There are three principal reasons that young puppies chew: boredom, attention-seeking and teething. Let's take a look at the mechanism by which a dog has been taught to get the attention of his owner and destroy the house at the same time.

Little Buddy comes home at 7 weeks old and is showered with toys. Mom and dad frequently play with Buddy and these new toys in order to keep him busy, more so during the first 2 months. If he inadvertently picks up his owner's shoe, dad might shout NO! Fearing dad's tone, Buddy has learned the "chase me" game, tricking his owner into playing with him and giving him attention by chewing the wrong item.

As your pup grows older, he becomes more and more demanding. At the same time, mom and dad are starting to tire, thus, rejecting the pup's demands to play. Buddy then decides he must find another way to get their attention: he lays down next to the kitchen table while mom and dad are eating dinner and puts his teeth on the leg of the table. Dad jumps up, startles Buddy and shoves his toy into his mouth and starts playing with him. Now Buddy has figured out after a few more similar repetitions that chewing on the furniture is the way to get his owner's attention. Another fun game!

What happens when Buddy is left at home alone for a few hours? He romps and plays with his toys, but suddenly realizes there is no one there to play with. He remembers the fun game of chewing the kitchen table so off he runs to the table, chews a little and runs to the door where the owner went out. That didn't work so well, so perhaps he should try another object. Once that doesn't work, he remembers the attention he always got when he jumped on the sofa to play with the throw pillows. And so his destructive path is laid.

Instead of shouting at your puppy for chewing destructively, and then, from the puppy's point of view, rewarding it with attention and play, you must do two things to direct your dog's chewing toward desirable objects.

First, teach him to occupy himself when you're not home or when you cannot spend time with him. This is accomplished by restricting his freedom as well as purchasing chew toys that keep his interest. Stuff toys with goodies such as biscuits, freeze dried liver, peanut butter, etc. Your dog can spend hours chewing on these challenging treats.

Secondly, teach him where to find these yummy objects. Set up your dog's own toy box and bury his favorite stuffed bone at the bottom of the box. His keen sense of smell will entice him to search for his favorite bone. A tasteless piece of furniture will pale in comparison to this hidden treasure! Make sure you bury this bone each time you leave the house so that he is directed to the toy box for his entertainment. Do not leave this special bone out all of the time. If you do, it won't be special! Put the bone away when you come home and return his toys to the box every night. Praise him enthusiastically for taking a toy from the box.

If your dog is chewing due to extreme separation anxiety, this must be dealt with slowly and worked on together with a behavior counselor since the dog can cause a great deal of damage both to your house and himself. Punishment in this situation can only make matters worse.