[BabyBelle12]

Hello, I just recently got my beautiful little puppy, Belle, and we've been having problems with her chewing. She chews on our rugs, chews on her crate, and on my clothes! She's just a little over a month old, so I assume she's teething? I'm not exactly sure, but we'd just like to control it a little. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

-Jes and Belle

 

[Vhuynh2]

Most very young puppies like to chew a lot. Once, a guy with a toolbox stopped to pet her, and she started chewing on the corner of his box. They don't start teething until 4 months and by then Molly knew to only chew on her toys.

 

[laprincessa]

Bitter Apple
It will save your furniture

 

[OutWest]

Your baby is very young to be away from her mom and siblings. Would have been best if she'd stayed another four weeks. Now that's she's home you'll need to teach her some of the things she would have learned from them, like bite inhibition. The teething process is something she needs to do. Once she's done with that she needs to know what is acceptable to put her mouth and teeth into. I'd suggest finding good books at the library and reviewing them. A really good author is Ian Dunbar who writes a lot about puppy training. At least one of his books is available for free on the Internet. And if you search this site for bite inhibition you'll find lots of good informationn.

Welcome to GRF, good luck, and post some pix of your baby.

 

[BabyBelle12]

Your baby is very young to be away from her mom and siblings. Would have been best if she'd stayed another four weeks. Now that's she's home you'll need to teach her some of the things she would have learned from them, like bite inhibition. The teething process is something she needs to do. Once she's done with that she needs to know what is acceptable to put her mouth and teeth into. I'd suggest finding good books at the library and reviewing them. A really good author is Ian Dunbar who writes a lot about puppy training. At least one of his books is available for free on the Internet. And if you search this site for bite inhibition you'll find lots of good informationn.

Welcome to GRF, good luck, and post some pix of your baby.

Really? Her breeder told me the litter was old enough to leave home. Now I feel like I'm depriving her of knowledge she could have known. She's very well behaved and sweet as can be (she sleeps a lot, though) She's quiet, and rarely barks or whines unless she's very excited or needs to go out. I appreciate the information though, I'll surely look into everything you've mentioned. Thanks so much!

Here's a pic of her today, looking at a bird outside the window.

 

[Aspen's Mom]

Belle is such a little cutie!!

 

[inge]

From your ticker I gather Belle is a little over six weeks old. That's still young, two more weeks at the breeder would have been preferable to teach her more about bite inhibition. Nylabones, chew toys, bitter apple, antlers....they are going to be your best friends the coming months. She is a cutie, though.

 

[Bill55]

Deer antler! Saved furniture and many ankles in our home.

 

[Willow52]

From your ticker I gather Belle is a little over six weeks old. That's still young, two more weeks at the breeder would have been preferable to teach her more about bite inhibition. Nylabones, chew toys, bitter apple, antlers....they are going to be your best friends the coming months. She is a cutie, though.

Not necessarily, my youngest pup was the best about not chewing, my oldest the worse, the others in between. My brother's pup was older due to a Christmas hold and that little dog has done more damage than all mine combined.

Just make sure your puppy is crated, in a x-pen or other safe area when you can't watch her.

 

[OutWest]

Really? Her breeder told me the litter was old enough to leave home. Now I feel like I'm depriving her of knowledge she could have known. She's very well behaved and sweet as can be (she sleeps a lot, though) She's quiet, and rarely barks or whines unless she's very excited or needs to go out. I appreciate the information though, I'll surely look into everything you've mentioned. Thanks so much!

Here's a pic of her today, looking at a bird outside the window.

Most breeders like to keep the pups for 8 weeks. But it varies. This, like everything, is open to debate!

Just know that she really, really needs to chew. She's not being destructive on purpose and she's not being disobedient. She hasn't got a clue about what obedience is at this young age. She can get herself into a lot of trouble because she'll try to chew on things that are dangerous, so a crate is a great idea when you can't watch her every move. You can tell her "no" and take something away, but you'll need to repeat it many times... The best tactic right now is to only expose her to those things that are acceptable to chew. Be sure to read up on bite inhibition--that is a different topic altogether. You should be teaching her who or what is OK and not to bite or even put her teeth on.

She sure is cute! Have fun and take lots of pictures. You won't believe how fast they grow.