Anyone have any success stopping adult dogs from gnawing on furniture.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

My yellow lab has developed a taste for coffee tables. He's not a regular chewer but every so often when I'm out for the day he'll chew. He has rawhide and other toys. I like to let him have the run of the house.

- Is Bitter Apple worth a shot?
- A companion dog (he's alone all day)? I'm not anxious to take on the expense of a second dog but I'd consider it.
- NannyCam?

Other than that, he's an absolutely great and well-mannered dog.

[Stinky The Clown]

1. In can't for sure say to get a second dog, but our experience is that when .....

.... the second dog assimilated into our "pack", both dog's manners improved. That, however, is purely anecdotal and proof of nothing. Also, neither of them were chewers, although the GSD chews appropriate things constantly. Except for logs. She chews tree branches to mulch.

[Warpy]

2. Sounds like a bored dog registering his disapproval

about being left alone. Dogs are social animals who need their humans or other dogs around at all times. Being alone is pure torture for them.

So yeah, get a small, cheap to feed dog or sell your furniture and get metal furniture.

Spraying the chew spots with red pepper is not going to work. He'll just find something else to chew on and there's plenty to choose from.

[hobbit709]

7. My moosedog liked peppers

I tried spraying pepper sauce on stuff and he liked it. He got into my pepper garden once and ate a Habanero plant and two Thai bird pepper plants.
Here is the culprit.

[japple]

3. Sounds like this dog needs a busy bone. Maybe he doesn't like

the rawhide. Give him a chew toy that you can stuff with peanut butter or dog treats. I also read that animals don't like citrus. Maybe you can try orange oil on the coffee table.

[spooky3]

4. I have a cat that used to do this.

The bitter apple DOES help. He chewed corners, but the bitter apple discouraged that well.

I believe that the main thing is that (in my kitty's case, anyway) he is a very high attention needy cat and he just wants someone to change things up. I am trying to give him more play time.

[TorchTheWitch]

5. Instant cure for this...

Mix chilli powder with vaseline and put a light coating on furniture legs or edges where the dog chews. One taste of that and they won't do it again. This was the only thing that worked for me in stopping my dog from opening doors by grabbing the doorknob with his mouth and turning... I kid you not - he taught himself how to do this and got so good at it that it only took him 2 seconds to open a door. After just one attempt at a doorknob with the chilli powder/vaseline treatment on it he never put his mouth on another doorknob again. My vet told me to do this since it's the most effective way of getting them to stop chewing wood or metal furniture. It also doesn't damage the furniture. On light blonde wood though, I would try a bit of the mixture on a test spot to make sure it won't discolor because of the chilli powder.

Before this I'd tried the bitter apple and even that icky stuff you put on your fingers to stop chewing your nails and he ignored it... I think he actually liked the bitter apple stuff.

[livetohike]

6. Bitter Apple worked when our Lab mix chewed on the door frame

and she had her littermate with her all day, so it wasn't a companion issue. She was a puppy, but the Bitter Apple worked.

Do you have time to play with your dog before you leave the house? Maybe he's just bored :shrug:.