Chewing is among the most common problems people have with new puppies.  Some common reasons as to why dogs and puppies chew are:

• Boredom
• Teething
• Enjoyment – It’s fun to tear stuff up.
• Inadequate or improper diet.

Dogs are inquisitive, especially during their puppy phase.  Plus, they do not have hands.  Think about how often one-year-old or two-year-old children exploring their new environment touch things.  A puppy is not unlike a child at this age.  However, since the uppy does not have hands, he explores with his mouth.  This is a very normal behavior.

The goal is not to eliminate puppy chewing – that would be impossible, but rather teach the puppy which things are appropriate to chew on!

The key to addressing chewing problems is to strongly fixate the dog on chewing the correct items.  If you can get your puppy to chew on the proper items 70% more than he does right now, they logically, the puppy is going to chew 70% less on the incorrect items.  That coupled with other things like proper exercise, proper diet and making some of the unacceptable items less available and tasty to the puppy will help you and your puppy become successful at eliminating most of the chewing problems you are facing now.

By fixating a dog’s attention on the proper chew toys, it will be easier for the dog to make the correct chewing choice.  Each and every time the dog makes the correct choice, he must be rewarded for doing so.  The reward given to the dog should not cause the dog to stop chewing.  It should only let him know that you are pleased with his choice.

How to Select Proper Chew Toys

Selecting the proper chew toys is extremely important.  Proper chew toys should be those items that you want your puppy to chew on, therefore they should not resemble any household item such as shoes or house slippers. (puppies don’t know the difference between worn out shoes and new shoes), newspapers, tassels, (rope toys with knots tied at the ends look a lot like tassels on a couch, blanket, etc. to a new puppy), stuffed animals (stuffed dog toys look just like children’s toys and you puppy won’t be able to tell the difference). Fully plush toys are similar to carpeting, rugs and throw pillows.

The best items to select for puppy chew toys are ones that DO NOT RESEMBLE valuables in most homes.  Some of those chew toys are:  Nylabones and Kongs.   If you find that your puppy isn’t attracted to the Nylabones, try soaking them for 15 – 20 minutes a few times a day in low sodium beef or chicken broth or bouillon to give them a greater flavor and palatability.  Kongs, and other hard rubber toys that have a hollow center can be stuffed with peanut butter or cheese spread in the middle part of the toy and then frozen overnight. This will keep a puppy occupied for hours as he is licking the spread out of the middle of the toy.

These chew toys need to become the major source of interaction between your new puppy and all family members.  When anyone greets the puppy they should give him/her one of the chew toys that have been baited with a tasty food treat.  Games like fetch, using the baited chew toys, are a fun way to teach your puppy to associate the toy with good things.

If, or I should write,”when” your puppy finds an inappropriate object to chew on, DO NOT chase him in an attempt to get it away from him/her.  This will only turn in to a game for your puppy and he will look for ways to play this game again in the future.  It is best to call your puppy’s name and run away from him/her.  This normally will cause your puppy to abandon the object and chase after you.  Once the puppy comes to you, hand him an appropriate chew toy and pick up the inappropriate one – removing it from his reach.

]]> http://www.puppies-dot-com.com/chewing-problems/feed/ 2 http://www.puppies-dot-com.com/puppies-dot-com-on-the-news/ http://www.puppies-dot-com.com/puppies-dot-com-on-the-news/#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:41:05 +0000 Penny http://www.puppies-dot-com.com/?p=959 A digital invite by Smilebox ]]> http://www.puppies-dot-com.com/puppies-dot-com-on-the-news/feed/ 0 http://www.puppies-dot-com.com/writers-wanted/ http://www.puppies-dot-com.com/writers-wanted/#comments Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:14:38 +0000 Penny http://www.puppies-dot-com.com/?p=929 Our readers are San Diego and surrounding area city pet owners, specifically dog owners and we are lookiing for fun and useful info to share such as new products, services, and things to do locally.

We are looking for small sized bits of info 100 – 150 words max with photo’s if applicable. We will pay $5.00 per article and $8.00 per article that includes photos.

Articles must be original content, or must have re-print permission if taken from other sources. All articles must meet with Puppies Dot Com approval to be posted on our website.

Submit your article and photo(s) to Pdilo@pacbell.net

I want to thank everyone who participated in the, “Cutest Puppy Photo Contest”.

The photos, that were submitted to the contest, where adorable and everyone had a great time voting for the puppy of their choice.  Each puppy, in the contest, won a special place in the hearts of our readers – I am so proud to have been able to share them with the world.

Each of the photos, along with additional photos of the 1st 2nd and 3rd place winners, will be published in a beautiful 2010 wall calendar.

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Send one of these wonderful calendars as a gift and we’ll include a gift card and donation receipt in your name.Inventory is limited, so order today and avoid disappointment.

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Highly intelligent, alert, and enthusiastic, the Boston Terrier is affectionate and loyal. This breed is quite animated and has a lovely sense of humor. They thrive on human interaction and on being an integral part of the family. They do best in a home with children over the age of eight years and are exceedingly good with the elderly. They will generally get along with non-canine pets, although males may fight with other dogs. The Boston Terrier has a very sensitive nature and will be affected either positively or negatively by tone of voice or the home atmosphere and environment..

Frequently I receive calls from people wanting to know how to get started with breeding their dog(s).  Normally, after I share with them the amount of time, space, risks and costs, associated with breeding, most people quickly loose interest.

As true as with anything, there is a RIGHT way and a WRONG way to the art of dog breeding, and if it’s done the RIGHT way, their is little or no money to be made.  Please believe me when I tell you that I have been breeding dogs for approx. 16 years and I have never made a dime that I didn’t put right back in to my breeding program.

Weather it be proper genetic testing on my breeding stock, veterinary schooling/education cost for myself, regular maintenance and upkeep on our kennel, food, supplies, and the numbers “surprise” expenses associated with breeding – it all adds up to thousands per year.

If you are considering breeding as “Business” you will be in for a huge surprise. In addition to the expenses, associated with breeding, the most challenging issues is lack of inventory. Who would start a business with nothing to sale? One female can produce 4 – 5 puppies twice per year, but what about the other 8 months of the year? Even when you don’t have puppies to sale, the expenses and upkeep of your kennel continue to add up.

This is where the WRONG way of breeding comes in to view. Many “so called” breeders will try to make up for the lack of inventory, by breeding their females too often, to young, or by having too many females in hopes to have more litters to sale. This causes over crowding which in turn causes fights, and health issues.

Some “so called” breeders will try to make a profit by cutting their expenses. The WRONG way of breeding is to eliminate the health and genetic testing of their breeding stock, not vaccinate their dogs and new puppies, and inadequate cleaning of the dogs living areas.

Below, I have listed just a few of the costs associated with each litter.  This list does not include other possible costs such as the possibility of your female dog needing to deliver by C-Section (which is common in this breed). The added cost of a C-Section, can be as much as $2,400 or higher.

Money is not the only cost associated with breeding!

Just like taking care of a new baby, taking care of a new litter of puppies takes a lot of time and effort.  Hours are spent cleaning up after a litter of 5 puppies – REMEMBER THEY DON’T COME POTTY TRAINED!   A lot of breeders like to bost that their puppies are born and raised inside their house.  This is great, if you have a room in your home that you don’t mind having 5 puppies pooping and peeing in every 5 minutes – or if you have nothing else to do then stand over your dogs and clean all day long.

To sum it all up – the cost in money, time, space and stress of breeding Boston Terrier’s, if you do it the RIGHT way can be as much as $1,000 per puppy or more.

Feedback on Exercise Plans
By Lori Mauger, CPDT

As you know, the STAR Puppy program includes a requirement that you submit an exercise plan to your instructor.  The philosophy behind this requirement is to highlight the importance of regular activity in your dog’s life as well as to remind you that one-on-one dog/owner time is a critical necessity for your dog’s overall well being.

The good news is that training your dog counts as exercise—MENTAL exercise.  Dogs need their minds stimulated just as much as they need an outlet for the physical energy in their bodies.  Therefore, those of you who included dog training as part of your exercise plan are to be commended!  By the way, training doesn’t always have to be the “formal” exercises that you learn in class—training includes teaching the dog some tricks such as beg and rollover, and it also includes teaching the dog some games.  In fact, games that are governed by specific rules are the best way to accomplish your total mission:

• To exercise the dog’s mind
• To exercise the dog’s body
• To provide the dog with opportunities to interact and socialize with you

Why are games so important?  Think back to when you were a child.  How did you have fun?  You played games, of course!  Whether it was baseball or basketball, you got together with your friends and played games that had specific rules.  Dogs, like people, are extremely social beings.  Therefore, there’s nothing they enjoy more than to play games with you.  So how do you play organized games with a dog?

• First, you teach them the rules (training)
• Then, you enforce the rules (sportsmanship/good behavior)
• Finally, you have fun! (exercise and socialization)

Games can be anything you dream up.  For example, maybe you already play fetch with your dog, but the only criteria for the game are that you throw the toy, and the dog brings it back.  So how about modifying the fetch game with some simple rules?  First, have the dog sit while you pick up the toy.  If the dog breaks the sit when you reach for the toy, then don’t pick it up!  Start again, and remember to only pick up the toy if the dog remains in a sit.  Next, hold the dog’s collar while you throw the toy (just like we do when the “wait” exercise is introduced using the dog’s food bowl to teach him about self control).  When the dog stops straining against his collar, release him to run and get the toy.  While the dog runs to the toy, you run the other way and hide!  When the dog realizes you’re gone, allow him to briefly search for you (be quiet as he does so).  If he finds you—hooray!!  His reward is another game.  However, if the dog doesn’t fi!
nd you, then peek out from your hiding spot and call his name (which also reinforces the “name game” exercise).  When he gets to you, either reward him with a treat, or start the game again.  Remember, the game itself is rewarding for the dog, so food probably isn’t necessary.  Each time you play, try to pick a different hiding spot to keep it interesting for the dog.  I can’t stress it enough:  dogs LOVE this type of play!  I hope that game playing becomes a top priority in your exercise plan.

©2009 Lori Mauger, CPDT
hipraise@optonline.net
Permission to reprint with credit to author noted

The best thing to do in order to handle this situation is to train them what they can and cannot chew. Keep your belongings out of your pet’s reach. Shoes, socks, books and other things you do not want destroyed should not be left lying around. Even old shoes, clothing and socks should not be given to dogs to chew on because they cannot tell the difference between the old and new.

Since it is not right to totally curtail a dog’s instinct to gnaw on things, direct his attention to things that you want him to chew such as chew toys. Your dog should have lots of it and must be appealing in order to keep him interested. If your dog is fond of chewing things with your scent on them, leave the toy in your laundry hamper for days before giving them to your dog. You may also want to rub something tasty or stuff the toy with anything your dog finds rewarding. When you feel like your dog is up to something, remove the item and give him chew toys instead to divert his attention.

When shopping for dog toys, choose toys that are safe for your pet. Toys that are easily broken or with small parts can be dangerous to your pet so beware of these items. There are also washable toys available.

And just like other behavior problems, the desire to chew can be minimized with regular exercise. Dogs that are physically and mentally stimulated are less likely to get bored thus they are also less likely to chew and become destructive.

About The Author

Richard Cusson is a dog enthusiast and has been writing training tips.