I know it's been awhile since I've posted - we've been very busy, both at work and at home. We bought a house, and we had our grand Re-opening at Petland under new ownership. The store looks great! Lots of remodeling, and lots of new products.
Our lesson today will be on Chewing.
My dachshund chews constantly. The good thing, is she doesn't chew on my furniture, shoes, or anything else. This is because I always have things for Greta to chew on! Her favorites are Cow kneecaps, pig ears, bully sticks, sheep trachea, and cow hooves. Notice a theme? Yup - they're all natural. No beefhide or rawhide for my puppy!
I stay away from rawhide because it can be dangerous. It is possible for your puppy to chew off a piece and swallow it. One of the problems with rawhide is that it doesn't soften when your puppy chews on it - that little piece she swallowed stays hard and sharp and can damage her throat, stomach, and intestines, leading to mucho expensive vet bills and pain for your puppy. Not every puppy will experience this, but I prefer to play it safe.
Most dogs will love chewing on the pig ears, and kneecaps because they are smoked and they smell like food. If your puppy doesn't show any interest in the trachea or hooves, you can smear or fill it with some peanut butter or cream cheese to generate interest. Then your puppy will find out that it is very satisfying to chew on.
Make sure at least one of these items are always available to your puppy - I always leave a cow hoof laying around. They don't get sticky or gross when the puppy chews, unlike the others. Then, every so often I give one of the other chews.
If your puppy insists on chewing on items that are forbidden, you can spray them with bitter spray available at most pet stores or, for furniture or woodwork, you can wrap it in tin foil...have you ever accidentally bitten down on your fork? Same idea...it's icky to chew on metal. Incidentally, this also works if you have a cat that likes to scratch your furniture.
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