07/02/2021
For the upcoming new puppy owners
😬 𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗦 😬
Just like real sharks, these little land sharks explore the world with their mouths and those little teethies are needle-sharp and can be one of the most unfun parts of puppyhood.
So, what can you do to survive this period?
First, whilst you've probably been looking back at your last puppy experience with rose-coloured glasses, know that all puppies go through this period and you will come through the other end but there will likely be unfun times.
You'll want to have things the puppy is allowed to chew this can be bones, dehydrated chews, chew toys, enrichment toys and then the non-typical things such as cardboard boxes, etc. just make sure they're safe items and they're destroying under supervision as you don't want them eating any pieces.
A puppy playpen or crate is the perfect solution during puppyhood, you can pop a puppy on a biting rampage in their pen with something super yummy or fun to sink their teeth into so it's not your skin or furniture, cables, etc.
If you're giving bones, go BIG so there's no risk of a gutsy little puppy swallowing it whole as they can do with chicken necks - you can always take it away and pop it in the freezer until the next time. 𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽, 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽.
If you have dogs that do not appreciate a puppy biting them, you will need to ensure this doesn't happen as it can be incredibly stressful for adult dogs to be chased and bitten by puppies. Perhaps an adult dog can be elsewhere with a toy or a chew or just enjoying some outside time when the puppy comes out of their pen for some free time.
Biting puppies can be pretty challenging for children as kids will run and scream which can excite puppies even more. If you see a puppy is raty and needs a sleep, this is not the time for a puppy to be interacting with children. Monitor interactions closely and show the child how to offer toys and when it's ok to pat etc.
Yelping in pain can work for some puppies to stop them biting you but can make matters worse for other dogs, you'll figure out pretty quickly which category your puppy falls into.
If you get really stuck with this biting/chewing behaviour, call in a trainer to get you sorted, an investment in a session could save you a whole bunch of angst.
Lastly, puppies teach you to pick up after yourself, anything you leave out is fair game for a puppy so if they chew something, that's your fault not theirs :)