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Puppy chewing is a perfectly normal behavior. Puppies do not know what is acceptable to chew and what is not acceptable until you teach them. When you bring your puppy home there are some basic guidelines that will assist you in teaching you puppy to live comfortably in your home and direct his chewing appropriately:

• Puppy proof your home - Select a room or space that will be your puppies place to play when he is out of his crate. Puppy proof that area. Remove any scatter rugs. Tape down electrical cords. Take out plants. Remove Grandmas favorite footstool! Puppies can’t hurt things that are not there.
• Provide plenty of chew toys - Find a “puppy toy box”. Remember whatever you select may also be chewed. This box or basket should be for puppy toys only. Provide a wide variety of toys. Be sure there are some hard toys, soft toys, balls, bones, etc. Teach your puppy to go to his “toy box” by placing a cookie in the box and saying, “go find a toy”. Praise your puppy when he lifts a toy out of the box. Change the puppy’s toys periodically.
• Make sure your puppy has plenty of exercise - Puppies, who do not get exercise, get into trouble. Take time to play with your puppy outside. Bring your puppy to visit other puppies if possible. Set up puppy play dates. If you can find a companion for your puppy, this will be forever valuable.
• Confine your puppy when he is not supervised - If you don’t want your puppy to misbehave, don’t leave him alone where he can misbehave. If you cannot watch him, he must be confined to a place where he can’t find any trouble.
• If your puppy takes an inappropriate object in his mouth, distract him immediately saying, “leave it”. Replace it with an appropriate toy. It is important for the toy you are offering to be more exciting and better than the inappropriate item he has just lost. Make toys more exciting by tossing them in the air or bouncing them on the ground. Wiggle them in front of your puppy so he can chase the toy. Puppies love “the chase”. Make happy sounds with your voice and praise him when he drops the inappropriate object in favor of the appropriate toy. Have a short play period with him so he learns that taking the appropriate toy means something good will happen.
• Don’t scold your puppy for chewing something inappropriate unless you catch him in the act - If you do not catch him in the act, it is too late. Consider this an example of a mistake that YOU have made, and don’t leave your slippers on the floor next time.

If your puppy has plenty of suitable play toys and lots of exercise, you will find that he quickly learns right from wrong. However, it never hurts to have a collection of special treats to help you through difficult teething periods or times when you are simply too tired or to busy to spend enough time with your puppy.

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