Your new puppy will bring you an abundance of unconditional love and joy. They will grow into lifelong family members and friends. They will give you company, comfort and provide countless smiles and fond memories. As W.R. Purche said, “Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.”

However, if it is one thing that new puppies love to do, it is to chew. It is normal for your furry bundle of joy to chew. Puppies and dogs chew for numerous reasons. For the little pup, it is a way for them to relieve the pain of incoming new teeth. For the older dogs, it is a way for them to clean their teeth and keep their jaws healthy. 

Chewing also helps them to overcome boredom and to relieve anxiety and frustration when you are not at home. Whilst there are alternative treatments (often said to be better than conventional medicine) that can help with this anxiety, the chances are they will still want to chew. However, chewing the wrong things, such as your lounge-suite furniture, favorite running shoes, and socks, is destructive and unwanted. In this article are some tips for teething puppies.

Chew Toys and Edible Chews

Chew toys like the ones offered by DogLab are a fantastic and safe way for your puppy to alleviate the pain of teething, as well as provide a means to keep them busy and to keep boredom at bay. You can also give your puppy some edible chews such as rawhide bones, pig ears, or other natural chews. Make sure to consult with your vet on the recommended types of natural chews for your puppy’s breed. 

Puppy Proof Your Home

Your puppy does not yet know what is ok and not ok to chew, so do not leave enticing chewable objects lying around your home like shoes and clothing. Make sure to store items that you do not wish to have chewed up away in cupboards, storage containers, laundry bins, etc. 

Use Anti-Chew Sprays

Another solution to stop unwanted chewing is to make use of anti-chew sprays. These sprays contain a completely harmless but bad-tasting fluid that discourages your puppy from chewing things they should not, such as furniture, electrical cables, and curtains. 

Give Your Dog Plenty of Exercise

A bored and frustrated puppy will find ways to entertain themselves by destructive chewing, digging holes in your garden, amongst many other undesirable habits. To prevent this, make sure your puppy gets plenty of exercise to keep them physically and mentally stimulated. Take them for walks, play fetch with them, teach them tricks such as to sit, roll-over and give you their paw. Most importantly, give your pup lots of unequivocal love and attention; after all, they deserve it! 

Use Positive Training and Reinforcement

Your puppy is inquisitive and will delight in exploring their new world and learning. They do not yet know what is wrong and what is right. Do not shout, spank or punish them after they have done something wrong like chewing your shoes, as they cannot connect this punishment with some behavior that they did hours or even minutes before. 

Use positive training and reinforcement to teach them: Praise them and reward them with a treat or attention when they do something that is considered good behavior that you like. Ignore the behaviors that are considered bad and that you do not like. The “ignore response” to train your dog is one of the most effective training methods you can use by many professional dog trainers.