You open the door. You greet your Pug with enthusiastic hugs and kisses. Then you look past them and see the tattered remains of your entire living room.

Is this a familiar scene? Let’s talk about Pug chewing and how to stop it.

Do Pugs chew a lot?

Pugs can be worse than other dog breeds when it comes to chewing. To them, an expensive pair of shoes is just a fun, oddly-shaped toy, and your screams upon discovery are excited yips for a job well done.

The good news is that chewing is a behavioral problem rather than a genetic one. There’s nothing in a Pug’s DNA that makes them more prone to destroying things. It’s just a behavioral issue, and behavioral issues can be fixed.

Why is my Pug chewing?

If you’re tired of finding little gnaw marks on your table legs, you’ll need to identify the hows, whens, and whys of your Pug’s chewing problem. Here are a few common causes:

Separation Anxiety

Pugs are clingy dogs. They thrive on human companionship, and they miss you terribly when you leave the house. Do you often come home to slobber on clothes and blankets that carry your scent? Your Pug might be self-soothing by chewing on your things when they can’t be directly with you.

Boredom

Boredom is sometimes mistaken for separation anxiety since it can cause the same shredded piles of toilet paper, but it’s an entirely separate phenomenon. These pups aren’t distressed; they’re just looking for something to do. They’re finding ways to entertain themselves when humans aren’t around to play with them.

Teething

This is one of the rare physical causes of chewing. If you have a pint-sized pooch who’s still growing or losing their baby teeth, they might be gnawing on things around the house to alleviate the discomfort. Pugs in particular can have trouble getting rid of their baby teeth; smaller breeds can be predisposed to retaining these “milk teeth” well into adulthood.

Poor Discipline

Sorry, pet parents! But it’s true. Some Pugs just have a bad habit of chewing on things because they know that they won’t get in any real trouble for it. It’s fun for them, and since there aren’t any consequences, they can go to town on whatever tasty remote happens to catch their eye.

How do I get my Pug to stop chewing?

Destructive chewing can be stopped. It might require time and patience, but as long as you don’t give up, any Pug can be trained to leave Jimmy Choos alone.

Here are a few strategies to get your Pug to stop chewing:

• Say no. This might sound obvious, but you should be giving a firm, consistent “no” every time that they start nibbling on the couch. They need to learn that it’s against the rules.
• Figure out the type of chew toys that they like. Are they fond of any particular shapes, smells, fibers or textures? Do they like soft plushies or thick, knotted ropes? Fill your home with chew toys that are actually attractive to your Pug.
• Pause playtime whenever they bite or chew. Don’t engage with them until they stop the undesired behavior.
• Give them more exercise. Your Pug might just need a little more stimulation in their day to distract them and avoid the need to chew out of boredom.
• Experiment with aversion sprays and other deterrents. These are sprays that smell or taste bad to dogs. They’re non-toxic, but they might make your pup think twice about chewing on something.

Something to keep in mind about these training methods is that they might not be suitable for every kind of dog and every kind of situation. For example, a Pug with separation anxiety might need gentler tactics than a Pug that’s just a rambunctious little gremlin. A teething puppy might respond to different correction than a bored or stressed adult dog.

There’s no “one size fits all” methodology for training a Pug. To stop their chewing, you’ll need to figure out what works best for your particular pooch!

Wrapping up

Pugs can be amazing companions, but if their chewing is starting to cause problems in your home, it’s best to nip that behavior in the bud as quickly as possible. Use these tips and tricks to save your phones, chairs, shoes, remotes, and carpet fibers from your Pug!