As humans we go through two phases of cutting teeth - the first time we're too young to remember and then again as older children our baby teeth started to fall out and make room for the new ones.
Remember how uncomfortable it was the second time around? (And if you have children, you know how miserable they are with the first time they cut teeth.
) As dogs, most puppies chew because they're slowly awaiting the painful arrival of their first set of teeth.
They end up causing an indescribable amount of destruction as they create havoc throughout our homes and yards, destroying everything in sight and chewing on anything they can get their little choppers on.
Even when we get angry and see them standing amongst the ruins that we once called our most prized possession, we love them anyway regardless of how mad we may get.
Some of the ways to avoid this from happening is to either scold them as they're doing it (or once you get past the shock); or buy them something to try to distract their attention.
The perfect things to give a puppy would have to be: - A rawhide bone or any bone in general.
- A playful, squeaking chew toy as long as they don't get bored with it or annoy everyone in your house.
- A tug rope.
Some puppies will be satisfied with a round of tug-of-war and get worn out pretty quickly.
This means less energy to chew! When they get older they'll chew as a natural habit on the toys instead of things in your home.
You can also try giving them their chew toys in a confined area, like a laundry room.
When they start to chew, take them and their chew toy to the small room.
Eventually they will learn that it's OK for them to chew in that room, but nowhere else.
Sometimes, just like people, they can experience different forms of anxiety and grow a fear of abandonment.
They become used to you returning home and scolding them, receiving as much attention as they could get regardless of it being positive or negative.
Depending on the breed of your puppy they may require a little more attention than others to wean them off of chewing.
Remember, it is a natural part of a dog's growth process, so overly negative, constant scolding will not stop it, but will only stress the dog and you.
If you do need to scold, do so with a low, firm "NO", while they are chewing, and while you are removing the item from them.
Do not hit the dog, or spend a lot of time yelling at the dog.
They will not be able to make the connection of your yelling to a specific behavior, and will, instead, simply become afraid of you in general.
You can also do things yourself to help them avoid temptation, like not leaving shoes lay on the floor outside of a closed closet where they can get to it easily.
The fewer choices they have of what to chew, the more likely they are to pick the toy that you want them to use.