Soon after you bring you puppy home you’ll realize that she is starting to chew, gnaw, mouth and pull on everything in sight.
Just like human babies, dogs receive two sets of teeth in their lifetime. The 28 baby teeth arrive between 3 and 6 weeks of age. By 4 months of age, these baby teeth begin to loosen in the gums and fall out, making way for the 42 new adult teeth underneath. Once the adult teeth have arrived around 6 months of age, it can take another couple of months before they settle in the jaw and firm up in their new positions. That means that the ravenous chewing period continues even after the adult teeth have arrived.
Puppy proofing your home is the first thing you absolutely must do. It's exactly the same thing as baby proofing but for dogs: removing unsafe things so puppy won't get hurt or into trouble. It helps to get down on your hands and knees and look from her vantage point. What can you see? Some of the most common targets puppies go for are:
• electrical cords and outlets
• pillows, blankets, throw rugs
• houseplants
• hanging curtains and towels, table linens
• cupboards that don't close
• garbage cans
• shoes in closets, slippers
• laundry left outside the hamper
Be prepared to keep your home puppy proofed until your dog is *at least* 8 months old. As she progresses, introduce a few new things slowly back into the household so she can become used to a normal house and its contents. Of course, medications, poisons, cleaners, garbage, houseplants must be out of the dog's reach FOR LIFE. We just cannot risk a curious dog trying an experiment.
Some rooms cannot be adequately puppy proofed so they become out of bounds. Close doors, use baby gates and block off areas that puppy is absolutely not allowed into. Your puppy won't need full run of the house right away because potty training is probably already in progress now. You want to keep an extra careful watch on her now to set her up for success. Keep the pup's environment simple, clean, safe and manageable. The thing your pup wants the most is your attention and guidance, not more space.
So, now that the house is "safe" for puppy, you have to provide her with alternatives to satisfy her chewing needs. Yes, dogs most certainly do have chewing needs (just some more than others). It excercises their jaws, calms them, feels good and can be just plain fun. A dog that has nothing to chew will either chew the wrong thing or chew itself. Give her at least 5 different things to chew. Some safe and guaranteed-to-please toys are:
Kong toys
(stuffed with dog kibble, a dab of peanut butter, frozen baby carrots, frozen peas, etc.) These can be a magical bit of wonder to a curious puppy. The deeper you stuff the goodies, the harder pup has to work to contort her tongue to get it out. Watch the calories, though. Try to stick to low calorie foods (frozen are good for sore gums), the pup's regular food, a couple of treats, and remember you can freeze the toy and offer for a cool treat. Not on carpets, though, for obvious reasons. Wash the toy in hot, soapy water. Supervision isn't necessary while pup is using this toy if the pieces are small and puppy understands the toy's concept.
Frozen Washcloth
A rolled up, soaked and frozen washcloth is a cost-effective thing to help pup get over chewing attacks and sore gums. Supervision is needed as some pups will pull the washcloth apart and eat it. Just watch her and see how it goes. Soak a washcloth in plain water (or add a tablespoon of prepared beef boullion, or a tiny sprinkle of garlic powder, mmmm), lay flat on the counter, roll up lenthwise and freeze for a few hours. Make a bunch all at once so you have a stack of them ready to go. Go to a dollar store, buy a 12 pack of washcloths, soak-em and go. Put in the regular laundry to clean.
Nylabones
Nylabone brand bones are excellent for heavy chewers (not gumabone: they’re too soft). They come in many shapes, sizes and flavours. Pick a few and see which types she likes. Beware not to buy them too small, though. Bigger is better with these as they provide more challenge and effort. Supervision isn't necessary with this toy if the size is appropriate and the dog can't swallow it.
Ice Cubes
An ice cube on a hard floor is fun to run around chasing, licking and biting. Supervise since it might go somewhere awkward or out-of-bounds or someone might slip on the water trail left behind. Dogs usually love ice cubes. Put a few in the water bowl and see what happens.
Puzzle Toys / Treat Dispensing Toys
My favourite is the orange-coloured “Tricky Treats” ball which must be rolled around on the floor so that treats inside fall out a bit at a time. This is a toy that you must teach your dog how to operate. Make a game of it. Sit on the floor with the toy and some really good treats (little pieces at first). Give the pup a few treats from your hand to get her charged up and interested. Then put a treat beside the ball on the floor for the dog to take. Then put a treat on top of the ball so the dog can get it. Do it a few times more to get the dog intereted in the ball. Roll it around for her to show her that it moves and is fun. Put a few very small pieces of treat in the ball and excitely roll it around, until one falls out - then celebrate! Show her how to get it started again if she's unsure. Soon she'll be ignoring you and focusing on the ball. Again, watch the calories with this toy. Only dry food really works in these types of toys as the wet ones stick inside, never fall out and go rotten. Wash the ball, inside and out, with hot soapy water when needed. No supervision is needed with this toy once the dog has the technique learned and has learned NOT to chew the ball apart.
Plush Toys
Plush toys are good but you really need to supervise and monitor their wear as many dogs can plow right through them and rip them to shreds. You might just end up throwing your money away once she gets good at "killing" the softer toys. You can always stitch up small holes that happen but sooner or later a plush toy "bites the dust" and cannot be salvaged. Why not take out plush toys only when you plan on playing interactively with her and put it away when you're done? You'll both get more mileage out of them.
To keep your dog's interest high and to keep your toy budget low, consider rotating your dog's toys on a weekly basis. Pick up all the toys from the floor and only put down, say 5, of your dog's favourites. Choose a rubber one, a plush one, a ball and something interactive or squeaky, for example. Once per week you can rotate the current toys "out of play" and replace them with new ones from your collection. This allows you to clean the toys at intervals and to monitor wear and tear on the toys. Items that are falling apart or nearly chewed-through can be tossed before they become dangerous to your dog.
Toys are critical to a dog's proper development - physically, mentally and socially. Even adult dogs need the enrichment and stimulation that toys provide. They help develop co-ordination, help burn off excess energy, strengthen the jaw, masssage gums and teeth, learn playing rules, feel good in the mouth and are downright fun.
Just like human babies, dogs receive two sets of teeth in their lifetime. The 28 baby teeth arrive between 3 and 6 weeks of age. By 4 months of age, these baby teeth begin to loosen in the gums and fall out, making way for the 42 new adult teeth underneath. Once the adult teeth have arrived around 6 months of age, it can take another couple of months before they settle in the jaw and firm up in their new positions. That means that the ravenous chewing period continues even after the adult teeth have arrived.
Puppy proofing your home is the first thing you absolutely must do. It's exactly the same thing as baby proofing but for dogs: removing unsafe things so puppy won't get hurt or into trouble. It helps to get down on your hands and knees and look from her vantage point. What can you see? Some of the most common targets puppies go for are:
• electrical cords and outlets
• pillows, blankets, throw rugs
• houseplants
• hanging curtains and towels, table linens
• cupboards that don't close
• garbage cans
• shoes in closets, slippers
• laundry left outside the hamper
Be prepared to keep your home puppy proofed until your dog is *at least* 8 months old. As she progresses, introduce a few new things slowly back into the household so she can become used to a normal house and its contents. Of course, medications, poisons, cleaners, garbage, houseplants must be out of the dog's reach FOR LIFE. We just cannot risk a curious dog trying an experiment.
Some rooms cannot be adequately puppy proofed so they become out of bounds. Close doors, use baby gates and block off areas that puppy is absolutely not allowed into. Your puppy won't need full run of the house right away because potty training is probably already in progress now. You want to keep an extra careful watch on her now to set her up for success. Keep the pup's environment simple, clean, safe and manageable. The thing your pup wants the most is your attention and guidance, not more space.
So, now that the house is "safe" for puppy, you have to provide her with alternatives to satisfy her chewing needs. Yes, dogs most certainly do have chewing needs (just some more than others). It excercises their jaws, calms them, feels good and can be just plain fun. A dog that has nothing to chew will either chew the wrong thing or chew itself. Give her at least 5 different things to chew. Some safe and guaranteed-to-please toys are:
Kong toys
(stuffed with dog kibble, a dab of peanut butter, frozen baby carrots, frozen peas, etc.) These can be a magical bit of wonder to a curious puppy. The deeper you stuff the goodies, the harder pup has to work to contort her tongue to get it out. Watch the calories, though. Try to stick to low calorie foods (frozen are good for sore gums), the pup's regular food, a couple of treats, and remember you can freeze the toy and offer for a cool treat. Not on carpets, though, for obvious reasons. Wash the toy in hot, soapy water. Supervision isn't necessary while pup is using this toy if the pieces are small and puppy understands the toy's concept.
Frozen Washcloth
A rolled up, soaked and frozen washcloth is a cost-effective thing to help pup get over chewing attacks and sore gums. Supervision is needed as some pups will pull the washcloth apart and eat it. Just watch her and see how it goes. Soak a washcloth in plain water (or add a tablespoon of prepared beef boullion, or a tiny sprinkle of garlic powder, mmmm), lay flat on the counter, roll up lenthwise and freeze for a few hours. Make a bunch all at once so you have a stack of them ready to go. Go to a dollar store, buy a 12 pack of washcloths, soak-em and go. Put in the regular laundry to clean.
Nylabones
Nylabone brand bones are excellent for heavy chewers (not gumabone: they’re too soft). They come in many shapes, sizes and flavours. Pick a few and see which types she likes. Beware not to buy them too small, though. Bigger is better with these as they provide more challenge and effort. Supervision isn't necessary with this toy if the size is appropriate and the dog can't swallow it.
Ice Cubes
An ice cube on a hard floor is fun to run around chasing, licking and biting. Supervise since it might go somewhere awkward or out-of-bounds or someone might slip on the water trail left behind. Dogs usually love ice cubes. Put a few in the water bowl and see what happens.
Puzzle Toys / Treat Dispensing Toys
My favourite is the orange-coloured “Tricky Treats” ball which must be rolled around on the floor so that treats inside fall out a bit at a time. This is a toy that you must teach your dog how to operate. Make a game of it. Sit on the floor with the toy and some really good treats (little pieces at first). Give the pup a few treats from your hand to get her charged up and interested. Then put a treat beside the ball on the floor for the dog to take. Then put a treat on top of the ball so the dog can get it. Do it a few times more to get the dog intereted in the ball. Roll it around for her to show her that it moves and is fun. Put a few very small pieces of treat in the ball and excitely roll it around, until one falls out - then celebrate! Show her how to get it started again if she's unsure. Soon she'll be ignoring you and focusing on the ball. Again, watch the calories with this toy. Only dry food really works in these types of toys as the wet ones stick inside, never fall out and go rotten. Wash the ball, inside and out, with hot soapy water when needed. No supervision is needed with this toy once the dog has the technique learned and has learned NOT to chew the ball apart.
Plush Toys
Plush toys are good but you really need to supervise and monitor their wear as many dogs can plow right through them and rip them to shreds. You might just end up throwing your money away once she gets good at "killing" the softer toys. You can always stitch up small holes that happen but sooner or later a plush toy "bites the dust" and cannot be salvaged. Why not take out plush toys only when you plan on playing interactively with her and put it away when you're done? You'll both get more mileage out of them.
To keep your dog's interest high and to keep your toy budget low, consider rotating your dog's toys on a weekly basis. Pick up all the toys from the floor and only put down, say 5, of your dog's favourites. Choose a rubber one, a plush one, a ball and something interactive or squeaky, for example. Once per week you can rotate the current toys "out of play" and replace them with new ones from your collection. This allows you to clean the toys at intervals and to monitor wear and tear on the toys. Items that are falling apart or nearly chewed-through can be tossed before they become dangerous to your dog.
Toys are critical to a dog's proper development - physically, mentally and socially. Even adult dogs need the enrichment and stimulation that toys provide. They help develop co-ordination, help burn off excess energy, strengthen the jaw, masssage gums and teeth, learn playing rules, feel good in the mouth and are downright fun.
Submitted by: Jennifer Legere
