Teething, Chewing, Biting and Separation
Teething Remedies and Help for New Puppies
Nipping and Biting: All Puppies go through a teething stage, where the gums are sore and painful.
What people do not realise is it can last for a whole year, depending on breed and size.
It all starts around three weeks of age when your pups teeth start to appear. This is the first teething period
By the time it is eight weeks it has a full complement of 28 puppy teeth.
Puppies are so adorable they have the Ahhhh factor, we just want to pick them up;
Perhaps nature has made them like that so we still accept them, even though they have a mouthful of teeth that a Piranha would be proud of.
Which anyone who has ever owned a puppy will know, that they are used on us at every opportunity.
Fortunately, at this time the jaw muscles are underdeveloped, therefore, the puppy cannot do too much damage.
Strangely enough, this nipping and biting behaviour has little or nothing to do with teething;
it is an exploratory behaviour and aids what is known as Bite Inhibition
This is why you must start working on (1) Bite Inhibition before 16.5 weeks, see how and why this happens.
More importantly, it explains what you need to do to overcome it correctly so that your dog inhibits its bite in every circumstance.
Teething: All mammals go through a teething stage including humans.
We start with milk teeth and progress onto adult teeth, exactly like puppies.
The time scale for dogs is just far quicker. Teething starts in earnest at around 16 weeks.
That is when the puppy teeth are gradually pushed out by the permanent adult teeth. By the age of 7 to 8 months, the pup should have all his teeth.
Adult dogs normally have 42 permanent teeth. Teething causes pain and discomfort due to the pressure of the growing teeth, as they set in the gums.
The puppy will have a need to chew even more during the teething period. This normally extends right up until your dog is one-year-old.
As a general rule of thumb, larger breed gets over the teething and get their teeth quicker than the smaller breeds
Unfortunately, teething can be relieved on household furniture, electrical wires, telephones, remote controls, and items that could be extremely dangerous to the exploring puppy.
This is what I give to teething puppies (2) Air Dried Natural Treats. I have my own brand of treats.
I started my own range of Doglistener Premium Treats in Autumn 2018. I did that because I wanted to be absolutely certain that the treats I was selling were ethical and truly natural.
I needed to be able to guarantee their provenance and I needed them to fulfil certain ethical criteria that I personally believe in.
For them to fulfil these requirements, they had to be from free-range animals, all grown as nature intended with no growth hormones, steroids, or antibiotics and non-halal and from EU regulated livestock. They also had to be totally natural without any additives colourants or even spices.
They also must be from human grade animals, not the so-called 4-D meat that gets its name from diseased, dying, disabled and dead livestock, deemed unfit for human consumption.
Once I had found suitable suppliers from only EU countries which have stringent requirements regarding animal husbandry I had one final condition
I wanted the treats to be once dried, to be packaged and sent directly to me, not stored in warehouses for months if not years, which is how some dog foods and treats are kept.
Also, read my article on (3) Separation Anxiety.
One of the common toys is Kongs. I would never ever give a kong to a puppy or an adult dog. They are made of s rubbery type material and have strong colours none of which is natural, therefore with constant chewing these chemicals and colours will leach out. That is why I always give my own dogs natural air dried treats as nature intended.
Safety: Dogs can get injured or become ill because of the objects they find and chew. Whilst in this stage, they often test different objects and textures to relieve the pain they are feeling. Your priceless Chippendale or latest phone is just another object to try out with their teeth. Therefore control and isolation from these objects is important. Also giving alternative objects to chew on helps divert the puppy from the things you do not want it to destroy.
Crates and Playpens: Crating your dog or puppy can have many benefits. It speeds up toilet training;
Puppies and adult dogs have a natural liking for enclosed sleeping places.
Think of how often dogs and pups choose to sleep under the table, against a wall or behind the settee, it gives them a feeling of comfort and security.
A playpen should be sturdy and suitable for any size room.
Teething Aids: People buy lots of different chew toys and chew treats for their pups and dogs. Yet the very best are Calves Hooves stuffed with Sprats and sealed in with Jerky then frozen. The coldness helps inflamed gums. and the Bye BYE Hoof helps overnight and with Separation Anxiety. I sell all these treats
Frozen Carrots: A cold or frozen whole carrot helps soothes the gums. It tastes good and is rich in vitamins and minerals. Limit the pup to one a day as too many can upset the stomach because it is so fibrous.
Dog Chews: I am not keen on Rawhide chews as they can clump up into sodden balls, causing blockages in the stomach, and bowel problems. I am also not happy with some dog treats as many are full of preservatives and additives and they can be stuffed full growth hormones, steroids and antibiotics. Because of this, I have decided to source my own brand of treats that are air-dried and totally and natural. I purchase these from the EU, because of their record of top-class hygiene and animal husbandry and quality.
These treats include Calves Hooves Bully Ends also known as Bulls Pizzles, and Beef Scalp great for all dogs and puppies They are also fantastic as a long-lasting chew for dogs that need something to chew on because of separation anxiety. The treats I currently sell include Dried Sprats, Beef Jerky, Calves Hooves and Bull Pizzle Ends. You can see my range of nearly 40 different treats (2) Air Dried Natural Dog Treats on my website.
Dog Food: I have written articles about (5) Food and Dog Behaviour and (6) Bakers and Pedigree complete dog food which explains the level of additives that are put into some of our best-selling dog foods. Certainly, they are both worth a read. The first one is a guide to what is the best type of food to feed your dog covering Kibble, Tinned/Pouch and Raw. The second lays bare the level of artificial ingredients there are in many of our most popular brands, I believe some of these ingredients and contentious and potentially dangerous.
Remember to cut down the level of food you giving your pets if you are using a lot of treats.
© Stan Rawlinson
Dog Behaviourist March 2014
Updated 2019
(1) Bite Inhibition
(2) Air Dried Natural Dog Treats
(7) Fish4Dogs Natural Treats
