As much as you love your cute new pup, if he bites everything in sight, including you, he won’t be cute to you for long. Puppies left alone can quickly destroy a home. Just as training is required to tame your little furball, so is training to teach them proper chewing behaviors.
Many believe that the longer a puppy is allowed to stay with its mother and siblings, the better behaved it will be. It appears that pups younger than eight weeks that are separated from their mother show more aggressive chewing and biting than pups that are separated after two months.
Puppies learn from the day they are born what is expected of them. Most puppies find that their mother is very tolerant of chewing and biting. However, as the pup gets older and those sharp little teeth start to come out, the bitch begins to set the limit on how many bites she will tolerate, especially if she has a large litter that uses her as a chew toy! ! The mother dog will usually get up and leave the area, eventually teaching the little squirts to be nice to her.
This is usually when the puppies begin to live in rough places and play with their littermates. Nothing is more fun than watching a bunch of puppies roll around and clumsily play with each other. However, it is important to understand what is occurring during this time. What seems like good puppy fun to us is actually a necessary part of a dog’s development. During this time with the siblings, the pups are learning their place in the “pack.” They’re finding out who’s boss and testing their boundaries with each other.
When a pup bites or bites their sibling too hard, they are surprised when their sibling lets out a howl. One of two things usually happens at this point. The injured sibling will fight back and bite his sibling even harder, or the injured pup will refuse to play with the teether any longer. Both approaches work to teach puppies how to interact. When puppies are separated from their mother and littermates too soon, they miss out on this much-needed character and personality training.
If your pup is chewing everything on the site, it can be very frustrating. Who wants to come home to find a torn pair of expensive shoes or pillow feathers floating in the air? I know of one couple in particular who came home to find their entire couch shredded down to the springs. His two puppies dozed in the middle of all the mess oblivious to his bad deed. Plus, it’s hard for kids and adults to be around a puppy who thinks fingers, toes, and legs are an invitation to teething and biting. Situations like this are why many puppies find themselves barred outdoors or locked in a crate for hours on end while their owners are at work.
It is important to understand that teething is as natural for a puppy as it is for a human baby. It’s just a fact of life. You can’t expect your pup not to want to chew. It helps your teeth come through the gums and also promotes the development of your permanent teeth below the gums. Puppies see no difference between a bone and a hairbrush. Both serve the purpose of a puppy. In fact, most puppies will sometimes seek out items that their owners smell if they have separation anxiety. Therefore, it is important that you teach your puppy proper chewing behaviors from day one. Otherwise, your pup will assume that everything in the home is at her disposal when it suits her.
The best advice is to go out and buy your pup some chew toys. These toys should stimulate your pup mentally. If not, your pup will soon tire of them and go back to the piano leg. You can even buy some chew toys that have treats inside. These treats take some work to get to. Your pup can spend hours figuring out how to chew these toys the right way to reach the yummy inside. Once your pup has learned that there are items in her house that serve as snacks, she will tire of her shoes, furniture, and clothes. It’s good to stock up on chew toys that seem to stimulate your pup and take up more of her time. You should only leave one or two of these at a time. You should also rotate the toys to make sure he doesn’t get bored.
The important thing to remember about chew toys is that you shouldn’t buy ones with a hidden bell or other device that could pose a choking hazard. You should also avoid toys that have been chemically treated.
When your pup gets too boisterous and starts biting and snapping at you, you need to handle the situation like his mother and littermates would. This is especially important if you have a puppy that was separated from his mother and siblings quite early on. When your puppy starts to nibble on you or his clothes, he should make a sound that lets you know it hurts. This is not a problem if she has really bit your skin! But you should also put on your actor’s hat and let out a yelp if she’s tugging at your shoelaces or pant leg. When you do this, it will usually scare her. She should immediately move away from her dog or leave him alone in the area.
It will take consistency and repetition for your pup to get the message that what he is doing is wrong. However, if he is a slow learner, he can let out the “shout” at him and put him in his cage. You shouldn’t be harsh on the shape, as this will only confuse her. Once he is in his cage, he can turn on the tears and start trying to manipulate you with his moans of dissatisfaction. When this happens, you should never take it out. Wait until he has stopped his tantrum and then release him. When you let her out of it, be loving to her and let her know that everything is okay. You should not hold a grudge, as your dog is unable to understand why you are angry. Also, when you put her in his crate, it should only be for a few minutes…unless he’s having a full blown tantrum. Then you should wait until she calms down. If you are consistent with this approach, your pup will soon learn that when he nibbles, chews or bites, he will have to spend some time outside.
Puppies love to be touched and may want to play affectionately with you as they would with their littermates. It’s perfectly fine for a puppy to want to lick or even playfully hold your fingers in his mouth while you play. This is normal and a form of bonding. However, any form of aggression or pressure should be quickly discouraged. Puppies typically learn by four months what is appropriate when it comes to chewing…if their owners are consistent with training.
