In a tale of teething trouble that every pet owner can empathise with, a desperate dog owner has sought the wisdom of the online community to put a stop to their mischievous dachshund puppy’s destructive chewing habits.

The owner, facing the chewed aftermath of skirting boards and furniture, took to a popular online forum, pouring their heart out for advice.

“My 14-week-old dachshund puppy is obviously teething, and although I have provided plenty of chew toys, she seems to prefer skirting boards and furniture,” they wrote.

“I have tried substituting a more suitable item to chew, telling her to leave it and rewarding when she does, spraying with a commercial bitter apple spray – nothing seems to work.

“Does anyone have any advice? The bitter apple spray is useless once it dries. Something to smear on her favorite forbidden surface would seem to be ideal.”

Quick to respond, fellow pet owners flooded the thread with a variety of creative and unconventional solutions to curb the pup’s destructive habits.

“I have a malamute who is nearly a year old. He, too, enjoyed skirting boards, wardrobe doors, and – very nearly – our new leather chesterfield. In sheer desperation, I smeared a hard, dry lemon body shop bar of soap across all of the wood areas. I also invested in a few deer antlers. The soap worked straight away, and the antlers work most of the time,” one fellow pet owner wrote.

Another user shared their success with mustard: “I used mustard around the drawer knobs; it did stop the puppies!”

“For really persistent chewers, Tabasco sauce works well; they only seem to need to get the smell to stop them,” chimed in another.

The advice didn’t stop there. One empathetic pet owner suggested a holistic approach, stating, “Like humans – some dogs are miserable when teething. I rubbed soap and mustard on chair/table legs and on skirting boards. I gave her endless chews. I tried freezing treats. I rubbed her mouth with Bonjela. I played endless games with her.”

As the advice flowed in, the desperate pet owner no doubt found solace in the shared experiences of fellow dog enthusiasts, now armed with a multitude of creative solutions to reclaim their home from the jaws of their teething puppy.