Do you need some Puppy Chewing Tips?

As your puppies may be tearing your furniture to shreds, puppy chewing tips are likely your top priority. Coming home to your socks with more than one hole or your TV remote in pieces is not the best end to a working day.

To help with this common problem we have got some of our puppy chewing tips together to get you through…

• You need to understand that chewing is very important to the health of your puppy’s mouth and teeth. Your new family member isn’t just trying to see how much steam they can get to come out of your ears, at least not all the time.
  
  Chewing on bones, toys and kibble allows your puppy’s teeth to be cleaned. This helps remove any tartar or plaque build up which otherwise may result in future pain due to dental disease.
• If you are able to brush your dog’s teeth, this is a great idea but some puppies just won’t allow you to do this. If you get your puppy used to having their teeth brushed at a young age, you may avoid costly veterinary bills when your pup gets older.



• The most important puppy chewing tips are to teach your puppy what they can and can not chew on. You can do this buy saying “No!” when your pup bites something that isn’t meant for chewing.

  After saying no, remove the object from your puppy’s reach and replace it with a suitable chewing toy. Then praise the pup when he chews on it.

 Don't let your puppy chew old socks and shoes

• Try to avoid giving your puppy any old shoes or socks to chew on.
  
  By allowing your pup to chew on these, you are generally giving your puppy the idea that all shoes are his chew toys. This may also move into your socks as the smell of your shoes will be familiar chew toys. So it is a good idea for you to stick to proper designed chew toys such as dental Kongs
• Your dog may chew and scratch on pieces of furniture, this can often be a simple issue such as the pup trying to get to a piece of food or toy that has rolled under the couch. That is a good problem to have because it is easy fixed, unless your furniture is bolted to the floor.
  
  It is worthwhile to see what exactly the puppy is trying to do. Saying “No” in this case usually doesn’t prevent this kind of behaviour as all they can think of is that tasty kibble under the couch. You’ve probably already seen the “one track mind” that your puppy can have when they want something.



• One of the best puppy chewing tips we can offer is to keep your puppy entertained and avoid them getting bored.
  
  Boredom is one of the main reasons your puppy or dog will chew and destroy your belongings. The best way to prevent this is to provide heaps of suitable toys and plenty of human stimulation whenever possible.
  
  Getting your pup a friend can help and usually reduces the chewing. Be careful when considering another dog though, as this doesn’t guarantee to solve any behavioral issues that you may have with your puppy.

Provide your puppy with proper chew toys

• With any chew toys that you provide, make sure they are all safe and a suitable size for your dog. If the toy is too small it can become a choking hazard. If it is too big, you may have to employ a puppy chiropractor and our puppy chewing tips won't help you there.
• Having a variety of toys can be good too. Having some which are hollow like the Puppy Kong can allow placing food inside and then becomes a lengthy task for your puppy to try to get the treat out. This can hold their attention for hours.
  
  Tip: In the summer months, freezing items in the hollow chew toys can be great! Not only does it take longer for your pooch to get to the treat, it can keep their mouths cool and refreshed.
• One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a puppy owner is to chase your pup if they are chewing on something they shouldn’t be.

This often makes a game of it. They love the fact that they have your attention and they tend to think you are playing.

We know from experience that catching a small puppy can be harder than you might think.
 

Only correct your puppy if you catch them in the act

• It is important not to punish your puppy if you come home to find that your shoe has been ruined. If you do need to express some anger, we suggest doing it out of your puppy’s site and hearing. By the way, these are just puppy chewing tips and does not include anger management.
  
  If your puppy is no longer chewing on it then they are not likely to associate your anger and frustration with them chewing your shoe. Punishing your friend at this point, when they don’t know what they have done is cruel and all it is likely to do is cause confusion.



• Some kibble varieties on the market are especially designed to prevent dental disease. These often work by forcing the dog to chew large pieces of kibble rather than just swallowing a smaller regular sized kibble.

These types of dental kibbles are made so when the dog bites into them, the cross fiber design within the kibble helps prevent any tartar and acts like a toothbrush.

These diets can be great as it can even work for those dogs that don’t tend to chew their food.

These puppy chewing tips are simply a guide and what we have found to work for us. Serious issues should be talked about with your Veterinarian.