Nothing tests your patience faster than watching your adorable new puppy carry your favorite shoe off to the corner for a chew session. Before you assume your pup is being stubborn or naughty, consider this: they’re not chewing your clothes and shoes out of spite — they’re doing it because those things smell like you, and you are the most interesting thing in their world.

Luckily, there’s an easy way to make your pup prefer their toys over your wardrobe… by turning their toys into the best-smelling things in the house.

Dogs explore the world through scent. When they grab dirty socks, sweaty shoes, or laundry piles, it isn’t because they’re “being bad” — it’s because those items are soaked in your scent. Meanwhile, most chew toys are brand-new rubber or fabric and smell like… absolutely nothing. And nothing is boring.

🧼 Step One: Make Toys Smell Like You

To make your pup fall in love with their toys, you need to make those toys more interesting:

• Toss new toys into your dirty laundry basket for a few days so they absorb your scent.

• Stuff toys inside smelly socks for a week or two before giving them back.

• Sleep with plush toys in your bed so they pick up that comforting, familiar smell.

• Rotate toys through your laundry hamper every few days so there’s always something “new and stinky” in the toy pile.

Once your puppy believes their toys “smell like you,” they’ll be far more likely to choose them over your shoes.

🔁 Step Two: Swap and Rotate

Keep scent-loading new toys while your pup enjoys the current favorite. Once they seem bored with one, sneak a newly scented toy into the mix. This creates novelty and keeps their interest off your belongings.

🛏 Step Three: Use Scent to Make the Crate Comforting

If your puppy doesn’t want to sleep in their crate, scent works here too:

• Line the crate with a blanket you’ve slept with for a few nights.

• Sit on their crate pad while watching TV to soak it with familiar smells.

• Cover the car seat with a dog blanket while driving to add scent

• Snuggle with the blanket it so it smells like home.

When their crate smells like their favorite person (you!), it becomes a safe, comforting place — not something to avoid.

✨ Conclusion: Smell Is Your Secret Weapon

Use your smell to add comfort and security in your puppies life. Puppies don’t chew shoes because they’re bad — they chew them because they’re fascinating. By transferring your scent onto their toys and blankets, you shift their interest away from your personal items and onto the things they’re actually allowed to chew. It’s simple, it’s positive, and best of all…it works.

👃 Why Puppies Love Shoes (It’s Not What You Think)