How to stop a puppy from chewing baseboards and door frames
Puppies will often ignore expensive chew toys in favor of destroying baseboards, door frames, and toilet paper when left alone. Stopping this behavior is difficult because redirecting them with makeshift items like plastic water bottles can accidentally teach the dog that everyday household objects are acceptable to chew.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Providing safe chews like nylabones and softer rubber chewsDid this help you?
- 2Leaving the puppy in a puppy-safe room instead of a crateDid this help you?
- 3Accepting the damage since the room is due for renovationDid this help you?
- 4Giving the puppy a head of lettuce or cabbage to destroyDid this help you?
- 5Taping up flimsy cardboard boxes (like soda boxes) with food insideDid this help you?
- 6Giving them thick cardboard cat scratchers to chew onDid this help you?
- 7Taking the puppy on multiple long walks or using lick mats to tire them outDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“within the last week he has begun chewing baseboards and door frames when alone.”source ↗
“The question is, how do i stop/prevent the behavior?”source ↗
“he wants to chew eeeeeeeverything into tiny tiny pieces, especially toilet paper.”source ↗
“I have spent over $150 on various types of chew toys and treats in the last three days (after running through everything we had in the house), and pretty much the only things he wants to chew on are plastic water bottles”source ↗
“less than 15 minutes after we got home he had broken into the bathroom cabinet and destroyed two rolls of toilet paper again. \*sobbing\*”source ↗
“After the water bottle mix-up, I'm realizing I want to be very forward-thinking about what I give him and say "Here, chew on this!" Nothing that he could possibly mistake as "Oh, this is fine, mom gave me one just like it a few weeks ago."”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 9How to stop a puppy from eating toys and plush stuffing
- 4How to stop kitten chewing electrical cords
- 17How to stop a puppy from scratching furniture and appliances?
- 4Puppy gets bored of Kong and chews on crate bars
- 8Why is my puppy constantly humping everything?
- 11How to stop a dog from destroying and eating bedding