How To Stop Your Puppy From Chewing Your Shoes

Dog has chewed shoes

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Don’t you feel like banging your head against the wall after waking up one morning and finding out that your favorite Prada heels or Yeezys are chewed and destroyed by your pup? Well, you aren’t the only one that has probably experienced this problem.

Thousands of dog parents have been woefully compelled to spend money buying or replacing their torn shoes time and again.

But the fact is, shoes make for pretty desirable chew toy for your dog. Why? Well, they’re easily accessible, soft, and chewy – but more importantly, your shoes smell like you do!

But keep in mind that your adorable pooch does feel guilty and sad that he couldn’t repress the urge to destroy a good pair of shoes – and dogs really don’t mean to do that. In light of this, let’s dive into how you can help train your dog not chew or gnaw on your shoes.

Is Your Puppy Teething – Here’s What You Should Do

Puppies start teething when they’re 3-4 months old. You’ll quickly notice how the pup will start drooling or you may even start noticing tiny spots of blood left behind on the pup’s favorite toys. These are all typical symptoms associated with puppy teething.

You’d also be surprised to know that dogs also feel the pain and discomfort of teething – just like humans do. And during this time, when the pup’s waiting for its adult teeth, it’s going to want to get rid of the pain and discomfort by chewing on things.

Here’s what you should to train your pup to chew on the right things:

  • Give the pup some soft, chew toys.
  • Get chew toys that you can fill with cold water – that’s going to help relieve much of the soreness.
  • Track your pup’s activities – note how often it chews on toys and make sure they aren’t completely destroyed.
  • Be assertive and make a loud noise when your pup starts to bite you – let it know it hurts.
  • Treat your pup if it stops trying to bite your toes and chews on its toys instead.

Training Your Pup To Stop Chewing Your Shoes

While it’s simple to train the pup not to chew on anything that you don’t want it to chew on, it’s going to take some time and patience. Moreover, everybody in your household will need to collaborate with you to train the pup.

For example, you along with everyone else must make it a routine to put their shoes somewhere the pup won’t find them or won’t be able to reach them. If you’re keeping the shoes in the closet, make sure the closet’s always closed. Moreover, you’ll need stock your home with plenty of doggie treats to repeatedly reward it for good behavior. In light of this, here some easy steps to take.

It’s important that you evaluate your pup – watch him as often as you can, tell others to do the same. You need to understand how often the cute little critter chews on your shoes. Note whether it tries to hunt for your shoes or any one else’s during the night or when nobody’s home.

Check and see whether your pup is still teething. Evaluating your pups shoe chewing behavior is going to help you chart a plan to train it more effectively.

By the time your pup starts to teeth, the pooch probably has its favorite chew toys. Even if your pup has plenty of toys, it’s still a good idea to keep getting it more chew toys. Because your pup loves to chew on your shoes, it’s safe to assume that it’s already attracted to the material of the shoes. This means it’s also a good idea to get it a chew toy made with raw animal hide. However, it’s vital to keep your pup interested in different types of chew toys from time to time.

Although it’s going to be difficult to hide your shoes from the pup all the time, what you should do is try and keep the shoes or pairs of shoes you usually wear out of the pup’s reach. You can place them atop a shelf or just lock them in the closet or cupboard. Plus, make a loud, sharp noise as soon as the puppy starts to chew someone else’s shoes.

You need to train your pup to be obedient. After you’ve made it difficult for the pup to chew on your shoes, it’s time for a test. Sit down on the floor with a shoe right beside you. As soon as your pup comes over to you and decides to smell or investigate the shoe, stop it immediately. Say “no,” “don’t” , or just say “leave it” – it’s not that dogs understand what we say, but it’s the tone that matters. You need to make it understand that it’s not alright to chew on your shoes no matter what. After he listens to you, rub its belly and give it a puppy treat.

The next day, try to test your pup’s obedience. Walk to the middle of the room with one shoe in hand, make sure the pup see’s you with the shoe. Then just drop the shoe on the floor and walk away from it. Now, your pup may think that you’re actually allowing it to chew on the shoe, so the moment it scurries towards the shoe, turn around and yell out a trigger word like “stop it,” “no”, “don’t”, etc. If the pup listens to you, then you’ve successfully managed to train it not to chew on your shoes. Be sure to cuddle it loads and reward it with treats.

Reasons Pups Relentlessly Chew Your Shoes

Chewing shoes and anything else is completely natural for pups – growing up, they have a lot of curiosity to play with things or chew on them. Moreover, chewing is also a sign of teething in pups, so if your pup’s around 3-4 months old, its going to start teething. Chewing is also an excellent way for the pup to keep its jaw and mouth healthy and clean. But perhaps the biggest reason why puppies love to chew on shoes is that they just want to play and are completed bored. However, when it comes to excessive chewing, there may be a couple of other reasons such as:

Increased Anxiety Whenever You Leave the House

Puppies can also get separation anxiety. And if you’ve noticed your pup chewing on your shoe or anything else, especially when its all alone in a corner, then separation anxiety is probably the cause. This problem is quite common in many dog breeds and can result in even more aggressive and destructive canine behaviors down the line, if not treated. Defecating or urinating inside the house is also a sign of separation anxiety.

However, you can help your pup overcome this problem. Play with it as much as you can, and reward it with treats whenever it listens to you. Be sure to bring new toys for it – and give it to the pup as soon as you’re about to leave. After you come back from work, take away the toys and play with the pup a little. Playing with the pup will reduce its stress and it will gradually become happier.

Increased Hunger

At times, your pup may also excessively chew because its hungry. If your pup is on a diet or if you’ve restricted its caloric intake, it will start to chew on your shoes and other things to just locate some form of nutrition. If you’re pup’s doing this, it’s also possible that it will try to find things to chew on that remind it of food or anything that smells like the food it eats. If your pup’s on a diet due to a medical condition, be sure to bring him more chew toys till its diet is over.

Bottom Line

Well behaved dog not chewing shoes

So there you have it, some interesting reasons why pups like to chew and gnaw on your shoes and the step you can take it train it.

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