Training Puppies to Not Tear Stuff

Puppies are known to cause all sorts of chaos around the house before they are trained. One of the most common and destructive problems is when the puppy begins to chew and tear stuff up. You may assume that simply scolding the puppy upon finding the torn-up item is sufficient training, but that is not the case at all. Instead, you should try certain techniques to successfully train the puppy to stop chewing and tearing.

Things You'll Need

  • Sterilized marrow bone
  • Liver treat or cheese
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Instructions

    • 1

      Watch the puppy at all times when it is roaming free in the house. Catching the puppy while in the act is the most crucial part of training. When you catch it beginning to tear things up, take the item away or remove the puppy from the area with a very stern "No."

    • 2

      Arrange your schedule so that the puppy is not left alone for long periods of time. Chewing and tearing is often a stress release for puppies, and if they feel lonely the activity is very likely to continue.

    • 3

      Push a liver treat or small piece of cheese into the middle of a sterilized marrow bone and give it to the puppy when it is in the mood to tear things up. This distracts the puppy, and trying to get the treat from the bone satisfies its craving to tear things apart.

    • 4

      Scatter a few different types of chew toys around the house and encourage the puppy to play with them often. Give the puppy plenty of praise when it plays with the toys. Continue to give it stern "No" commands when it tears up something it isn't supposed to, but only if you catch it in the act.

    • 5

      Stick to it. While the techniques used to train the puppy to stop tearing and chewing are pretty simple, they work only if used consistently until the puppy has stopped the destructive behavior.