Chewing

Puppies need to chew in order to relieve the pressure on their gums as their new teeth set in at around 18- 24 weeks. To avoid the chewing being aimed at your furniture follow the guidelines below.

Puppy proof the house!

• Don’t leave valuables where puppy can get his paws on them
• Provide plenty of toys and objects to chew for your puppy
• Use safe chewslike KONGS and NYLABONES
• Cool or freeze the toysto help sooth the gums

Later on, the adult teeth can cause more ‘teething’trouble at around eight months. Other chewing can either be due to boredom, an inappropriate diet, or stress. If you have a puppy or older dog that only chews things while you are out, boredom, frustration or anxiety may be the cause.

Preventing boredom chewing

If your dog is bored while you are out or busy it probably means that he needs more mental and physical exercise.

• Adult dogs need at least 40 minutes of off lead running each day
• Play fetch games and tug games on your walks or in the garden
• Most dogs will not be tired after a quick 15 minute walk round the block, this will leave them with plenty of pent up energy to chew your sofa with!
• Provide enough mental stimulation so that your dog won’t go self-employed.
• Do some training exercises. Tricks are great for getting dogs’ minds working (see Trick and Treat booklet by Sarah Whitehead).
• Use interactive toyssuch as Kongs and Buster Cubes- they are greatfor mentalstimulation while you are both in and out.

So after a good 40 minute walk, training, a Kong and a buster cube your dog will be more than ready for a sleep, leaving the rest of your house in one piece. If you already provide all these goodies for your dog and you are still getting chewing and destructive behaviour, your dog may be experiencing anxiety when left. Please phone the office for further behavioural advice if this is the case, on 01753 859004 or check out your nearest APDT member by visiting www.apdt.co.uk.

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