are chewing the right thing.
When chewing something they shouldn't be, don’t immediately intervene at the first point of contact. Afterall the puppy might sniff and move on, and that would be an opportunity to praise that behaviour.

But as soon as they put their mouth or teeth on it, we use a sudden change in atmosphere, pairing our voice and herding the puppy away from the item.
Once your puppy has been startled away from the article, change your tone to calm and happy. Wait a few seconds and then calmly fuss the puppy.
If your puppy takes a liking to chewing something they shouldn't, take the item and consider spraying it with a puppy anti-chew spray.

Put the item on the floor near a chew toy the puppy likes. Hopefully, the puppy will learn through bitter experience that the slipper tastes awful and will divert its attention to the chew.
Try not to get angry when the puppy has chewed something they shouldn't. It’s a human error and they won't understand. If your puppy can’t be trusted on their own, then supervise or crate them.
Crate training is a great way to keep your puppy safe from chewing something they shouldn't. Dogs are instinctively den animals and if they are trained properly will associate the crate as a safe place.