Asked on Jun 01, 2017

My dog is eating my couch- what can I do?

Rachel
by Rachel
Our amazing dog icon is a bit over a year old. We have been leaving him alone in the house for at least the past 6 months.
Only this past week and a half, when we leave him alone in the house (even for short hours), he starts ripping our couch apart!
So I have 2 questions:
1) Any tips for this kind of thing NOT to happen again? and
2) How can I repair this damage? (you are talking to a VERY beginner DIYer, so please keep explanations simple :)
  19 answers
  • Javier Cisneros Javier Cisneros on Jun 01, 2017

    The pup needs toys to play with my pup used to chew on furniture, she now has many toys and problem solved. if your home is cold keep a bed with blankets for the pup to lay and cover itself.

    • See 1 previous
    • Rachel Rachel on Jun 01, 2017

      not shown in the pic- but he has a ball, 3 chew toys and about 5 bones.

      It is def not a lack of toy problem, but I appreciate the tip

  • Julie Julie on Jun 01, 2017

    Your dog is bored and needs to be walked everyday. Even better if he has an area where you can get him to run that would be great. Dogs get bored and get themselves in trouble when left alone.

    • Rachel Rachel on Jun 01, 2017

      We make sure to walk him at least 30-45 min before leaving the house. He is always well-walked and tired out.

      This also only started recenty, and we havent changed our walking habits with him recently....

  • Ginger the farm gal Ginger the farm gal on Jun 01, 2017

    He's bored, fence your yard and let him out, but beware he will get bored in the yard too, or take him with you.

  • Mary Gendron Mary Gendron on Jun 01, 2017

    We had to get a dog cage in the for our dog, she'd tear the house apart whenever we left. After a while on short leaves, we'd not put her in it, gradually we got her not to misbehave. It could be a separation anxiety thing.

  • Sam Sam on Jun 01, 2017

    kennel the dog while you are gone and then when you are home, give it lots of exercise. (a large enough kennel though)

    mary has followed what most dog trainers suggest.

    or dedicate an area in your garage (blocked off with nothing in the area to chew)

    and that would give the dog a bit more room to roam, but yes, it could be the dog is just bored. wouldn't you be if you were stuck home all alone all the time and no exercise to speak of???

    i think people who have dogs should be around to actually take care of them.

    its kind of like people get them and then the dog is home alone all day stuck in a kennel or chained in the yard.

    not sure why people have pets if they are never home to care for them.


  • Fong-Lie Bavelaar Fong-Lie Bavelaar on Jun 01, 2017

    It's still a pup, he/she is bored, and I totally agree with, it could be a separation anxiety problem.

    1 Ball, 3 chews and 5 bones is not enough toys. Ad a whole bunch of toys when you are leaving, put those away when you are home, This way the toys are new for him/her, and interesting for him/her.


    When you come home don't punish him/her when something is chewed up, he/she don't understand this, you have to caught this behaving right away to train a dog. Dog is happy when you come home, and don't understand the punishment.


    I absolutely hate it to put a dog in a cage when leaving, but this is a personal opinion. With training you can do a lot, step 15 minutes out of the house, come back and praise him/her, ad time later. The dog needs to learn, you will always return.


    For your couch. The side is easy to fix, get some material, staple it to the wood. Seat needs to be recovered.

    Throw very old blankets on the couch when you are gone, let him/her tear it apart, dog needs this to play with, or to cuddle up in.


    Do not hesitate to ask for advice, the more advice, the better for you and pup. Every dog has a different personality so try it all.

    Good luck!!


  • None None on Jun 01, 2017

    I also hate crates but they do work. Another idea is to give the dog a room he can be free in. Put a baby gate up at your kitchen door and that way he will stay in there while you are gone. In the event he chews on your kitchen chair legs then simply leave the chairs in another room while he is in there. He'll outgrow this behavior eventually.

  • Ren21450645 Ren21450645 on Jun 01, 2017

    My poodle used to chew and rip everything he could find when I left him. My vet told me he was frustrated and the easiest way to stop it, was to have him fixed. I did this, and nothing else was ever chewed. Of course, this won't work if you want to breed the animal. I would talk to your vet, as each type of dog has their own characteristics.

    come to think of it, years ago, I had a terroir who chewed shoes and after I had him fixed, he stopped, too.

  • Judy savard Judy savard on Jun 06, 2017

    Have you started using a different perfume or lotion that scent might be on sofa and he doesn't like it? Never know....pets miss us when we leave even if it's 10 minutes.


    Hope you are able to figure it out.

    You could put up video camera a couple of days and watch his actions when you leave and this may help you figure out what he is up too.




  • Your dog is bored and is still a puppy. Get a puppy gate and confine him/her to a room where it can do the least amount of damage. I am not a crate fan, but did crate train mine "just in case" they ever had to be at someone else's home where they were not allowed to sleep on furniture. And that their crate was a safe place. Your dog also needs training and not the crummy training that most local pet stores provide. Spend the money it will save you a lot of grief in the long run. Puppies chew, it is their job but you can also train them not to chew too. Again training is the key.

  • Brenda Brenda on Jun 20, 2017

    I adopted 2 dogs-One is med. sized, the other is large-the large one is part choc. lab. She is over a year old, and still chews anything she can get her mouth on-we have a large fenced yard, a doggie door that they can go in and out of any time-and plenty of toys. My other dog doesn`t bother anything he shouldn`t-but the lab? huh! I`m at my wits end with her. Oh-and they`re both spayed/neutered. Forgot to mention, I`m retired and home all the time unless I have to go shopping.

  • Stephanie Curtis Stephanie Curtis on Jan 26, 2024

    I am having the same issue right now,. I have two huskies my male is 2 and my female is 11 months she has very bad human seperation anxity and will tear up everything she can get ahold of. I got a dog sitter for when I leave for work until my son comes home from school or my boyfriend gets home from work. Well here these past few day they both have been acting out and started chewing a hole in my couch cushion. fist it was a small hole,then the next day i leave for a min come home to they chewed threw the cushion. my boy friend was home today and went to bed while i was on my way home from work and come in to they had pulled the blanket off once again and made a bigger hole. i'm at a loss cause they have never acted this way especialy my 2yr old. i don't like the crate thing it makes me feel like they are being caged up . i do agree with the gate seperating them from the room they tear up the most .i'm going to go tomorrow and by more gates. maybe that will help

  • Dee Dee on Jan 27, 2024

    Spray your couch with bitter apple essential oil where the pup has chewed. Sometimes vinegar works too. To fix, you are going to have to find matching leather. I think using nail heads would be your best bet on the arms.

  • There are leather patches that are sticky. You can search online for the color that matches. You could push the stuffing back inside and then seal it up with the leather patch. spa?hvadid=390363154494&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9004492&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9509842751104971514&hvtargid=kwd-1189514958&hydadcr=29568_11994260&keywords=leather%2Brepair%2Bpatch&qid=1706484071&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

  • If your dog is found chewing on something they shouldn't, like the sofa, don't yell at them to stop; instead, give them a chew toy that is appropriate and give them praise when they put the toy in their mouth. Give a substitute. Give your dog a reward or an alternative chew toy when he steps back from the clothing. He should be commended and encouraged for leaving the garments on and chewing the proper object.

  • Redcatcec Redcatcec on Feb 09, 2024

    Sounds like a crate would be the answer when you are not home, it removes your pet from surroundings that can be damaged.

    My friend has several dogs and when he was gone to work and left them to themselves, he came home to a team of wallpaper strippers.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Feb 09, 2024

    You can buy on eBay faux leather for this purpose! Don't leave the dog on the room or maybe put the TV on for it to give him a distraction. He/she is probably lonely and bored!