I’m guessing you’d rather not find your shoes, couch or electrical cords chewed up
But instead, you’d like to find something that keeps your puppy occupied and chewing
on something more appropriate instead?
In this video, I’m going to share my go-tos for good teething toys for puppies
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First things first, your puppy is like a little land shark they have razor sharp teeth and
an insatiable urge to chew
You probably noticed that already are you’re about to
This is a natural behavior for almost all dogs
Keep in mind it’s up to us to make sure our pups don’t have access to things you
don’t want chewed.
Your puppy doesn’t know the couch is off limits or your shoes shouldn’t be their
favorite teething toy.
If you don’t want those things destroyed then don’t leave them out for puppy to chomp
on
Contrary to popular belief they do not know better and will chew on anything they have
access too
I hear that response often when frustrated puppy owners tell me their dog chewed up something
they weren’t supposed to.
If they knew better they won’t have chewed it in the first place
This means fabrics, woods, cords, and carpets are fair game to pups and even some determined
chewers will sink their teeth into metal and rocks
When a puppy is going through the teething stage which can start as early as 2 months
and continue through 8 months and even longer for a select few
Your puppy will want to soothe those sore gums and satisfy their NEED to chew
Yes, they need to chew
This isn’t a behavior we can just make go away or stop with some magic command.
We need to embrace their natural behavior and offer more appropriate items to sink their
teeth into
When you’re looking for appropriate teething and chew toys consider picking toys that can’t
be easily destroyed within minutes
This means softer toys with stuffing, loosely braided ropes, toys with tiny pieces attached
to them or strings hanging off are not good choices for teething puppies.
If you do give your pup softer toys these would be under supervision only and never
left in their crate when you leave.
Some dogs love to deconstruct a toy in a matter of seconds since it feels good to them and
they often seek to destroy the squeakers inside.
This is such a satisfying behavior for many dogs
Many dogs who destroy toys eat the pieces they pulled off or swallow stuffing. This
poses a health issue when it becomes lodged in their stomach and intestines
Often surgery is required to remove these things that can’t pass through your pup’s
system
I also recommend that you avoid giving your pup toys that resemble your own personal items
I was at a students home for a private lesson once and saw that she had given her pup one
of her old slippers to chew on but couldn’t get her pup to stop chewing on her brand new
slippers.
A puppy can’t reason and determine which one is ok to chew on and which isn’t
They are the same to your puppy
At another student’s home, they gave their new puppy an old pair of jeans to chew on
thinking the stronger material would last longer
They couldn’t understand why their puppy wouldn't stop chewing on the legs of their
pants… it’s because it was the same material as the pair of pants they had given their
puppy.
There are a few items that I’ve even hear vets recommend too, such as washcloths and
tied up socks, this shocks me!
These are the same vets that have had to remove these things from many of their patients over
the years.
Do not give your pup frozen washcloths or tied up socks because you think they make
great chew toys
When I worked at the vet's office we saw several dogs come through that needed to have these
items removed from their stomachs and intestines
If it can fit in your dog’s mouth or can be swallowed easily it is not a safe for them
to chew on either
Do not underestimate your dog’s determination to eat just about anything
Do not think your dog has enough good judgement not to eat these things because they just
don’t think like we do
There have been several dogs that have repeatedly eaten rocks and repeatedly had surgery to
have them removed
Dogs do not think about consequences like we do
When picking a toy chose one that is a little bigger than your dog’s mouth
Often this means going up one size from what the manufacturer recommends
For example, Kongs are one of my go-to toys for teething dogs and dogs that need to stay
busy and out of trouble
Kongs are made of a hard rubber with a whole in the middle that allows you to fill them
with things like peanut butter or even a kibble slurry
You can then take your filled Kong and freeze it, this is a great teething toy for a puppy
and it makes it last longer too
The sizing on the packaging is a little off in my opinion and I always go one size up
from what they recommend
I put together this video here all about Kong Filler Ideas so you can see some of the other
things besides peanut butter that I put in my dog’s Kongs
The Kong brand really has done a good job of providing so many options for durable toys
They even have a line for extreme chewers, these products are even more durable than
the regular line which I think are pretty good too
I also make sure I have plenty of Benebones and Nylabones on hand for teething puppies
I’ll put the link to all these items I mention in the description below this video including
our free new puppy starter kit
This is a great resource for all new puppy owners. It has a lot of great training tips
in it!
Ok back to teething toys, I like Benebones and Nylabones because they last quite awhile
for most dogs and they aren’t as hard as marrow bones or beef bones or antlers
I do give my dogs split antlers as well
Not all dogs should have these if they are prone to chipping teeth
Many vets discourage the use of them but they can be really good for more assertive chewers
So can the marrow or beef bones since they are harder and last longer too
Another one of my absolute favorite toys for assertive chewers is the Indestructible Bone
This thing is the King of all chew toys. It’s well worth the investment in my book
We have had the same bone for several years and all of the boarding dogs as well as my
own assertive chewers haven’t destroyed it yet.
It is safe for dogs with sensitive teeth as it’s similar in feel to a Nylabone but lasts
much longer
One secret I share with my students is… if your dog isn’t too interested in chewing
on the Benebones, Nylabones, Antlers or Marrow bones or any toy for that matter
Put them in your dog food bag overnight, let them absorb the smells and oils from the food
Many times this piques your pups interest and they suddenly are much more interested
in chewing on these toys
Any of the consumable chews such as Whimzees or the Dental Chews aren’t going to last
very long for most dogs
We tend to see these consumed within minutes
The same goes for Bully sticks or Pizzles for some dogs too
I love to give my dogs these but only for about 10-15 min at a time otherwise they will
have the whole thing consumed in one sitting.
Never leave consumable chews with your dog unsupervised.
I go up in size with these types of chews as well as a matter of fact I go about triple
the size because it can be consumed very quickly by many dogs
Recently my Standard Poodle surprised me when I gave him an 18 inch Bully Stick and I had
stepped away to do some house cleaning
I came back just a few minutes later to find he had consumed all but 6 inches of it and
it was completely in his mouth and I could not see it even sticking out
That would have been a choking hazard if he attempted to swallow it when I wasn’t looking.
A note about Bully Sticks and Pizzles, make sure you read the package and pick the ones
that say less odor or odor free.
Some of these can stink up your house and make your stomach turn
The same goes for cow hooves and yak horns.
I don’t give my dogs these for that reason. They smell absolutely terrible when the dogs
chew on them
The Himalayan Dog chew tends to be a favorite among the heavy chewers and teethers too
My Cavalier and Great Dane are heavy chewers.
Harper the Dane destroyed hers within minutes and Pickles my Cavalier has done a good job
on his but didn’t consume the whole thing in one sitting like Harper did
Westley my Standard Poodle is a much softer chewer and still has ¾ of his left after
a few days of chewing
Knowing your pups chew style is important to consider when picking the best toys to
help them sooth that urge to chew and sooth those sore gums
Now there is one chew toy I never give my dogs and I recommend you never give it to
yours either
Before I share what it is be sure to hit that subscribe button so you never miss getting
notified when new lessons become available!
Ok the 1# NO-NO chew is… Rawhide. These are absolutely the worst thing you can give
your dog. It’s so important that you don’t give your dog one I even made a video all
about how dangerous they can be
They do not process well in your dog’s system, they are made using harsh chemicals, they
make dogs very thirsty and they can be a huge choking hazard
These are just a few reasons why I would never ever give them to any dog!
Something else to consider…. Check your pups toys often for week spots, holes or loose
strings
When you see these things it’s time to toss the toy or trim off parts that can come off
and easily be consumed
Anytime I get a new rope toy for my dogsI always check how strong it’s braided and
how tight the knots are tied as well as how long the frayed ends are.
I usually cut off any excess as I don’t want my dogs pulling the strings off and getting
them stuck in their stomachs
After I witnessed a surgery where the longer strings of a rope toy wrapped around a dog’s
intestine cutting off flow and resulting in a portion of their intestines having to be
removed,
I vowed never to give my dogs those cheaper rope toys ever again and all my rope toys
get trimmed before they are given to my dogs.
Which teething toy will you be giving your puppy to help soothe those sore gums.