Chewing is completely natural for dogs. The problem isn't the chewing — it's what they're choosing to chew. Harold's approach gives dogs an appropriate outlet so your furniture and shoes stay intact.
"Dogs don't chew to spite you. They chew because they need to. Give them something they're allowed to destroy."Get Harold's Free Guide Practical help — straight to your inbox.
Harold's approach: "Chewing the wrong things is almost always a management failure, not a training failure."
Chewing serves several purposes for dogs — it relieves boredom, reduces stress, keeps jaws strong, and is genuinely satisfying. Puppies chew because they're teething. Adult dogs chew because it's enjoyable and because they haven't been given better options or sufficient exercise and mental stimulation.
The key insight is that you cannot train a dog not to chew — chewing is a fundamental need. What you can do is manage the environment so the wrong things aren't accessible, and provide enough of the right things that your belongings hold no interest.
Dogs don't choose your favourite shoes maliciously — they're just available and interesting.
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Before any training, manage the environment. Shoes go in cupboards. Cables get covered. Rooms are gated or the dog is supervised. A dog that cannot access the wrong things cannot chew them. This isn't a permanent solution — but it prevents the behaviour from being rehearsed while you work on the underlying causes.
Provide a rotation of appropriate chews — different textures, different hardness levels, different shapes. When you see your dog going for something wrong, calmly redirect to the right thing and give quiet praise when they take it.
Providing appropriate chew options removes the appeal of your furniture.
Most destructive chewing happens when dogs are under-stimulated. Increase daily exercise, add mental enrichment sessions — puzzle feeders, training, scent games — and the chewing often reduces dramatically without any specific anti-chewing training. A tired dog with a full brain genuinely has less need to redecorate your home.