Re: When do Puppies Stop Biting

"DaveR" <NOSPAM_drubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:C9tLQ6SmHsnOZ4At5v=wLLA7aCTc@xxxxxxxxxx
> At this point I think she knows very well that some of the things she
> chews are off limits because when I catch her in the act she looks
> guilty.

No, she probably doesn't. She just knows that you are "catching" her in the
act so therefore something must be wrong. She doesn't know specifically
what it is.

She chews things because she can and she wants to. You need to train her to
chew only on the things she is allowed to chew on and to leave the other
things alone. She is more than old enough to do this. Usually, puppy
biting and the insane amount of chewing will slack off when they lose their
puppy teeth. Your dog is past that point so it is definitely time to nip
this in the bud.

I assume that you have already puppy-proofed the house as much as possible.
This means putting out of her reach anything that would be dangerous for her
to chew. Or anything that you don't want to replace. You should assume
that anything in the house will be considered a possible chew toy to a
puppy. If your wedding photo album is down within reach of a puppy, put it
away for a while. Get in the habit of NOT leaving your shoes by the door.
If she shreds newspaper just for the sheer joy of the sound and feel of it,
put it out of her reach. Limit the choices of what she can see to chew.

Now, make sure she has a selection of toys that she *is* allowed to chew.
Make them different textures - some dogs like squishy, some like soft, some
like hard and bumpy. (And this is not the time to include one of your old
slippers that you don't care about anymore. She can't tell the difference
from that one and the new pair.) When she starts to chew on something that
is not one of her toys, distract her (give an uh-uh if necessary), take away
the item and replace it with one of her allowed toys. Show her how much fun
it is to chew on her own stuff.

Rinse, lather and repeat. Over and over. When she can't be supervised, do
not leave her in an area that has anything she is not allowed to chew on.
Crate, pen, gated in the kitchen - whatever works for you.

~~Judy



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