STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Tati · Chanel

I know puppies love to bite everything,

Elle · Hermes

When they bite something they're not supposed to, distract them and give them something they are allowed to bite (chew toy, bone, etc) and then praise them heartily when they bite on the 'good' thing. And, a tired puppy is a good puppy! Do you have a yard you could take him out to run in a couple times a day?

Sunshinegirl · Kate Spade

Tati,

Go out today and buy a kong toy: http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.asp

You can stuff it with peanut butter (dogs love it and it's OK for them) and stick it in the freezer. This keeps them busy and the cold kong is good for their teething.

blink · Coach

Sunshinegirl wrote:

Tati, Go out today and buy a kong toy: http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.asp You can stuff it with peanut butter (dogs love it and it's OK for them) and stick it in the freezer. This keeps them busy and the cold kong is good for their teething.

I did the exact same thing, my dogs loved these. Another goodie is a rawhide.

Sorry to tell you this though, not all dogs stop chewing things. Lately, my dogs favorite thing to chew is my son's sippy cup lids when they have fallen on the floor, even if all that was in the container was water.

tri_sarah_tops · Marc Jacobs

I totally agree with the Kong and rawhide suggestions. My puppy loves rawhide so much that if she's occupied with a piece, she won't even look at me when I enter the room. Usually she attacks me!

JoceyBaby23 · Gucci

My pup is 6 months old and is showing NO signs of stopping the chewing and biting. We even had him in puppy kindergarden, chew toys etc.

I don't mean to discourage you, but it will probably take a LONG time!

halleybird · Hermes

mine is almost 2, and he still gnaws, though not as much. For big dogs, the "puppy" stage can last up to 3 years.

My trainer's recommendation is the same as LMonet's. She also suggests that the toy you give them be really "good" (by dog standards) like a bully stick, kong, etc. The idea is that the toy has higher "value" than what the dog's chewing on.

Also, make sure to get compressed rawhide...some vets don't recommmend regular rawhide for very aggressive chewers because it can splinter.

HTH!

lindsayp · Kenneth Cole

Also, if your puppy is gnawing on you, if it gets painful, make a loud, high-pitched yip. That should surprise the puppy, and supposedly it sounds like a noise that another puppy would make if they were bitten. That's what our puppy trainer told us to do, and it seems to work pretty well. The goal is to let her know at what point she's biting too hard, and what is just mouthing.

kenzie · Chanel

My mom's dog is three and still loves to chew. Some dogs never grow out of it. You just have to teach them what is okay to chew and what is not. My mom got this stuff called "Bitter Apple" and she sprayed it on everything to keep the dog from chewing. It's completely safe for dogs, it just makes furniture, shoes, magazines, or whatever else taste bad so they'll stop chewing it. Lily doesn't chew things she's not supposed to anymore (thank goodness for classical conditioning).

Just make sure your puppy always has plenty of her own toys and rawhides to chew and make sure that she knows that it's not okay for her to chew Mommy's slippers.

-- Edited by NylaBelle at 15:38, 2005-11-04

bliss · Dooney & Bourke

I think it takes a while, my Chihuahua is 4 months and is still constantly chewing on things, even when he is given alternatives. I haven't tried the kong but will pick one up today as he is currently eating my niece's ballet slippers.