A cute new puppy suddenly seems much less cute when he starts chewing on everyone and everything. Those little teeth are amazingly sharp and destructive and can cause significant damage to furniture and fingers. Happily, puppies are very teachable, and with help from their humans will learn proper social behavior regarding chewing habits.
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Understand Why Puppies Chew
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Hilltopanimalhospital.com informs readers that it is perfectly normal for puppies to chew. They use their mouths for more than eating, but also to explore their world and to relieve stress and to play.
Until a puppy is taught to chew his toys only, owners must be very careful to keep unsafe items out of his reach. Cleaning supplies, items small enough to choke a puppy, eyeglasses and chocolate are very hazardous to puppies.
Provide Chew Toys
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One way to help puppy learn not to chew on inappropriate items is to provide him with his own chew toys. Never give old shoes to puppies as chew toys. The message this sends is that shoes are acceptable to chew on. A puppy can't discern between old shoes and new shoes.
When choosing toys for puppy, be aware that he might use soft toys to chew on. Stuffed toys often contain material that, if ingested, might cause intestinal blockages or stomach upset. Also be careful of squeaky toys, as the plastic squeaker could pose a choking hazard.
Be careful about any toy that could come apart into smaller pieces that might be ingested or cause a choking hazard. ASPCA.org advises using a Kong as a chew toy. These hollow toys are made of tough material that even the most tenacious chewer would have trouble destroying. They can also be filled with treats or food (peanut butter is ideal). This will keep your puppy busy for some time trying to get at the treat inside the toy.
Provide Training
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On its website, HSUS.org, the Humane Society suggests that when you catch your puppy chewing on an unacceptable item you interrupt him with a loud noise. A sharp, short, 'Eh!' will startled him and stop the chewing. When he drops the toy praise him generously and reward him with an acceptable toy to chew on.
Crate training is not only used to help housebreak puppies, but can also be helpful when dealing with chewing. When it isn't possible to supervise your puppy, keep him in his crate with an acceptable chew toy. This will reinforce positive chewing behavior while preventing anything of value from being destroyed.
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