Puppies often chew instinctively because they need to- this is not done because they want to destroy your personal property. When puppies begin to loose their “baby teeth” and get their 42 adult teeth they will chew to help alleviate some of the discomfort they are experiencing, much like a small child teething.The best thing you can do is try to protect your puppy from potentially harmful items.
Below we have listed several ideas that may help your puppy from being “bad” and help it through this normal stage of development.
- Provide plenty of exercise and attention to help relieve boredom which can often lead to chewing
- Crate train the puppy if you are not able to watch it
- Use commercial sprays (available at pet stores and discount stores)to alleviate chewing of household items- Listerine will also work.
- Do not give your puppy old shoes or socks to chew on- your puppy cannot differentiate old items from your brand new ones and will chew on both.
- Give your puppy toys of its own to chew on- it is also a good idea to give these to your puppy when he begins to teeth on you.
- Move items you do not want the puppy to chew out of its reach- you should cover all power cords, remove any pens/ pencils, plants (many are poisonous), books, etc.
With a just a small amount of planning, patience and caring, you can help your puppy through this stage of his life.
