Protecting Valuable Furniture From Your New Puppy

Defending new furniture from a puppy is something that doesn’t just happen by accident .  If you want to prevent your sofa cushions from getting chewed, or having the corner of your wooden table gnawed on, pay attention.

Teaching a method, that still meets your puppy's needs, is foremost for stopping puppy chewing.  Because puppy is growing in new teeth, it is comforting for him to chew on furniture.  He’s not doing it because he’s bad.

Puppies chew to eliminate pain from teething.  Plus they chew to relieve boredom.You can still allow your puppy to chew while using a method to stop puppy chewing, since allowing him to amuse himself is very important.

Buy toys for your puppy that has like textures to what he likes to chew on, so be sure to take inventory .

Buy plush toys, if your puppy seems to love shredding soft things, like pillows.  Or, if you have a puppy who likes to chew on harder things like sticks or rocks, you might consider buying a variety of hard plastic toys.  You can purchase these types of toys at any pet store or at websites like Petsmart.com.

It is time to put the toys to work, once you have stocked up on an assortment of them.Place toys beside furniture you are worried about.Place plush toys next to pillows.  Put the hard toys next to things like table legs.

If you have to, you might also consider limiting how much free access your dog has to your home as well.It can be easier sometimes to work on teaching your puppy what things he can or cannot chew on one room at a time, rather than the whole house at once.

Next, you will want to train your dog in what's called replacement behavior.  Pay close attention to him looking for when he’s about to go chew on something.Give your dog the toy that is the best replacement, when you notice he is going to chew on something, and simply say "No" in a firm voice.

There is an added benefit of preventing your puppy from developing food aggression or becoming possessive of resources, because this method does not rely on punishing your puppy.

Your dog will learn with repletion that you accept his desire to chew on some things and not on others.  And as long as you keep stocked up on toys, most dogs will be more then happy to chew on their toys, instead of your furniture.

This process will take a month or two to train.However, I promise you that your furniture will thank you for being consistent.