Chomp Chomp Chomp goes the Puppy

The teething period is hard for both pups and their owners. Whilst pups have to put up with the pain of teething, their owners put up with the cost of the things they chew when they shouldn't.

My best advice during this period is:

• Have PLENTY of teething toys on hand. Preferably, store them in the freezer so that when you need one, it will be lovely and soothing for your pups.
  
  
• Frozen carrots make excellent chew toys and they're great for cleaning teeth too as your dog gets older. As a young pup, they often won't get through a whole carrot so you might want to cut it up in to smaller sections (but still large enough so they're having to actually bite it). If they don't eat it all, you can put it back in the freezer.
  
  
• KEEP VALUABLES OUT OF REACH! I cannot stress this enough, and SHOES! Pups will chew anything from shoes to remotes to electrical cables so please make sure that your pup does not have access to this.
  
  
• Do not let your pup chew on sticks. The timber splinters off and can get caught in their throats resulting in an expensive vet bill. Even as they become adults, don't encourage stick chewing.
  
  
• Do not let them chew on rocks! There used to be an Old Wives Tale that dogs chewed on rocks when they needed help with digestion in their stomach. This is not true. In the majority of cases where dogs chew on rocks, they end up with obstructions in their bowels. If you are lucky that you pick up on this and your dog gets through the surgery and the recovery period following it (because many dogs do die), then you'll not be so lucky that you'll be paying off a $3500+ vet bill. Rocks can also grind down their teeth.
  
  
• NEVER leave your pup unsupervised. If they cannot be watched for any period of time, pop them either in their crate, their play pen or their safe outdoor area.
  
  

If you find your pup chewing parts of your house (chair legs, skirting, etc), rubbing some Vicks Vapour Rub on the part can often be enough to deter them from chewing.

They will settle down their chewing for a month or two and at around the 8 - 10 month old stage, you may find them chewing again. This is because they're getting the very last of their back teeth and they are hurting. Just go back to basics at this point and it will pass fairly quickly.

Remember, if you keep on top of their chewing at an early age, they will grow out of it. If you do not keep on top of it, they will likely develop it as a taught behaviour and it becomes much harder to un-teach them as adults!