Young puppies have the irresistible urge to chew on pretty much everything. Just as we use our hands, they will use their teeth and mouth to explore. This along with teething which usually happens about 12 – 28 weeks where mouthing and chewing will help with the pain of getting their new teeth. 

 

· Put anything you do not want them to chew away, shoes, plants, electrical wires and coasters are most puppies dream chewing objects. Anything that is not safe or you do not want to replace, get it out of their way. 

 

· Freeze carrot batons, kong filled with freezeable goodies, Frozen lickimats, damp flannels or dampen a toy, this will help numb their pain and can be soothing for them. 

 

· Find some tough toys for them to chew on and rotate these so they don’t get bored of them 

 

· Chewing can happen from boredom and can become a habit. Make sure they get plenty of exercise and remember mental stimulation and tricks can be more tiring than a walk so find some fun training games and tricks for them to do. As we teach you in class, short bursts though so they don’t get bored. 

 

· If your dog is in the habit of nibbling limbs or unwanted things, try redirection. Ask them to get you a toy and play a little tug with them. Redirection will become one of your best friends so try and get in the habit as telling them off is not the quickest nor most successful way to get them to stop. 

 

· If you do get home and find they’ve chewed something up, scolding them will not help. Unless it is within seconds of the chewing incident, they will not understand, they may even start associating you coming home as a bad thing which is surely not worth it! Think about crate training early on as this can help eliminate a lot of opportunities to chew when you have left the room. 

 

If you think your puppy is showing any extreme signs of chewing, ask your vet as it may be sign of a medical or serious behavioural issue.