My 7-month-old dog chews electrical cords at night. How to prevent?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Bad Sam! Can you leash him to the foot of your bed so he can't wander off to other things? If that doesn't work or isn't possible I think it is fine and not cruel to crate him at night. He should be sleeping anyway and it will also keep HIM and your stuff safe. Good luck!

Young dogs get into a lot of mischief! I would encourage you to consider crating her at night to prevent her access to things she shouldn’t be getting into. Also more exercise during the day can wear her out and decrease her chances of getting into things. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

You can try Bitter Apple spray, but I cannot guarantee that it won't stain fabrics, so you may want to spot test it first. Specifically regarding underwear, socks, etc; it is very important to get all family members to use a covered hamper so that these items are not lying around. Socks and underwear are VERY common causes of intestinal obstructions that require surgery. I understand your reservations about using a crate, however, most dogs actually like a crate, when its introduced as a safe recluse for the dog, and never as a punishment. Initially when introducing a crate, you don't close the dog in, rather get them comfortable with it as a nice place to rest. Check out the following article for good tips in introducing a crate. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-crate-train-your-puppy-or-older-dog/ Thank you fro using PetCoach!

Jasmine is adorable!! I would make sure when you cannot keep your eyes on Jasmine 100% put her in a crate. That way she cannot hurt herself. I would also make sure you tire her out. The reason for this is if she is so tired she shouldn't have the energy to chew the cords. I would walk/run/play outside with her multiple times a day. Also you can get a kong and put peanut butter in it. Then I would put it in the freezer. This will keep her occupied. Unfortunately some dogs never grow out of the chewing phase. Hopefully Jasmine will. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there, thanks for your question on PetCoach. It sounds like you're working hard to break Spooky of this habit! The short of it is, there won't be an easy solution if Spooky isn't doing it when you're home to catch him in the act. You can try covering the exposed parts of the cord with something foul tasting or spicy, such as bitter apple sprays (there are many brands on the market, but here's one: ) or hot pepper sauce (I don't usually recommend the latter due to the potential for GI upset, but cord chewing is an exception, since that's a habit that could be life threatening!). If that doesn't work, then it will likely come down to husbandry/management, by potentially barricading Spooky away from the exposed cord or keeping him in a separate room. If he never tries to chew it when you're there, then the usual training strategies won't work, as all training options require responding in the moment that Spooky would show interest in the cord. Hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sadly this is a puppy and or breed problem that MOST dogs eventually outgrow. Everything he could chew on should be put away or removed until this phase of puppy-hood is over. The family needs to learn to put their shoes in the closet. All plants should be put up on furniture or shelves. All exposed wires should be hidden or blocked with baby gates. When Damon can not be 100% watched he should be crated for his own safety or penned in a dog play pen or gated in a room that is puppy proofed. Make sure he gets plenty of exercise with walks and one on one play or sign him up for doggie day care during the day. Most chewing occurs out of boredom. Sign him up for training classes or start teaching him "leave it" and be sure he knows how to come when called. This is going to take time and patience and everyone doing their part to prevent injury to their belongings and to Damon. I hope this helps and I wish you the best!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend using a bitter tasting solution such as bitter apple or something very hot such as cayenne pepper and apply it to the things you do not want Peyton to chew on. Allow him to grab the object with the substance applied to it and when he drops it because of the bad taste, say "no!" to reinforce that this is not an acceptable behavior. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!