Any ideas for puppy who wants to chew everything in sight?

[Heavenly]

My pug puppy is 6.5 months old and he has a bad habit that is driving us all nuts.  If there is anything left even remotely in his reach he chews it - kids homework, shoes, my purse, couch cushions - everything.  We can't tack the whole house to the ceiling so obviously stuff gets near him at times.  We have given him tons of chew toys, every kind you could think of, plus different type of chew treats, bones, etc.  We have tried putting him in his crate when he does it, replacing it with something he is allowed to chew, playing with him with a chew toy, etc.  Why is he so destructive and what can we do about it?  We don't like feeling like we never should have gotten him but basically every second he is out of his crate he is being destructive.  Help!

[Ola_]

It's not a bad habit, it's just a puppy thing!  We adopted one of our dogs around that age (6-8 months, no one was sure exactly how old she was) and she was a big ball of energy, bouncing off things and chewing everything in sight.  She chewed on the bottom of the couch, the edge of the carpet, the chair and table legs, pretty much anything and everything.

I don't think there is really one magic fix - keep supervising and giving him appropriate chew items.  Also exercise, both physical and mental exercise is HUGE, at least it was for Chaos (hey, the name fits ).  We got a lot of food puzzle toys (like those balls you push around to get a kibble out, different varieties of Kong-like toys), invented thinking games (toss a treat into a big box and watch her try and figure out how to get at it), went on walks in interesting areas to keep her nose and mind stimulated, and like you said crated when we couldn't supervise her.  Training is of course great for mental exercise so make sure you're doing that.

It will pass, I promise.  This is just the "teenager" stage, when so many dogs are surrendered to shelters because they can be so challenging, so it's not that you're doing anything wrong.

[ChristyMarie]

Ditto the PP.

Lots of redirection.  Just keep taking away the bad thing and stuffing a good toy in his mouth.  I find toy baskets in the rooms he spends  lot of time in really work.  He'll know where HIS toys are to chew.  Eventually.  You can try Bitter Apple on the things he isn't supposed to chew but some dogs will just lick it off, smile, and ask for more.

His attention span is about a second so by the time you put him in the crate he has completely forgotten about chewing the offending item.  ;)

It will pass.  It will.  For now, keep him right by you at all times. 

[greenmagick]

Yep, supervise and redirect.  

Make sure he is getting plenty of both physical and mental stimulation.

[tinuviel_k]

I agree: tons of good puppy exercise, mental stimulation, and lots of redirection and constant supervision. It can be a lot of work, I know, but it should pass.

For us, the physical exercise is the KEY to our well behaved 7-month old pup. The best thing for her is to go to the dog park for at least an hour a day. If she can get down and dirty with a dog under 1.5 years at the park so much the better. The constant running, jumping, play-fighting, rolling, and chasing wear her out physically, stimulate her mentally, and make for a much better behaved dog!

[Heavenly]

I guess we'll just have to wait it out because we are already doing all the things suggested.  We love him to death (we've had him 4.5 months so we are very bonded to him) but it is still very frustrating.  Oddly enough the chewing everything behaviour escalated after he was neutered.  Don't know if there is any connection or if it's just a coincidence.  I am looking forward to spring so we can get out even more.  Just to add a little cuteness to the thread - here is a picture of Titus - (he loves being in his crate - don't worry at night he gets a nice soft bed in there but during the day we have to remove it or he eats it! lol)

[Oubliette8]

Just wanted to say, he may be in the middle of teething. That often exacerbates the chewing. Thankfully they chew less once they get past that. I think most dogs teeth around 4 months? But toy breeds can take longer to lose their baby teeth. After that, you just have to ride out adolescence and it gets much better.

[K1329]

Our two maltese/poodle mixed pups are 8 months old. They are still teething and chew everything in sight! I do agree with the pps that it is just an unavoidable stage.

We keep our pups indoor/out. When we're gone, and at night, we've been keeping the dogs contained in an indoor hallway/entryway, gated off from the rest of the house. Their area has a doggie door with access to the covered patio and yard. When we're home they have the run of the house. But, the last week, or so, we've been letting them run the house at night, too. They're FINALLY housetrained and starting to be less destructive. I love the doggie door and that they can self regulate with going in and out. And, pretty soon, I picture us getting rid of the gate and incorporating them fully into the household - something I had trouble picturing when they were 3 mos. old!