Things You'll Need
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Spray bottle
- Old stuffed animal
- Puppy chew toys that aren't soft or fuzzy
Instructions
Don't allow your puppy to have fuzzy, plush dog toys. A puppy can't tell the difference between what is yours and what is his. If you have any soft, fuzzy dog toys, give them away or save them for when your dog is older and better trained.
Spray an old stuffed animal with something that is harmless but tastes awful. Most commercial sprays that are made for this purpose are mostly isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol. You can make your own spray by mixing one part alcohol to one part water and putting it in a spray bottle.
Place the old stuffed animal near your puppy, or have it sitting out in a room where your puppy can get it.
Wait for your puppy to go near the stuffed animal. Don't try to attract your puppy to it.
As soon as the puppy bites the stuffed animal, say "No" and remove it from the puppy's mouth. It is important to do this as soon as the puppy touches the stuffed toy so it knows what it did wrong. If the puppy won't release the toy, gently place your finger in the corner of its mouth or press its gums against its teeth.
Give the puppy one of its own chew toys. Praise the puppy when it begins chewing on its chew toy. Praising good behavior is as important -- if not more important -- than correcting bad behavior.
Repeat Steps 5 and 6 whenever the puppy attempts to chew on the old stuffed animal. Once the puppy starts ignoring the stuffed animal, repeat the training using other old stuffed animals.
Reinforce the lesson by hiding where you are out of the puppy's site but can still observe him. If the puppy goes after the stuffed animal, step in and repeat Steps 5 and 6. This will help avoid "stealth" chewing, or waiting for the owner to disappear before chewing on a stuffed animal.