Introduction

It is really amazing what a dog can do to furniture. Sofas can be ripped to shreds, chairs chewed to bits, and mattresses can be torn and all the stuffing pulled out. If a dog begins to destroy furniture, expensive damage can occur. Whether dogs are small or large, if a dog decides to attack furniture the results can be awful. Fortunately this type of destructive behavior can be stopped once the root cause of the behavior is addressed. There are two main causes of why a dog destroys furniture; either the dog is teething, or the dog is very bored.

The Main Causes of Furniture Destruction

Puppies generally begin to teeth around 4 to 6 months of age. The teething period normally lasts between 2 and 3 months. When a puppy is teething, he or she will start to chew on almost anything. Much like a human baby, any object is up for grabs during this time including furniture. Teething puppies particularly seem to enjoy chewing on the corners of sofas and chairs and on wooden furniture parts. This type of behavior should be discouraged by offering other chewy alternatives, and praising the puppy when he or she uses their appropriate teething chewies.

Dogs that destroy furniture because they are bored need to have an immediate life style change or this level of boredom can accelerate into aggressive behavior. High energy dogs that spend their days in houses or apartments by themselves are particularly known for resorting to destructive behavior such as destroying the furniture. The only way to stop this behavior is to give your dog more toys, more walks, more attention, and perhaps a friend to play with; in some cases where the owners are not home much at all, doggie daycare is a great way to give a dog a more exciting life.