How to Train a Puppy to Not Chew Socks

Life has been a bit of an adventure since you welcomed Dexter into your home. Your once clean house now looks like a sea of toys, chewed bits of furniture and puppy related mess. Fortunately, you’ve learned to live with the mess and you wouldn’t swap Dexter for anything. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t certain things you’d like to change. For example, your puppy has developed a habit of chewing socks. It isn’t that you wear super expensive designer socks that you want to protect. It’s more that putting socks on in the winter when it’s raining or snowing, only to find out they have a hole, isn’t enjoyable.

Training your puppy not to chew socks, therefore, is important. It will save you spending as much on socks and you do on food. If you can tackle this type of behavior, you will also learn the tools to address a number of other bad habits too. 

Fortunately, training your puppy to not chew socks is pretty straightforward. The first thing to do is introduce a range of deterrence measures. This should remove that initial temptation. You will then need to look at more productive avenues to channel their energy down. You will use positive reinforcements to stop Dexter chewing socks.

If your puppy’s sock chewing habit is still very new, then you may need just a week or so to put an end to it. But if they are stubborn and have developed a real taste for smelly and worn socks, then you may need several weeks. If you get training right you won’t have to worry about removing items of clothing in the evenings again. Nor will you have to warn guests when they step through the front door to keep a watchful eye on their feet.

Before you can start training, you will need to check you have several bits. A water spray bottle and a deterrence collar will be needed. You will also need a quiet and easily accessible room you can place your puppy in.

Stock up on tasty treats or break their favorite food into small chunks. A selection of toys and food puzzles will also be required. While you don’t need to set aside a set period of time each day, try to be around as much as possible to tackle the behavior.

Once you have all that, just bring enthusiasm and a positive attitude, then work can begin!