Dog Chewing Problems - Constant Puppy Chewing? Why?
Sooner or later every dog owner returns home to find
some unexpected damage inflicted by his or her dog...or, more specifically, your
dog's teeth. Dog chewing actually is not such a bad thing for a dog to do. It is necessary to
the physical and mental health of the dog. However, as you might have guessed,
the important point here is not that the dog
chews, it is "what" the dog or puppy chews.
For a puppy, one of the most important first survival lessons is the use of
its mouth and jaws. Mouthing, by definition, is a puppy's unending desire to
bite at your hands, feet, shoes, or hemlines. Because this behavior can be
destructive and it hurts, puppy owners usually want it to cease as soon as
possible. Yet, one of the biggest mistakes owners make is to come down too hard
on a mouthing puppy.
Puppy Mouthing is learning
During the socialization phase of your pet's development,
approximately the first 4 to 16 weeks, your puppy is learning what is and what
is not appropriate behavior. He will bite constantly at everything that moves,
including the tail, ears, and legs of his mother. Because the puppy's milk teeth
are so sharp, it takes very little pressure to bring about a quick and startling
response from Mom. After perhaps hundreds of these types of encounters, the
puppy finally learns to be quite gentle when playing with other members of his
canine group. With training and a bit of patience, this important lesson will
carry over into your puppy's relationship with people.
As a new puppy owner, you should allow your puppy to mouth,
correcting him repeatedly, but in a mild fashion, when he bites a bit too hard.
Reacting in a sharp and startling way with a loud "hey" works with
many puppies. If you are too harsh in correcting your pet, then your puppy may
stop mouthing and fall to learn to be extremely sensitive to situations where
his teeth come into contact with human skin. A mature dog that has failed to
learn and make this distinction could end up unintentionally injuring someone.
This could result in the dog being termed a biter and regretfully become a
victim of euthanasia.
Chewing Relief
During early development, your puppy also uses chewing to constantly sample
the taste and texture of many different things in its environment. During
teething, chewing helps to relieve the constant dull pain in your pet's gums.
Chewing also strengthens the teeth and gums. But one of the main benefits of
chewing is often overlooked. Chewing releases
tension in your puppy. If your pet builds up
excess tension and chewing is something that helps to release that tension, then
your puppy might get into the habit of constantly chewing furniture, clothing,
and carpeting.
If you offer your pup one of your old boots to chew, then don't expect him to
stop there. He will get a hold of your new leather slippers. He won't be able to
make the distinction no matter how much you scold. Therefore, giving your pet
his own toys is necessary. Fortunately, chewing can be directed onto
appropriate items so your dog isn't destroying items you value or jeopardizing
his own safety.
Solutions
You also should be mindful of what causes chewing in your pet. Possibly your
puppy does not like being left in the dark or home alone for long periods of
time. Possibly a lack of human attention leads to boredom, causing your pet to
chew just to wile away the hours. Meeting your puppy's behavioral,
environmental, nutritional, and maintenance needs will help alleviate boredom. A
daily exercise schedule also can help while increasing the human-pet bond. Under
normal conditions, your puppy's constant need to chew will diminish as it
matures. A healthy and well-balanced dog can easily be satisfied with a rawhide
bone or other type of pet chew toy.
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Play with your dog daily in a safe, fenced-in area. If you don’t have a
yard, a tennis court can be a good place to play. Fetch is a great game that
will use up your dog’s excess energy without wearing you out!
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Go for a walk. Walks should be more than just "bathroom time."
On-leash walks are important opportunities for you and your dog to be
together. Don’t forget to allow time for sniffing, exploring, instruction
and praise.
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Increase your dog’s opportunities for mental stimulation. Teach your dog
a few commands and/or tricks and practice them daily. If you have time, take
an obedience class.
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Provide your dog with lots of toys.
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Rotate your dog’s toys to refresh his interest in them. "New"
toys are always more interesting than old ones.
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Try different kinds of toys, but when you introduce a new toy, watch your
dog to make sure he won’t tear it up and ingest the pieces.
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Consider the various types of toys that can be stuffed with
food. Putting
tidbits of food inside chew toys focuses your dog’s chewing activities on
these toys instead of on unacceptable objects.
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Make your dog’s favorite "off-limits" chew objects
unattractive to him by covering them with heavy plastic, aluminum foil, hot
pepper sauce or a commercial "anti-chew"
product.
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Puppy Kong Toys - Puppy KongsThe only Kong toy designed with your puppy's mouth size in mind. Promoted healthy development of the mouth and good chewing behavior. Also soothes sore gums for teething pups.
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Value Pack Nutri Dent Edible Dental ChewsFrom the very first chew, Nutri Dent Edible MiniChews uses a dog's natural chewing action to help clean teeth and remove plaque and tartar, while it freshens breath. Scientifically designed for cleaning action, and veterinarian recommended
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Comfort Zone Refill with DAP (dogs)Comfort Zone™ with D.A.P.™ Refill reduces or completely stops
stress-related behavoir in most dogs, including: barking, whimpering and
whining, chewing, urination and defacation.
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Puppy Starter Kit from NylaboneVeterinarian approved Puppy Starter Kit from Nylabone is made for your puppy's chewing needs. Includes Puppybone, Healthy Edibles Bacon Flavored and the Durable Pooch Pacifier, chicken flavored
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Nylabone Big Chews Dog ChewsYour search for a tough, long-lasting chew is over! Nylabone Big Chews are
designed to stand up to the chewing habits of the biggest dogs and the toughest
chewers. Click picture to choose flavor
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Large Fruit Twig Nibblers Small Animal ChewsYour small animal pet will enjoy chewing on these large fruit twigs. Twigs are all natural and safe for your pet to nibble on. Great for cleaning teeth, preventing cage boredom, and they provide your pet with a fun cage activity.
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Natures Miracle Best Behavior Training Aid 16 oz.To stop unwanted behavior such as chewing, scratching, biting, licking or going into restricted areas. When tasted by pets, it leaves an unpleasant taste so that your pet will not want to repeat the act. 16 oz.
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