Mikinoyo

Every puppy had to go through teething when cutting his teeth and will need to chew on something to assist this process. It is far better that you provide the puppy with his own things to chew because if you don't you can be certain that he will chew anything and everything that he can get into his mouth. This behavior is not dissimilar to human babies and I expect that those of us with children will remember the sleepless nights during the teething phase. Puppies experience the same pain as babies but they don't cry through the night, they chew incessantly. When the teeth are cut, within the first year, the chewing should stop but if it doesn't you will have to teach your puppy not to continue with this inappropriate behavior.

Habitual chewing is usually a sign that your dog is bored or anxious. If he has his own toys and things around him which he is allowed to chew there is less likelihood that he will ruin your things. In addition, you must adequately train the dog to not touch your things because quite apart from the cost involved in replacement of damaged items there are certain things, like chewing electric cables, which could be life threatening to your dog if he chews them.

By far the best method of stopping your dog or puppy chewing inappropriate items or objects is to keep them well out of his reach and to not leave him unsupervised with the run of the house. If you, or a member of your family, are in the house with the puppy there is more chance of him being caught in the act of chewing. This allows you to discipline him with word commands such as "no" or "bad dog". Under no circumstance chase him if he runs off because he will believe that you are playing a game with him.

If the dog is left alone in the house he should be confined to a room or his crate, where you can place toys and objects that he is allowed to chew. He will gradually learn which items he can chew and those items that he can't. Giving your dog old shoes to chew is not a good idea as he is not capable of distinguishing between an old shoe and a new one. He will also become confused when you are annoyed with him for chewing one of your shoes, when you gave him an old one the day before. It is important to remain consistent when you are training your dog or puppy.

Chose an area where you want your dog to keep his toys and stick to it. You might want to place a bone or other chewy treat in this area so that the dog learns that he has one place where his is able to chew if he feels like it. If you are not in the house, make sure that you don't provide a chewy, edible item on which your puppy could choke.