Why Poodles Chew Furniture (Here’s 10 Possible Explanations)
I’m sure your poodle has an extensive collection of toys (my girl does). Even though you’ve probably caught your dog chewing on your furniture before. Dogs have high energy levels that can cause them to do fascinating things. While entertaining, chewing can also be destructive.
It may be easier to eradicate the issue if you first learn why poodles chew furniture. There could be a few things causing them to ignore their chew toys and go for your couch or your dining room chairs instead.
10 Reasons Why Poodles Chew Furniture
1. Your Poodles’ Curious
Poodles are inquisitive canines that don’t sense what is and isn’t edible. If your dog enjoys the sensation or texture of something it’s chewing on, it’ll most likely continue until it knows it’s not allowed. Even then, it might keep going.
When it comes to furniture, your pup might enjoy both the softness of a cushion and the crunchiness of the wood.
2. It’s Normal for Poodles to Chew
Dogs like to chew on things, and poodles are no exception! Further, chewing can help your poodle in a variety of ways:
- It helps to release instincts to chew and rip apart prey.
- Chewing helps with teeth cleaning.
- It helps work their jaws.
If they don’t have something to chew on that allows them to practice this natural behavior, they might do it to something inappropriate like your furniture. You will never get your pup to stop chewing, but you can get it to chew on something else.
3. Your Poodles’ Teething
When your poodle puppy is teething, it will want to chew on everything that it can to take away the pain. It would help if you opted for some soothing teething toys as a preventative measure to protect your furniture and to give your pup something fun to chew.
One good option is a toy that has multiple textures, such as hard rubber and rope, so your poodle can opt for whatever suits its need at the time. Your canine might also enjoy something that makes noise or is interactive or even shoots out a treat as they continue to chew.
You might have to try a few different toys before you find one that will catch your poodle’s attention long enough to make it forget about your furniture.
4. Your Pup Needs a Distraction
Your youngster might be stubborn, or it might just not grasp the concept of no yet. If your pup isn’t responding to you telling it to sop, try getting your poodle’s attention with a toy. Further, giving your dog something to distract it can be a temporary but effective solution to help get it away from your furniture.
5. Bored with Current Toys?
Once your young poodle has chewed on a toy for some time, it might get boring. Therefore, your pup could then turn back to your furniture to get a feel for something different. Having a few spare toys stashed away for these occasions could be just what your poodle needs to once again forget about your furniture.
6. Nothing Else is Enticing Your Poodle
Your pupster might enjoy your furniture much more than its toy selection. In this case, you might have to opt for a different deterrent.
There are dog-safe bitter sprays that you can find at your local pet store that, while they don’t hurt your dog, these sprays don’t taste very good to it either. A little bit of this spray on the spots your pup enjoys chewing should get it to stop.
7. Too Much Bundled up Energy?
While chewing furniture will typically calm down after your puppy becomes an adult. However, it might resort to destructive behaviors out of frustration if your poodle doesn’t have enough opportunities to burn off some energy.
Try taking your dog for a walk or letting it run around in a fenced yard (if you have one), or take it to your local dog park. Outdoor exercise should tire your poodle out enough to take a little nap and forget your furniture.
As your poodle gets older, it might have a more challenging time walking, so it might not be as prone to chewing on your furniture as it once was. However, your senior dog should still get some exercise, even if it’s a short walk on a soft surface or some swimming.
8. Your Poodles’ Nervous or Anxious
If you come home to see bite marks on your furniture, it could be because your poodle missed you and got anxious. Sometimes a dog doesn’t know what to do with nervous energy and will take to anything that distracts it, such as chewing on your belongings.
While you can’t necessarily stay home all the time, you might want to adjust your schedule during non-work hours or try to find a dog walker for days when you won’t be home for long stretches. You also want to be sure you give your fur baby extra love when you get home.
9. Your Poodles’ Depressed
If separation anxiety goes unremedied for some time, your poodle could develop depression. This depression might manifest in a lack of care about what it should and shouldn’t do, including chewing your furniture.
Depression can be detrimental to your poodle’s health. Therefore, you should thoroughly explore any of the above remedies for anxiety.
10. Has to Go Potty?
When your poodle has to go potty, it might not know how to tell you. Instead, your pup might act out, and your furniture will suffer. There should be a designated area with some puppy pads down if you aren’t home, so your canine doesn’t have to hold it.
Quick Tip: Show your pupster where the potty-pads are and that it’s okay to potty on them.
Why Poodles Chew Furniture Final Thoughts
There might be more reasons why poodles chew furniture, but for the most part, there are ways to get them to stop. Just ensure you are patient with your pup as it learns, and never be cruel. Your poodle will learn to stop chewing your furniture with time, patience, and other items to keep it entertained.
Additional Poodle Resource: PoodleHQ.com
