How To Stop Your Dog From Tearing Up The Furniture

Nothing can make you think twice about your decision to get a dog quite as much as walking into your home and seeing that your dog has chewed up your favorite chair. If you have a dog who is chewing furniture, here are some steps you can take to discourage this behavior.

Use the Crate

Dogs will rarely tear up furniture when they are engaged with their owners. However, you can’t always be around. If you can’t be around, try to keep the furniture out of paws reach.

Teach your dog to enjoy alone time in his crate. When he is crated, he can’t get to your furniture, walls, baseboards, doors or belongings.

Get Some Exercise

Dogs often tear up things because they are bored or have pent-up energy. Generally, if the dog receives adequate daily exercise they will not have the pent up energy that leads to destructive behavior. A daily walk can be the key to avoiding this problem.

However, exercise needs vary depending on the breed and age of your pet. It’s a good idea to look up specific information on your dog to come up with the ideal exercise plan.

Remember, too, that simply turning the dog outside on his own is not enough. You need to be engaged by playing with him or taking him on a walk to ensure he is getting enough exercise. If you simply can’t go outdoors, invest in a treadmill your pup can walk on, or find ways to play indoors to exhaust extra energy.

Improve Nutrition

If your dog is tearing up furniture and ingesting it, take a closer look at his nutrition. Dogs who are lacking vital nutrients will often eat non-food items in an attempt to improve their internal balance.

Most commercial dog food is lacking in nutrients. Consider adding a tasty supplement for immune support, like NuVet Plus, to improve your dog’s overall nutrition. NuVet Plus is composed of natural, highest quality ingredients that are cold processed to maintain their rich nutrients and provide superior bioavailability.

Protect the Furniture

You can also purchase an over-the-counter deterrent product to spray on your furnishings to ensure that your canine companion is not interested in tasting the furniture. These sprays are bitter tasting and will deter your dog from the chewing behavior.

If your pet leaves stains, excessively sheds, or leaves unwanted odors on your furniture, consider getting more pet-friendly furnishings. For example, patterns and dark colors helps to camouflage pet stains.

Although pet odor cannot be seen, it can still be very noticeable. Consider investing in a natural stain and odor remover. NuVet Labs manufactures an all natural, organic stain and odor remover that actually removes undesired odors and discourages your pet from soiling the spot again. If all else fails, slip covers for your couches and chairs can also limit the damage to your furniture.

Once the behavior is un-learned, you will find that the dog stops being interested in the furniture and will find other, more appropriate, things to chew or play with.

Provide Alternatives

Make sure you have plenty of safe chew toys and bones available for your pup. It may take some work to find toys that are interesting to your dog, but once you find them, invest in several. Your dog needs something to chew while you are teaching him not to chew the furniture.

Teaching your dog not to chew or damage the furniture will take time and patience, but with a little bit of work, you can have pristine furniture and a dog that is a benefit to your family.

Don’t forget to include nutrition in your process. NuVet Labs has various testimonials that show the difference nutrition can make in your pet’s behavior.

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