Destructo-Pup Strikes Again – This Time, It’s The Furniture….

Take a look at this:

I gasped so hard when I saw Daisy chewing the stretcher bar on the coffee table that I almost swallowed my tongue.

Why oh why, with all her toys, blankets, and bones, did she choose to go after wood furniture? She’s certainly not teething anymore!

And it’s not just once – this pup seemed to be turning into a wood addict! We’ve stopped her several more times since she committed this crime, going after the same spot on the same piece. And it’s not soft wood – it’s good oak. Older oak, not contemporary veneer. She’s got good taste….unfortunately….

Now we think we may have solved this mystery – a pattern developed. Whenever we sat on the sofa and didn’t allow Daisy to come up, she rebelled by chewing on the coffee table! Clearly she wanted us to notice because the spot is right in front of us. She was sending a powerful message and trying to gain control.

I may look cute, but I can be a real mischievous wise guy...

We hadn’t realized what she was doing because she likes to lean her Nylabone against the stretchers of the coffee table when she chews it sometimes, and it makes the same loud scraping sound as she does when she’s chewing directly on the stretcher.

Now we’re very alert to it and have stopped her a few more times, putting her in the Naughty Room for 5 minutes each time. I’m happy to say that she’s learned her lesson and isn’t doing it anymore….so far…. But what’s next?

I don’t really want to replace this piece if I don’t have to, so I looked for ways to patch this huge missing chunk (it’s a good 4+ inches wide!). I found these sites explaining how to fix chewed wood furniture, and I’m passing them along in case you’re a fellow Destructo-Pup sufferer:

How to Repair Furniture That Has Been Chewed on by a Dog gives detailed step-by-step instructions on how to mend that gnawed wood.

And Creative Homeowner has step-by-step instructions along with pictures that actually show the process.

We’ll let you know how the repairs go this spring when we try our hand at it!