Puppies have an in built need to chew, which reaches its peak at 4 to 6 months of age. The best way to prevent this problem arising is by giving only two or three toys that the dog can chew. It is not a good idea to give an old slipper or a brush, since the dog will not be a able to distinguish between that and new shoes or useful brushes. Chew objects should be unrelated to household items.

Set up a situation and as soon as your dogs start to chew the item, admonish it by a well directed throw bean bag or similar object. It may help to provide the puppy with an alternative object to chew, such as a hard wood log stripped off its bark, 15 cm long and of a appropriate diameter of 20cm or a proprietary chew object that does not have sharp edges and that is big enough not to be swallowed whole. Every time you see the dog about to attack the furniture, direct its attention to its own chews.

If all this fails, consider confinement of your puppy in a dog crate for short periods when your attention is elsewhere.

Finally, anti chew spray can be bought at pets shops – the most expensive ones are quite effective, the cheaper varieties are not. However, it is much better in the long term not to rely on deterrent sprays but to train the dog that chewing does not please you and not chewing is more rewarding.