Chewing and Shredding
Puppies are notorious chewers. When a puppy is losing her milk teeth (at around five to six months of age) and her adult, permanent teeth are breaking through the gum line, the sensation is itchy, painful, and annoying. It is at this time that your puppy really needs something to chew on. Good chew items include puppy toys made of dense or solid rubber, hard chew bones (either synthetic or baked) such as those made by Nylabone, and dog toys made of twisted, knotted, multistrand ropes. These items do not break down into small pieces that could be swallowed or choke the pup accidentally.
Just as with a teething baby, teething puppies can find icy-cold items to be quite soothing to chew on. For the teething Chi puppy, you can place any of her toys or chews in the freezer and pull them out as needed.
To discourage a puppy from chewing on chair legs and carpet fringes or to discourage idle gnawing on baseboards, cabinet doors, and the occasional low windowsill, consider using a pet product designed specifically for this purpose. Nontoxic products such as Bitter Apple come in gels and sprays that are extremely distasteful to most puppies. Applying a product such as this to an endangered surface will often ward off the chewiest of puppies with just one taste. There are, of course, those pups with no taste. In these instances, keeping the pup away from her favorite inappropriate chewing items is the only way to ensure that these items remain safe.
