I hear all the time about puppies who’ve chewed up shoes; destroyed books; dug up plants; gnawed chair legs … you name it, somebody’s puppy has chewed it.
And my question is always the same:
“Where were you when your puppy was doing all this?”
You see, puppies, like children, are curious. They want to explore this wonderful new world they live in.
And to test anything, it goes in the mouth.
Now, IMAGINE your puppy is a toddler … There are things you wouldn’t let your toddler near!
And now imagine,
That shoe = naked electric cable
Chairleg = a fire
The flowerbeds are bottomless pits
The books are poisonous ..
Now, would you let your toddler touch them?
No?
So why do you let your puppy go near them?
If you didn’t want your toddler to get near these dangers, you’d take steps to make them unreachable.
Remove the object from the child’s reach, or remove the child from the area of the object!
❓ Would you leave your toddler to explore the kitchen while you watched tv in the living room?
❓ Would you leave your toddler unsupervised in the garden while you’re indoors on a zoom call?
If you REALLY didn’t want your puppy to destroy your possessions, you’d be serious about it!
How to prevent puppy chewing
The simplest way to prevent chewing is using some kind of containment. That could mean a crate or playpen when you are busy or otherwise unable to supervise.
🐶 Your puppy should always be in the same room/space as you, till trustworthy.
🐶 So he’s either with you - actively supervising - or he’s in his crate or playpen.
Baby Yannick sleeps peacefully amidst the wreckage in his playpen
And if you have a chewy puppy (some puppies never chew things), be sure to give him plenty of things he can chew, in his playpen. Cardboard boxes are winners here. Raw meaty bones are great. Some dogs like antlers or coffee root.
Don’t use rawhide chews, which are industrial waste and can cause huge problems (aka huge vet bills).
If he wants to chew his bed - then, it’s his bed! Give him something disposable (and safe), like an old blanket. Remove shredded things so he doesn’t swallow them. Save the expensive bed you’re so proud of till he’s able to use it safely.
Babies and toddlers have cradles and cots which can accommodate all kinds of stomach mishaps! They don’t get a “grown-up bed” till they’re more reliable.
And all those expensive toys you bought him? Keep those for when he’s out of the chewing stage. Give him toys you don’t care about. If he needs to chew, then you must provide chewables!
Survive the chewing stage
Yannick never chews anything now!
If your puppy is a chewer, he just is! And you have to work through this stage with him with as little friction as possible. Telling him off will confuse him and raise your blood pressure.
There’s no need!
Just adapt your living arrangements to accommodate your chewer while you teach him to play nicely with your toys, which you put away after the game.
Don’t leave valuable things with your piranha fish!
And for more down-to-earth ways to make the first few months with your puppy magical, Read New Puppy!
