How do you train a dog to stop chewing up stuff?

Well hes 3 years old and if you leave your shoes out, or a stuffed animal or pillow or somthing, he will grab it and run and wont let go! We try to bribe him with treats and that doesnt work! He went to dog training class for a few weeks and that doesnt work either. hes been doing this since he was a puppy!What can i do to help him (we have to block the bed rooms with a baby gate.

Keep your stuffed animals / pillows out of reach of the puppy. Try teaching him the "Leave it" command Make sure you have treats.. bones.. chew toys.. etc on hand. http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/leave-it.html

tell him to stop lol.

Umm...IF you cannot train him and correct him to stop then I see no reason for you to have a dog...Its called correcting him and punishing him when you see him doing that... If you cannot train him then you need to give him to someone who CAN

At 3 years he has you trained. Keep the baby gaits up. That's something that could of been changed earlier probably not now at 3.When young we give the pup a firm NO and give it proper chew item. And keep close eye so you catch them every time.

Part about you took the dog to dog training classes and it didn't work, You need to keep training. You just don't stop , its for life of the dog. You should have been taught the leave it command at those training classes , if you didn't then check the web on how to teach your dog to leave it.

Wait until he gets clever enough to climb the baby gate! You need to address this and break the habit.Teach the "drop it" and "leave it" commands. Don't leave shoes and stuffed toys where he can get them. I know it is simple, but shoes have your "smell" on them and can be comforting. Also, if the dog is allowed plush toys, he can't differentiate between his squeaky squirrel and the baby's teddy bear.You may want to consider more training. You could either enroll in additional classes or just get a good training book and work at home. A dog can't be trained in just a few weeks. You should work commands at least a few times per week just for reinforcement. Good luck, he can learn if you are willing to work with him.

Here is how a dog thinks..."if its on the floor it must be mine" so keep your stuff off the floor. If you can't get everyone to keep their stuff off the floor then it is a good idea to keep him out of the rooms with baby gatesTraining classes will only work if the WHOLE family trains the dog at home and everbody does the same thing. Try it again and this time make sure everybody does the work with the dog at homeDog trainer mantra: "...a tired dog is a good dog..." This dog is not exercised enough. He should be walked 3 Xs a day for at least 30 minutes In addition to walking he needs yard time. If you have a yard play fetch with him. Based on your complaint I suppose he will not return a ball so use 6-8 tennis balls. Quickly throw them one at at a time even tho he doesn't return any he will chase after them - after the last one is thrown, you pick them up and start all over again.If you don't have a yard use a hallway or a stairway.He is not taking stuff cause he is a brat, he has learned that when does that he gets attention. If you do more walks and use the tennis balls to play with him, you may see him stop doing this behavior.........but, if not....... when he will not drop stuff here is what you can do:Don't chase him...instead, get a GREAT treat (small piece of cheese or a dab of peanut butter) and a dog toy that sqeaks.Then run AWAY from him while you squeak the toy and make kiss-y noises and say his name in high pitched excited tone of voice.He will start to chase you.Keep moving, keep your back to him, but slow down and slowly turn to face him.If he has already dropped the aniaml or pillow that you want, that's great, tell him "Good boy, leave it", give him the treat and then the dog toy and maybe do a little big of tug-o-war with the toy (but if he gets too into the tug game just let go)If he still has the pillow or toy in his mouth hold the treat inside your fist, put the fist to his nose so he can smell it, and as soon as the pillow falls out of his mouth, tell him "Good boy, leave it", open your fist, give him the treat and then the toy.

I would leave the baby gates so he can't get to your stuff and only remove them if/when you can change his habits. Put everything out of his reach so that he can't get it. We have a 9 week old puppy and we say that if its on the floor, its fair game for the dog.I think that your problem is that the dog thinks that he is the alpha (As dogs are pack animals). He therefore won't do anything that you want. You need to assert your authority and teach him his place in the household, which should be below people. There are ways of communicating to the dog that he is not the top of the 'pack'. Always make him eat last as alpha dogs get to eat first. Make him sleep and lay on the floor as alphas get the comfiest beds. Read a good dog behaviour book so that you understand how to teach him where his position in his 'pack' is. And as soon as he picks up something you don't want him to, yank it off him and say "No" firmly. Give him a chew toy or stick instead. Maybe the dog is bored - are you giving him enough of a healthy outlet to chew? Dogs naturally need to chew and need a lot of toys. One solution is that when you are out of the house put him in a dog playpen with his bed, a toilet and some toys that he is allowed to chew. Only allow him free reign in the house when you are there to correct his behaviour. If there is nothing that works, I suggest you either learn to live with it and keep stuff out of his way or consult an animal behaviourist.