Chewing is an essential part of a puppy growing from puppyhood to adult doghood, but it can wreak havoc in many households, and can even be very dangerous, if not outright deadly for your pet
We try to baby-proof our homes when we are expecting a newborn, and by observing, and a process of trial and error, we can usually keep our baby safe.
This is not always the case with your puppy. All of them chew in order to teethe, obviously, but there are any other reasons why a puppy chews.
Puppies chew to play and relax, to explore their environment, to relieve hunger, to establish dominance, and to relieve boredom. They would have played with their litter mates, and play would have turned to establishing roles and a pecking order in the litter. They are soothed by the chewing, and process their wonderful new world, establishing likes and dislikes.
Remember that a dog’s sense of smell is about 100 times more powerful than ours, so he will often be reacting to scent stimuli. It smells good, so they want to eat it. Puppies are also frequently hungry, so they will chew as a response to this, and not only chew, but often swallow as well.
It is often the swallowing which causes the real danger. But before we get to that topic, let’s look at the destructive aspet of chewing. We are talking furniture like table legs, favorite slippers, jeans, towels, and of course, handbags and shoes. These are essential, and often high-ticket items, and it can be infuriating to discover one shoe out of every pair marred with teeth marks.
Talk about EXPENSIVE tastes. I once had an Irish terrier puppy who chomped her way through a wad of cash that was actually in a closed drop down desk! How she ever reached up far enough to open the flap was beyond me. Let alone how she reached up into the exact pigeon hole out of a dozen, and got hold of the envelope with my rent money! Luckily, all but one bill was intact, so I went to the bank any they replaced almost all the notes. Phew!
On a more serious note, puppy can try to chew through dangling electrical wires and give themselves a nasty shock, one which can result in death. They can also go for things like baited rodent or roach traps. Even if the poison inside the plastic casing is not enough to kill your puppy, ingesting the plastic might.
Certain house and garden plants are extremely poisonous to dogs, as are common foods we have in our house all the time. (see our lists of plants and foods which are toxic to dogs).
Children’s toys with small pieces, things they pick up on the street, chicken and other small bones, or bones that can easily splinter, can result in emergency surgery, or even death.
In terms of your own role in the household, you must be the alpha. Never let a dog chew on any body part. No or stop should be enough to discourage them. always give them their own toy to play with.
If there are children or other animals in the house, never permit them to be unsupervised and punish aggressive chewing with a trip to the puppy crate.
There are a number of safe toys you can choose for your puppy, ranging from balls to bones. (see our section on safe dog toys) Whatever you decide, always make sure you keep an eye on them and the toy and encourage them to always bring it back, and to give it to you. Don’t take part in a tug of war, but do open the dog’s mouth carefully to take the item with the command of ‘give.’
Don’t allow growling, barking, snarling or teeth-baring. that should also be punished with a time-out in the crate.
Your most important job as a responsible pet owner is to raise a well-socialized and well-adjusted puppy into mature and reliable adult dog. This is not easy, particularly depending on the breed, but they are what you make them, through proper training and discipline.
Chewing is a natural part of a puppy’s growth, but should never be permitted to become hazardous to pup, person, or valued property.