PUPPY TEETHING PROBLEM
CHEWING AND HOW TO SURVIVE IT
DOG 16
Why do dogs chew?
• Puppy teething – from three to seven months of age. Puppies have an uncontrollable urge to chew things to relieve the discomfort in their gums. Chewing facilitates the removal of puppy teeth and the eruption of the adult set.
• Adolescent chewing – occurs in dogs between puppyhood and adulthood at seven to
12 months of age. It can last for up to six months. This kind of chewing relieves gum
discomfort as the adult teeth settle into the jawbone. A young dog may also chew in an
attempt to find out more about its environment.
• Boredom and attention seeking. Dogs that are left alone for long periods or receive
inadequate mental and physical stimulation are likely to become bored and start chewing things.
Your dog may also realise that chewing something it shouldn’t is a great way to get
your attention.
• An unbalanced diet. If a dog does not have enough calcium in its diet, for example, it may try
to compensate by chewing stones or plaster.
What can be done about chewing?
• Supply your dog with items that are safe and tough enough to survive being chewed. They
should not splinter or break into pieces that can be swallowed.
• Ensure your dog has regular exercise away from home at least once a day. Visit different
environments whenever you can, such as pavements, fields, woods, parks and beaches.
• Teach your dog what kinds of things are acceptable and unacceptable to chew
• Play with your dog. Short, frequent sessions are best – at least three times a day for at
least five minutes.
Toys are different from chews
Toys and chews should not be confused. Toys are designed to be thrown, chased, squeaked
and tugged during play. Most are not designed to be chewed. Chews are designed for
nibbling and gnawing and are essential if you want your dog to chew acceptable items
instead of your furniture. They should be given when your dog is settling down for a quiet
time, either in your presence or on its own.
Chews
Ideally buy a wide range of chews, so that you can rotate the ones you give to your dog on
a daily basis. Examples include rawhide, smoked bone, deep-fried marrowbone, rask,
Nylabone and sterilised marrowbone.
Toys
Suitable toys for your dog include a squeaky ball, rubber ring, teddy, ball on a rope and a
frisbee. They should not be left down for your dog to chew once the game has finished. This
will ensure the toys last longer and, more importantly, that you won’t have to take your dog to
the vet because it has a blockage caused by swallowing toys or their component parts.
Special toys
Kongs
All dogs like to play on their own sometimes, so it is important to leave at least one ‘safe’ toy
down for them to play with at any time. An excellent toy for this purpose is a ‘Kong’ (available
from pet shops). A Kong is firm rubber toy that is hollow on the inside and can withstand lots
and lots of chewing. If you stuff biscuits inside the Kong or smear some cheese spread inside,
your dog will then work to get the food out and it will nibble, lick and chew on the toy for some
time. Kongs are also very good at stimulating play and chase behaviour, since they bounce
unpredictably in different directions when they have been thrown.
Activity ball
This is a hollow, dimpled ball the size of a small football, with two holes bored into it. If you
place small pieces of dry food inside (for example a portion of your dog’s daily ration) it will
have to roll the ball around to get the food to drop out of the holes, which keeps it occupied
for a long time.
4
Teach right from wrong
Reward your dog for chewing the right things
Every day, provide your dog with one or two chews that it has not seen for a while. When
you see your dog settle down to chew one, praise it gently.
Correct your dog when it chews the wrong things
If you notice your dog about to chew something it shouldn’t direct a short jet of water from
a small water pistol or plant sprayer and wet it on the back of its head. Your intention should
be to startle your dog, not to hurt or frighten it.
If your dog looks in your direction, pretend the water spray had nothing to do with you. After
a few minutes, direct your dog’s attention onto an acceptable chew and praise it when it
begins to chew. The aim is for your dog to think that the correction came from somewhere
in the environment, as a result of it chewing a particular object. Correcting your dog in this
way is much better than telling it off and will mean that it will be less likely to chew
unacceptable items when left alone.
Getting the timing right
The correction (water spray) will be most effective if it happens just as your dog is about to
chew the object for the first time. If the correction occurs after it has already been chewing
for a while, it will be too late.
If you are too late, then distract your dog by calling its name excitedly or picking up its lead.
Praise it when it comes to you and give it a titbit. Then watch carefully – your dog will probably
go back to its new hobby, giving you a chance to correct it before it starts to chew again.
Beyond adolescence and into adulthood
When your dog is a fully-grown adult, its desire to chew will be reduced, but it will not go
completely. It is important to continue to give an adult dog chews and bones throughout its
life to exercise its jaws and to keep its teeth clean.
