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General Pet is your source for advice and information for a happy and healthy pet.
Author: Mary Reid Article source: http://www.articlecity.com/. Used with author's permission.
Puppies have a physical need to chew! It all has to do with the teething process. Just like a human baby, puppies have a great need to mouth and chew. This begins around three months of age. During this time, if your puppy doesn't have somthing to chew on, he will look for something. A puppy can entertain himself for hours if he has something to knaw on.
Instead of waiting on a huge problem to start, control your puppy's impulse by doing these:
1. Always know where your pup is and what he is doing. Treat him like a baby.
2. Make sure that all socks, shoes, books, electrical cors, etc. are picked up off the floor. Put valueables away temporarily.
3. If you have to leave him, upt him in his crate.
4. Make sure that what you have in his crate is allowed to be chewed. Use a meat scented nylon bone as his chewie.
5. Put your scent on his chew bone before you leave him alone. He can then smell your scent and be comforted by it.
6. Start preventing him from chewing by grabbing the scruff of his nec and gently shaking him whenever he is chewing a forbidden item. In nature, this is what his mother would do.
7. Make sure your pup gets plenty of exercise. This will help your pup from getting bored and starting destructive behavior.
8. If you have to take an object from your pup, do so gently and praise him when he gives it to you.
Puppies must chew, so keep a close eye on the little fellows and provide them with all their needs. So many times we lose a shoe or a coffee table leg because we have neglected to do the steps above. Just try over and over until he gets it right. Actually, another deterent is to slap a newspaper down beside the puppy when he begins to chew. They hate the noise and will associate it with a no no.
There are so many different ways to cope with your puppy's chewing. Have plenty of patience and provide him with all the neccessary toys he needs to keep him occupied and away from your things.
Mary Reid lives in South Carolina. She has done research on all types of dog related supplies and natural dog food diets. At the time of this writing she owns two beautiful Labrador Retrievers, one black and one chocolate. You can find more articles at her webpage http://www.all-natural-pet-and-more.com. She also has a great site on Organic Food, Skincare and Supplements found at http://www.yourorganicchoices.com.
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