How to Stop Your Dog from Chewing Furniture

Coming home to a chewed table leg or a shredded couch cushion is frustrating, but furniture chewing is almost always a symptom of something else — boredom, anxiety, teething, or simple lack of an acceptable alternative — rather than a dog being “bad.” Fixing the root cause works far better than just repeatedly saying no.

Step One: Figure Out Why

• Puppies (under ~7 months) are often teething, and chewing genuinely soothes sore gums.
• Bored or under-exercised dogs chew because they have unused energy and nothing else to do with it.
• Anxious dogs may chew specifically when left alone, often on items near doors or windows — a sign of separation-related distress rather than general destructiveness.
• Under-stimulated adult dogs without teething as an excuse are usually missing mental engagement, not just physical exercise.

Give Your Dog a Better Option

Punishing chewing after the fact doesn’t teach a dog what to chew instead — it just teaches them to be anxious around you. A more effective approach is redirection paired with genuinely appealing alternatives.

A KONG Classic stuffed with treats or peanut butter is one of the most effective substitution tools available, because it gives a dog something engaging enough to compete with furniture, and the stuffing turns a few minutes of chewing into a longer activity. Keep one in rotation specifically for moments when your dog is likely to seek out furniture — right before you leave the house, or during a period when you can’t directly supervise.

Best substitute chew

KONG Classic Dog Toy

$8–$15 typical price

Nearly indestructible rubber chew toy that’s easy to stuff with treats for extra engagement.

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For dogs chewing more out of boredom than teething, a puzzle toy like Outward Hound’s Hide-A-Squirrel adds mental engagement on top of the physical act of chewing, which tends to tire dogs out faster than chewing alone.

Best for boredom

Outward Hound Hide-A-Squirrel

$12–$20 typical price

Plush puzzle toy with squeaky squirrels hidden inside — built for mental stimulation, not just chewing.

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Manage the Environment While You Train

• Block access to specific problem furniture with baby gates or by rearranging the room when you can’t supervise.
• Use deterrent sprays (bitter apple or similar) directly on furniture legs as a short-term measure while alternative habits form — not as a permanent solution on its own.
• Crate train appropriately for periods when you truly can’t supervise, especially with puppies — not as punishment, but as a safe space stocked with acceptable chew toys.

Address the Root Cause Directly

• More exercise before you leave. A tired dog has less energy left over for destructive chewing.
• Mental stimulation, not just physical. A 20-minute puzzle session can tire a dog out as effectively as a much longer walk.
• Separation anxiety needs its own plan. If chewing happens specifically when your dog is left alone (not when you’re home), this is likely anxiety-driven and may need gradual desensitization training, not just more toys.

What Not to Do

Avoid physical punishment or yelling after the fact — dogs don’t connect a scolding minutes later to the chewing itself, and it can actually increase anxiety-driven chewing rather than reduce it. Consistency in prevention and redirection works far better than punishment after the damage is done.

Bottom Line

Furniture chewing is a solvable problem in most cases, but the fix is almost always “give a better outlet + manage the environment + address the underlying cause,” not just correction after the fact. A stuffed KONG and a genuinely tiring exercise/mental-stimulation routine solve the majority of everyday cases.

Browse chew-friendly toys in our Dog Toys category.