Many chihuahua owners have faced issues with chihuahua chewing at some point.  Have you ever come home to find that your dog has chewed off the corner of a piece of furniture, chewed a hole on your couch or even ruined a pair of your favorite shoes? If so, you are not alone! One of the biggest problems that a Chihuahua owner, or any dog owner, faces is that their Chihuahua is chewing and destroying their furniture. This may be very frustrating, but it is important to understand what causes chihuahua chewing in order to prevent it and make it stop.

Causes of Chihuahua Chewing

Chihuahuas chew on things because they are bored. Imagine being a dog left home alone for hours with nothing to do. Notice the destruction normally happens when you’re away, right? The other reason a Chihuahua may chew on furniture is out of excitement or anxiety. Chihuahua puppies will naturally want to chew on things just as babies do when they are teething.

How to Stop Chihuahua Chewing

The first thing that you need to do in order to stop your Chihuahua’s destructive behavior towards your furniture is to make your dog aware of what is not okay for it to chew on. You will need to scold your dog when you see him chewing on something bad. You can do this by saying “NO!” angrily and put him in a crate for 20 minutes. Every time you catch your dog chewing on furniture, you do the same thing and your dog will get to know that this behavior is not allowed.

The next thing to do is to provide your dog plenty of chew toys that are okay for him to chew on. Most dogs like toys that make some type of sound such as a squeak. Dog bones are also excellent for them to chew on. Put the chew toys around your dog and encourage him to play with them. Every time you see your Chihuahua chewing on the toy, reward him by giving him a treat. Keep repeating this until you find that your dog no longer needs to chew on furniture.

Always remember, if you are away during the day, it may be best to keep your Chihuahua in a crate or confined to a certain space or room such as the kitchen for example. Keep plenty of chew toys with your Chihuahua in that space for when he gets bored. Also, remember a dog is an animal and does not understand what is valuable to you. If there is something you do not want your dog to get a hold of and destroy, just keep it out of your Chihuahua’s reach.  Chihuahua chewing can become of thing of the past for your chihuahua.