Puppy Chewing Everything? Here’s Why It Happens and How to Stop It
You walk into the lounge room and find another chewed-up thong, fresh teeth marks on the coffee table, and the corner of the rug looking like it lost a fight. If your puppy is chewing everything, you’re certainly not alone. It’s one of the most common challenges new dog owners face, especially during the first few months of puppyhood.
The good news? Your puppy isn’t being naughty or trying to annoy you. Chewing is a completely natural behaviour that helps puppies relieve teething discomfort, explore the world, and burn excess energy. With the right Puppy Behaviour Training and consistent management, you can quickly teach your puppy what they should chew instead of your furnitu
At Master Of Puppies, our experienced trainers—including former Australian Special Forces military working dog handlers—have helped thousands of Gold Coast and Northern NSW families overcome destructive chewing using proven, positive reinforcement training methods.
In this guide, you’ll discover why your puppy is chewing everything, when the behaviour should naturally improve, seven trainer-approved techniques to stop destructive chewing, and when it’s time to seek professional help. By the end, you’ll have a practical plan to protect your home while helping your puppy develop healthy chewing habits for life.
Why Is My Puppy Chewing Everything?
Before you can stop the behaviour, you need to understand what’s driving it. Puppies don’t chew randomly—there’s always a reason behind those needle-sharp teeth sinking into your favourite shoes. Understanding normal puppy development and behaviour is an important part of effective training. The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) provides trusted information on responsible pet care and canine health:
1. Teething Pain and Sore Gums
Just like human babies, puppies teethe — and it hurts. Most puppies begin teething between 12 and 16 weeks of age, and the process continues until their adult teeth are fully in at around 6 to 7 months old. During this window, chewing isn’t naughtiness; it’s pain relief. The pressure of chewing genuinely soothes their sore, inflamed gums.
If your puppy’s chewing ramped up dramatically around the three-to-four-month mark, teething is almost certainly the main culprit.
2. Exploring the World Mouth-First
Puppies experience the world through their noses and mouths. A toddler picks things up with their hands; a puppy picks things up with their teeth. That TV remote, that skirting board, that interesting-smelling sock — to your puppy, chewing is simply how they investigate new textures, tastes, and smells. It’s curiosity, not destruction.
3. Boredom and Excess Energy
A bored puppy is a demolition crew waiting to happen. Puppies have bucketloads of physical and mental energy, and if they don’t get enough exercise, play, and mental stimulation, they’ll create their own entertainment — usually at the expense of your furniture. This is especially true for working and high-energy breeds like Kelpies, Border Collies, Staffies, and German Shepherds.
4. Anxiety or Stress
Some puppies chew as a coping mechanism. If the chewing mainly happens when your puppy is left alone—and it’s paired with whining, pacing, barking, or toileting accidents—separation anxiety could be at play. Anxiety-driven chewing needs a different approach than teething chewing, and it’s one of the areas where professional guidance makes the biggest difference.
5. They Simply Haven’t Been Taught Yet
Here’s the truth most articles skip: puppies aren’t born knowing the difference between a $5 chew toy and a $500 pair of sneakers. To them, everything is fair game until you teach them otherwise. Chewing “mistakes” aren’t a puppy failure — they’re a training opportunity.
When Do Puppies Stop Chewing Everything?
Most puppies naturally scale back their destructive chewing at around 7 to 8 months of age, once teething finishes and their adult teeth have settled in. However — and this is important — dogs don’t simply “grow out of” chewing on their own.
Chewing is a natural, healthy behaviour that dogs need for their entire lives. The goal isn’t to eliminate chewing altogether; it’s to teach your puppy what’s okay to chew. Puppies who never learn appropriate chewing habits often carry destructive chewing into adulthood, where it becomes much harder (and more expensive) to fix. Teaching reliable obedience skills through dog recall training and consistent positive reinforcement also helps puppies develop better impulse control and decision-making.
The window between 8 weeks and 6 months is golden. Get it right now, and you’ll have a dog who happily gnaws on their own toys for life.
How to Stop a Puppy From Chewing Everything: 7 Trainer-Approved Steps
Step 1: Puppy-Proof Your Home First
The number one rule of managing puppy chewing is simple: remove the temptation. Every time your puppy chews something they shouldn’t, the habit gets stronger — so prevention beats correction every time.
Get down on your hands and knees and look at your home from puppy height. Shoes, charging cables, remote controls, kids’ toys, washing baskets, houseplants, rubbish bins — if it’s within reach, it’s a target. Move valuables up high, tuck cords away, and keep wardrobe and laundry doors closed.
For areas you can’t fully puppy-proof, use baby gates, playpens, or a crate to limit access when you can’t supervise.
Step 2: Provide the Right Chew Toys (and Rotate Them)
Your puppy needs to chew — so give them something worth chewing. Stock up on a variety of textures: rubber chew toys, rope toys, food-stuffable toys like KONGs, and long-lasting natural chews.
Two pro tips from our trainers:
- Rotate toys weekly. Keep only three or four toys out at a time and swap them regularly. Novelty keeps toys interesting — a toy that’s always available quickly becomes boring furniture.
- Skip plush toys for unsupervised chewing. Soft toys don’t offer enough resistance for serious chewers, and swallowed stuffing or squeakers can become a dangerous (and costly) vet emergency.
Step 3: Soothe Teething Pain With Frozen Chews
For teething puppies, cold is your best friend. Try freezing a rubber chew toy, a wet washcloth twisted into a rope, or a KONG stuffed with wet food or plain yoghurt. The cold numbs sore gums and gives your puppy genuine relief — which means less desperate chewing on your table legs.
Always supervise your puppy with frozen chews and remove anything that starts breaking apart.
Step 4: Redirect, Don’t Punish
Catch your puppy mid-chew on something forbidden? Stay calm. Interrupt with a neutral sound or a calm “ah-ah,” then immediately offer an appropriate chew toy. The moment their teeth land on the right item, praise them warmly or reward with a small treat.
This is the heart of positive reinforcement training: you’re not just telling your puppy “no” — you’re showing them “chew this instead,” and making the right choice more rewarding than the wrong one.
Never yell, smack, or rub your puppy’s nose in the damage. Punishment after the fact doesn’t work (puppies can’t connect it to something they did earlier), and it damages trust — which can create fear-based behaviours far worse than chewing.
Step 5: Teach a “Give” or “Drop It” Cue
If your puppy grabs something valuable, chasing them turns it into the world’s best game — and snatching items away can teach them to guard or run. Instead, trade up: offer a tasty treat or exciting toy in exchange for the stolen item. As your puppy catches on, add the cue word “give” or “drop it.”
This one skill can save you hundreds of dollars in chewed belongings and could genuinely save your puppy’s life if they ever pick up something dangerous.
Step 6: Burn That Energy — Body and Brain
A tired puppy is a well-behaved puppy. Make sure your pup gets age-appropriate daily exercise, plus mental workouts like sniffing games, puzzle feeders, short training sessions, and supervised socialisation.
Mental stimulation is the piece most owners miss. Ten minutes of training or scent work can tire a puppy out more than half an hour of walking — and a puppy who’s mentally satisfied has far less need to redecorate your home with their teeth.
This is exactly why structured environments like our Doggy Daycare Gold Coast and Doggy Daycare Farm work so well for chew-happy puppies — they come home fulfilled, exercised, and ready to rest instead of wreck.
Step 7: Use Deterrent Sprays for Stubborn Spots
For furniture legs, skirting boards, or cables that can’t be moved, a dog-safe bitter spray can make those surfaces taste awful. Deterrent sprays work best as a supporting tool alongside training — not a replacement for it. Reapply regularly, and always pair the “yuck” experience with an appealing legal alternative nearby.
When Puppy Chewing Signals Something More Serious
Most puppy chewing is normal. But contact your vet or a professional trainer if you notice your puppy chewing obsessively well past 8 months of age, chewing paired with signs of distress when left alone, swallowing non-food items (pica), damaged teeth or bleeding gums, or chewing that continues despite consistent training and management.
Anxiety-related chewing, in particular, won’t resolve on its own — and the earlier it’s addressed, the easier it is to fix.
How Professional Puppy Training Fast-Tracks Results
You can absolutely make progress on your own — but there’s a reason so many Gold Coast families come to us in the puppy stage rather than waiting for problems to set in. Chewing rarely travels alone. It usually arrives alongside nipping, jumping, pulling on lead, and selective hearing — and all of these behaviours share the same root causes: excess energy, unclear boundaries, and a puppy who hasn’t yet learned impulse control.
Our Puppy Training programs tackle the cause, not just the symptom. Using proven positive reinforcement methods refined through elite military working dog experience, we teach your puppy calm behaviour, clear communication, and reliable obedience — the foundations that naturally switch off destructive habits. For one-on-one help with specific issues, our Private Dog Training sessions are tailored entirely to your puppy and your home environment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Puppy Chewing
Why does my puppy chew everything except their toys?
Usually it comes down to novelty and scent. Your belongings smell like you, which makes them incredibly appealing, and forbidden items feel exciting. Rotate toys to keep them fresh, make toys more rewarding (stuff them with food, play with them together), and manage access to your things while training is underway.
At what age do puppies stop chewing everything?
Destructive chewing typically eases around 7 to 8 months, when teething ends. However, chewing itself is a lifelong canine need — dogs who were taught appropriate chewing as puppies simply direct it to their own toys instead of your furniture.
Should I punish my puppy for chewing?
No. Punishment after the fact doesn’t work because puppies can’t link the punishment to a past action. It creates fear and confusion without teaching your puppy what they should do. Calm interruption, redirection to a chew toy, and rewarding the right choice work far faster — and build trust instead of breaking it.
Is it okay to crate my puppy to stop chewing?
Yes — when used correctly. A crate is a fantastic management tool for short periods when you can’t supervise, provided your puppy has been positively crate-trained and has a safe chew toy inside. However, don’t crate a puppy showing genuine separation anxiety without professional guidance, as it can make the anxiety worse.
What is the best chew toy for a teething puppy?
Look for firm rubber toys designed for puppies, food-stuffable toys you can freeze, and rope toys for supervised play. Avoid anything harder than your fingernail can dent (which can crack teeth), and skip cheap plastic toys that break into swallowable pieces.
My puppy chews when I’m at work. What can I do?
First, puppy-proof the space completely and leave enriching, safe chew options like a frozen stuffed KONG. Build in solid exercise before you leave. If your puppy still can’t cope alone, structured daycare is a game-changer — supervised play, enrichment, and exercise mean they come home calm instead of destructive.
Does more exercise really stop chewing?
It’s one of the biggest levers you have. Under-exercised puppies chew out of boredom and frustration. But remember it’s both physical and mental exercise — training games, sniffing, and problem-solving tire a puppy’s brain, which matters just as much as tiring their legs.
Final Thoughts: Chewing Is a Phase — Habits Are Forever
Puppy chewing is frustrating, but it’s also one of the most predictable and solvable behaviours in dog ownership. Puppy-proof your home, provide great chew outlets, redirect calmly, meet your puppy’s exercise and enrichment needs, and stay consistent — and you’ll come out the other side with a dog who wouldn’t dream of touching your shoes.
The key word is now. It’s far easier to teach a 12-week-old puppy what to chew than to retrain a 2-year-old dog with entrenched habits. Every week of good habits you build today is a year of peace you bank for the future. Explore our professional puppy training services to help your puppy build lifelong good habits from the very beginning.
Ready to Turn Your Little Land Shark Into a Well-Mannered Mate?
You don’t have to figure it out alone. At Master Of Puppies, our expert trainers have helped countless Gold Coast and Northern NSW families through the chewing stage — and out the other side with calm, confident, obedient dogs.
Book your puppy training consultation today:
- 📞 Call us on 0478 111 667 (Gold Coast)
- 📧 Email info@masterofpuppies.com.au
- 🐾 Or book online and start your puppy’s training journey at our Gold Coast (Molendinar) or Farm (Gleneagle) locations.
Your shoes will thank you. Your puppy will thank you even more.
