How do I stop a puppy chewing everything?

Why puppies chew and for how long, managing the house instead of correcting the puppy, and giving the right textures at the right stage.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 30 min
Read: 5 min
Safety: caution

Short answer

Puppies chew because they are teething and because it is how they explore, and it does not stop until well into adolescence. Manage it — everything valuable out of reach and the puppy in a safe space when unsupervised — and provide the right things to chew, including frozen ones during teething. Trade rather than snatch.

Chewing is not a behaviour problem to be corrected; it is a developmental stage and a lifelong need in a milder form. Teething runs from around three to seven months as the adult teeth come through, and there is very often a second wave in adolescence between about seven and twelve months. Knowing that timescale changes the approach: this is something to manage well for the best part of a year rather than something to stop this week.

Safety

Swallowed objects are the real danger here, not the damage: socks, hair bobbles, stones, corn cobs, cooked bones and pieces of toy all cause gut obstructions that need surgery. If you think a puppy has swallowed something, ring the vet immediately and never wait to see if it passes. Avoid very hard chews — antlers, nylon bones, hooves and large stones — because they fracture teeth, which is painful and expensive. Never pull an object out of a puppy's mouth by force; trade for it instead, or you teach guarding.

What you'll need

A puppy pen or gated safe space
A range of textures of safe chew
A freezer for chilled chew toys
Baby gates (optional)
Bitter deterrent spray (optional)

Step by step

Manage first, train second.Shoes, remote controls, children's toys, cables, handbags and books go out of reach. Any time the puppy cannot be watched, it goes in a pen or a gated room with its own things. This is not avoiding the problem — a puppy that never rehearses chewing the sofa does not develop a preference for it.
Provide a range of textures, because puppies have preferences.Soft rubber, firm rubber, rope, natural chews sized appropriately, a snuffle mat and stuffable toys. Watch which the puppy actually chooses and buy more of that. A box of ignored toys tells you nothing about what your puppy likes.
Use cold during teething.A wet twisted tea towel frozen, a rubber toy stuffed with wet food and frozen, or a frozen carrot for supervised use. Cold soothes sore gums and it is the single most effective thing during the three-to-seven-month period.
Avoid the chews that break teeth.Antlers, nylon bones, hooves, hard plastic bones and stones fracture teeth, and a fractured tooth needs extraction. The rule of thumb is that if you would not want to be hit on the knee with it, it is too hard for a dog's teeth.
Teach 'swap' rather than taking things away.When the puppy has something it should not, offer something better and let it choose to drop the item. Praise, then quietly remove the original. Snatching teaches a puppy to swallow things quickly and to guard them, and resource guarding is a much harder problem than chewing.
Teach a real 'leave it' and 'drop' cue.Short daily sessions with food, entirely separate from any real incident. A puppy that reliably drops on cue is a puppy you can get a chicken bone or a battery away from, which is the version of this that matters.
Rotate the toys weekly.Keep most in a box and put out four or five. Swap them each week. A toy that has been away for a fortnight is interesting again, which is far cheaper than continually buying new ones.
Make sure the puppy is sleeping enough.Puppies need around eighteen to twenty hours of sleep a day, and an over-tired puppy chews frantically and indiscriminately. A great deal of 'destructive' evening behaviour is a puppy that has not napped.
Never punish after the fact.A puppy cannot connect a telling-off with something it did earlier. What it learns is that you are unpredictable, and in some puppies that it should chew things out of sight, which is worse.
Expect a second phase in adolescence.Many dogs chew again between about seven and twelve months, after teething is over. It is normal, and the response is the same: management, appropriate outlets, and enough exercise and mental work. Sudden destructive chewing only when left alone is a different problem.

Tips

Bitter-tasting deterrent sprays work on some puppies and not at all on others. Try one on a chair leg, but do not rely on it as the main strategy.
A stuffed frozen food toy given at the times the puppy is most likely to chew — early evening, and when you sit down to eat — pre-empts most incidents.
Give the puppy an old shoe and you have taught it that shoes are chew toys. Puppies cannot tell an old one from a new one.

Common mistakes

Chasing the puppy to retrieve an item — It becomes a wonderful game and teaches the puppy to run off with things and to swallow them quickly. Trade for something better instead.
Giving very hard chews — Antlers, nylon bones and hooves fracture teeth. A slab fracture of a large cheek tooth is painful and usually requires extraction.
Telling the puppy off for a chewed item found later — The puppy cannot connect the two events. It learns only that your return is unpredictable, which can create anxiety on top of the chewing.
Expecting it to stop at six months — Teething runs to around seven months and many dogs chew again in adolescence. Planning for a year of management is realistic; expecting a quick fix is not.

If it doesn't work

Puppy chews furniture legs specifically

Cause: Right height, right texture, and available — Fix: Block access with a pen or gates, apply a bitter spray as a supplement, and provide a firm rubber chew that mimics the texture. Supervision while it is fresh matters most.

Puppy ignores every toy you buy

Cause: Wrong texture, or too many out at once — Fix: Put most away and rotate a few. Try distinctly different textures — rope, soft rubber, firm rubber — and watch which one it picks up unprompted.

Puppy runs off and swallows things

Cause: Chasing has made it a game — Fix: Stop chasing entirely. Teach 'swap' and a reliable 'drop', and manage the environment so there is less to grab. If something is swallowed, ring the vet.

Destructive chewing only when left alone

Cause: Boredom or separation distress — Fix: Film it. Chewing then settling is boredom; panting, pacing and damage at exits is distress and needs a different approach.

Questions people ask

How long does puppy chewing last?

Teething runs from roughly three to seven months, and many dogs have a second chewing phase in adolescence between about seven and twelve months. Plan for management across the first year rather than a quick fix.

What can I give a teething puppy?

Cold things: a frozen wet tea towel, a rubber toy stuffed with wet food and frozen, or a frozen carrot under supervision. Cold soothes the gums, which is what makes it more effective than a dry toy.

Are antlers and nylon bones safe?

They are a common cause of fractured teeth. If it does not have some give when you press it with a fingernail, or you would not want it dropped on your knee, it is too hard for a dog's teeth.