Puppy Behaviour Routines: If the Puppy Chews It, He Had Access to It — Management 101

"If the puppy chews it, he had access to it." This statement from Before You Say Yes to the Dog is the foundation of the book's approach to chewing and destruction, and it reframes the problem entirely. Most new puppy owners treat chewing as a training problem. The puppy chewed the shoe, so the puppy needs to be trained not to chew shoes. The puppy chewed the table leg, so the puppy needs to be corrected for chewing furniture. The book argues that chewing is not primarily a training problem. It is a management problem. And the management problem is solved by controlling access.

The logic is straightforward. Puppies chew. They chew because they are teething, because they explore the world with their mouths, because chewing relieves stress, and because it is a natural, necessary behaviour for a young dog. You cannot stop a puppy from chewing. What you can do is control what he has access to chew. If he has access to your shoes, he will chew them. If he has access to your furniture, he will chew it. If he has access to electrical cords, he will chew them, and the consequences could be life-threatening.

The solution is not to train the puppy not to chew inappropriate items. The solution is to make inappropriate items inaccessible and provide appropriate alternatives. This is environmental management, and it is the most effective approach to chewing by a significant margin. It is faster than training, more reliable than correction, and infinitely easier to implement than trying to supervise a puppy twenty-four hours a day.

Practical environmental management for chewing means walking through your home and looking at it from the puppy's perspective. What is on the floor? What is within reach? What has an interesting texture or smell? Every item the puppy can reach is an item he might chew. Remove it. Put shoes in closets. Keep books on high shelves. Clear countertops of anything edible or chewable. Cover or block access to furniture legs with taste deterrents or physical barriers. Secure electrical cords behind furniture or in conduit. These are one-time setup tasks that prevent chewing problems before they start.

Alongside removing access to inappropriate items, provide abundant access to appropriate chew items. Puppies need to chew, and if they do not have appropriate outlets, they will find inappropriate ones. A puppy who has a variety of safe chew toys, rotated regularly to maintain novelty, is a puppy who is far less likely to seek out the sofa or the dining table legs for his chewing needs. The appropriate chew items should be available at all times, especially during the teething phase when the urge to chew is most intense.

When the puppy does chew an inappropriate item, the book's approach is not to punish the puppy. It is to fix the management. The puppy chewed the shoe because the shoe was accessible. The solution is to make the shoe inaccessible next time, not to shout at the puppy after the fact. The puppy does not understand the connection between your anger and his chewing. He does understand the connection between an available object and his teeth. Control the availability, and you control the chewing.

This principle extends beyond chewing to almost every puppy behaviour issue. If the puppy has an accident on the carpet, the system missed a potty break. If the puppy barks at the window, he has access to the window. If the puppy counter-surfs, he has access to the counter. Management is the first line of defence for every behaviour problem, and it is almost always more effective than correction. Control the environment, provide appropriate alternatives, and the behaviour problems shrink dramatically.

Understanding canine body language is one of the most valuable skills a dog owner can develop. Dogs communicate primarily through their bodies, not through vocalisation. A wagging tail does not always mean a happy dog. The position of the tail, the tension in the body, the position of the ears, the shape of the eyes, and the overall posture all convey information about the dog's emotional state and his likely next behaviour. A dog who is stiff, still, and staring is not relaxed. He is likely in a state of high arousal that could lead to a reactive response. A dog who turns his head away, licks his lips, or yawns in a non-sleepy context is signalling discomfort or anxiety. Learning to read these signals allows the owner to intervene before a behaviour escalates, which is far more effective than reacting after the behaviour has already occurred.

The role of exercise in behaviour management cannot be overstated. A tired dog is a well-behaved dog, within reason. Most behaviour problems, excessive barking, destructive chewing, inappropriate elimination, reactivity, and attention-seeking, are either caused or exacerbated by insufficient physical exercise and mental stimulation. The amount of exercise a dog needs varies by breed, age, and individual temperament, but the minimum for most dogs is significantly more than many families realise. A fifteen-minute walk around the block is not adequate exercise for a young, healthy dog. Most dogs need at least an hour of physical activity per day, split across multiple sessions, plus additional mental stimulation through training, puzzle toys, and interactive play. Families that provide adequate exercise and stimulation have far fewer behaviour problems than families that do not, and the difference is often dramatic.