By Jeff Kahler, D.V.M.
McClatchy Newspapers
Bart loves to chew.
At the rate the 20-week-old pup is going, Gina is afraid most of her shoes will be gone. She has given Bart all kinds of toys, but he insists on chewing her shoes, among other household items. It’s not that he won’t chew on his toys, it’s that he likes to chew on everything else as well.
Chewing is as natural for puppies as it is for babies and toddlers. Chewing helps loosen baby teeth and allows them to fall out and give way to adult teeth. Unfortunately, as has been Gina’s experience with Bart, a dog is not always discerning about what is and is not OK to chew. He must be taught.
I am not a dog trainer, but can offer insight from personal experience with Pepper.
Pepper insisted on chewing everything, and her teething became destructive only because she was allowed access to items that should have been off-limits. My first step was to deny access. I also realized that when a dog is given many items with which to play and chew, they have trouble distinguishing what is appropriate to chew on and what is not. With Pepper, I gave her two toys. When she chewed on anything else, I would reprimand Pepper verbally and give her one of her two toys, followed by praise for playing with that toy. I would also praise Pepper when I found her playing with her toys of her own accord.
One thing, though, I would never advise giving a puppy an old shoe to chew on. It is simply unrealistic to assume your pup, no matter how gifted, can tell the difference between an old athletic shoe and a brand-new pair of Ferragamos.
There are lots of commercial items for dogs to chew on, some better than others with respect to safety and dental health. One item I do not like are tennis balls. These balls are not inherently dangerous, although I have had a patient who ripped apart a tennis ball and swallowed the pieces.
The fuzzy coating on tennis balls is highly abrasive and, over time, it wears down a dog’s teeth to the point of exposure of the pulp cavity and eventual tooth root abscessing. Many a golden retriever has worn teeth as a result of long-term tennis ball chewing. A better choice would be a ball with no “upholstery.”