How to Stop a Dog Chewing Everything: Why It Happens and What Helps

Chewed skirting boards, shredded shoes, a table leg that's seen better days. If your dog treats your home like a chew toy, you're not alone, and it's rarely about being naughty.

The fix starts with working out why your dog is chewing. Once you know that, stopping it is mostly about redirecting the habit rather than fighting it.

Why dogs chew in the first place

Chewing is normal dog behaviour. According to VCA Animal Hospitals, dogs, especially puppies, use chewing to explore and learn about their environment. The common reasons usually fall into a few groups:

• Teething. Puppies chew to ease sore gums while their adult teeth come through.
• Boredom or too little exercise. A dog with energy to burn will find something to do with it.
• Exploring. Dogs investigate the world with their mouths.
• Anxiety. Some dogs chew to cope with stress, particularly when left alone.
• Habit or reward. If chewing a shoe was fun once, it tends to happen again.
• Discomfort. Sore teeth or gums can also make a dog chew more.

Step 1: Work out the pattern

Before changing anything, notice when and what your dog chews.

• Only when you're out? That can point to boredom or separation anxiety.
• Mostly at night, or when you're busy? It could be a lack of attention or stimulation.
• Everything, all the time, in a young dog? Teething or exploring is likely.
• A sudden change in an adult dog? Worth a vet check to rule out dental pain or another medical cause.

This matters because the fix is different for each. VCA notes that chewing driven by anxiety needs the underlying cause properly diagnosed and treated, not just a better chew toy.

Step 2: Give them something better to chew

You can't remove a dog's urge to chew, so give it a proper outlet. Dogs chew because it feels good, and a good chew is the simplest swap for your skirting boards.

When you catch your dog chewing something off-limits:

1. Calmly interrupt, without a fuss
2. Offer an approved chew in its place
3. Praise them when they take it

That teaches them what is allowed rather than only what isn't.

This is where a long-lasting chew earns its place. Yakmanchew is a hard cheese chew, manufactured in Australia, made for dogs that love to chew. It's suitable for puppies from 6 months and comes in Medium and Large sizes. A longer-lasting chew gives a dog something satisfying to do, so they have less reason to look elsewhere.

Whichever chew you choose, supervise your dog with it, and take it away once it's small enough to swallow whole.

Step 3: Make sure they're getting enough exercise and stimulation

A chew is only part of the answer. Many dogs chew because they're under-exercised or understimulated. VCA points to sufficient play and exercise as a key part of managing chewing in exploratory dogs.

Things that help:

• A good walk or run before you leave the house
• Short training sessions that make them think
• Rotating toys so they stay interesting
• Puzzle feeders or sniffing games

A tired, mentally satisfied dog is far less likely to take it out on your furniture.

Step 4: Make the wrong things harder to reach

While your dog is learning, set them up to succeed:

• Put shoes, remotes and anything chewable out of reach
• Use baby gates to close off rooms
• Supervise, or use a crate if your dog is crate-trained and comfortable in it
• Try a taste deterrent on furniture or skirting boards (test a small spot first)

Management isn't a long-term fix on its own, but it stops the habit from being practised while you build better ones.

When chewing is a sign of something else

Sometimes chewing isn't really about chewing:

• Separation anxiety. Chewing mainly when you're gone, often with barking, pacing or toileting indoors, needs proper support from your vet or a qualified behaviourist.
• Dental or health problems. If your adult dog suddenly starts chewing a lot, have their mouth and general health checked.
• Persistent destructive chewing. If it's severe or isn't improving, talk to your vet or a trainer.

A chew can help redirect habit-based chewing. It won't resolve anxiety or pain by itself.

A simple plan to start with

1. Note when and what your dog chews
2. Rule out health issues if the change is sudden
3. Add daily exercise and mental stimulation
4. Offer a suitable, long-lasting chew when you can supervise
5. Praise them for chewing the right thing
6. Puppy-proof the areas they can reach

Give it a few weeks of consistency. Dogs learn habits through repetition, so the same routine every day works better than occasional intervention.

You can see the full range in our dog chews collection, all manufactured in Australia.