Puppy Chewing. They Need To Do It.

Puppies NEED to chew. They need to chew as young pups as well as when their adult teeth begin coming in at 5/6 months.

Exploring with their mouths is a normal part of development.

Instead of struggling with trying to stop your dog from chewing you need to provide legitimate chewing opportunities at each stage.

As a pup, redirection and building a reinforcement history for chewing on appropriate items is necessary. This can include floppy toys, fleece toys, silicone or rubber, squeaky toys, Toppl's, Kong's, Bully sticks, etc.

A strong reinforcement history for chewing on appropriate items and little history for chewing on inappropriate items will help as he goes through each phase.

As his teeth come in, you might notice a preference for baseboards or chair legs. This too is normal.

Using a taste deterrent on furniture legs can help prevent that.

By the time the pup is 5/6 months old, many people feel they can let up on supervision and prevention. Unfortunately, you can't as this is the time you will find more damage from chewing. Adult teeth are rounded and attached to a more powerful jaw.

Don't get mad if you find damage. Know that it's a phase where he has a strong need to use his mouth. Provide chews to satisfy that need. Don't get rid of management tools such as gates, crates and ex-pens.

Continue supervising. Interrupting and redirecting as necessary.

Remember your dog might look like an adult but is far from it. Keep expectations realistic.