Teething Blues

One of the things you may, or may not, be prepared for when
getting a new puppy is its desire to chew. Often this can be
quite destructive depending on exactly how you handle this
situation. Instinctively puppies often chew because they need
to- not because they want to destroy your personal items. As
puppies begin to loose their "milk teeth" and get their 42 adult
teeth they chew to help alleviate some of the discomfort they
are experiencing. Overall, the best thing you can do is protect
your puppy from potentially harmful situations and help set him
up to be successful. Below you'll find several ideas to help
your puppy from being "bad" and to help it through this stage of
development. *Give plenty of exercise and attention to relieve
boredom which often leads to chewing *Crate the puppy if you
cannot watch it *Use commercial sprays to alleviate chewing of
household items- Listerine is also good *Do not give the puppy
old shoes or socks to chew on- it cannot differentiate old ones
from your brand new ones *Give your puppy toys of its own to
chew on- it is also good to give these to your pup when he
begins to teeth on you *Give your puppy one of its toys when it
acts as though it may chew something it should not *Move items
you do not want the puppy to get out of its reach- cover all
power cords, remove pens/ pencils, plants (many are poisonous),
books, etc. With a little bit of planning, patience and caring,
you can help your puppy through this stage. Article written and
reprinted with permission of: http://www.pedigreedpups.com/
Purebred Dogs, Puppies and Dog Breeders - "Your New Best Friend"
Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.