Question: My puppy loves to chew on wood. She is destroying the molding in my house and has even started working on some chair legs. I got all kinds of chew toys for her, but all she really wants is the wood.

Salli: Puppies go through a couple of serious chewing phases and adult dogs can chew due to stress.

The appeal of wood is that it gives very little and is very tactile. The rough edges massage the inflamed puppy gums.

The best substitute I have found is called a Galileo Nylabone. Most pet supply stores carry them. Get a BIG one. Dogs like to chew on something they have to wrestle with a bit.

If you find your dog is uninterested at first, you may have to rough it up a bit with some coarse sandpaper or a metal file. Once it’s “broken in” the hair and dirt will stick to it and your dog will find it very interesting.

To dissuade her from the wood get one of the many bitter tasting preparations from the pet supply store and apply it to her favorite chewing spots often (it wears off with time).