When redirecting your puppy is a bad idea.
“If your puppy starts to bite or chew on something he shouldn’t, offer a toy or chewy to redirect his attention onto something appropriate.”
The amount of advice available for puppy owners is honestly overwhelming.
Some of it’s good, some of it’s mediocre and some of it is downright horrific.
Redirecting biting/chewing onto a toy falls somewhere between good and mediocre.
It’s a safe starting point, but if it’s the only thing you do to fix your puppy’s biting and chewing, you might wind up with some problems.
Why do puppies seem intent on chewing everything but their toys?!
Problem #1: Redirection Doesn’t Really “Work”
Owners often feel like the redirection doesn’t work — and rightly so!
While the puppy may be distracted for a minute, he eventually finds his way back to the illegal item. Redirection doesn’t seem to teach the puppy his teeth don’t belong on that item.
Having to keep redirecting the puppy is frustrating and exhausting for the human.
Problem #2: It Becomes a Game
Repeatedly redirecting can turn your puppy’s biting/chewing into a game you don’t want to play.
While redirection isn’t a terrible tactic, puppies may learn that biting the coffee table makes the humans “play” with them.
This distinction may be amplified by the fact that the humans are boring when the puppy is being “good” and chewing on toys.
Three Steps to a Smarter Redirection Solution
So now what?!? It’s wrong for your puppy to chew on the rug, but it’s also wrong to redirect him?!?
Here are three ways to keep your stuff and sanity intact without your puppy learning bad habits.
Step #1: Go overboard with the toys and chews.
Make sure your puppy’s toys include a variety of textures.
Most puppies have a short attention span and will flit from one thing to the next like they have ADD.
Increase the odds of a right choice by littering your puppy’s space with lots of things she can put her mouth on.
Here are my favorite chews for puppies.
Step #2: Get serious about puppy proofing.
If you don’t want your puppy chewing on it, and you can remove it from her space, do it.
Trust me: some things really aren’t worth the fight.
Sometimes it really is easier to remove those decorative items until your puppy is older and less likely to explore with his mouth.
Step #3: Redirect twice and then remove.
If you’ve redirected your puppy from the same illegal item two times in a row, it’s time to remove access.
Either put the item out of reach of the puppy, or put the puppy out of reach of the item.
Pro Tip: if your puppy has decided an un-removeable item is good for chewing, use an exercise pen or free-standing gate to block access until that phase has passed.
Credit to Jenn Burns at Conscious Dogs for this helpful guideline!
Meet the Dog Trainer and Blog Author
Leighann Hurley founded Koinonia Dogs in 2014 and has been a Certified Professional Dog Trainer in the Austin, TX area since 2019.
She's a problem-solver by nature and loves creating cooperation through conflict-free communication so both ends of the leash enjoy an easier life together.
