Why dogs destroy furniture, and how to stop it

A destroyed cushion is information. Dogs chew for four reasons that look identical from the doorway, and the repair is different for each. Teething Between three and seven months a puppy is in real discomfort, and pressure on the gums relieves it. Give it something legal and cold: a rubber toy from the freezer beats a slipper because it works better, not because it is allowed. This phase ends on its own. Boredom An adult dog that destroys things only while alone, and always the same kind of thing, is usually under-occupied rather than anxious. Two short walks, a food puzzle at the moment you leave, and rotating three toys instead of leaving eight on the floor will change more than any correction, because none of those is available to correct after the fact. Separation distress If the damage clusters at the door and the window, if there is drooling, howling or scratched paintwork, and if it starts within twenty minutes of you leaving, the problem is not boredom. This is a treatable condition, but it is treated by rebuilding the departure routine in very small steps — and sometimes with medication — not by more exercise. A behaviourist is worth the money here. Attention Some dogs learn that picking up the remote control produces a human, instantly, every time. Nothing else in their day works that reliably. The answer is to be dull about it: take the object back without a word, and make the calm alternative the thing that earns the conversation. What does not work Punishment after the event, which the dog cannot connect to a chew that happened forty minutes ago; crating a dog with separation distress, which usually intensifies it; and chilli or bitter sprays used alone, which do nothing about the reason. Manage the environment while you train. Shoes behind a door and cables in a cover are not a defeat; they are what stops the habit being practised while the real work is happening.