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puppy teething, mouthing biting.

19 10:54:10

Question
I have a 10 week old Newfie puppy.  I haven't been successful in preventing her from biting and breaking the skin.  She has several toys, nylon bones. biting "tire" etc.
Any tips to help break this uncomfortable habit?

Answer
Yes it is annoying!! But it is a great window to teach her what you want her to chew on for the rest of her life. By "baiting" the appropriate items and constantly (and I do mean constantly!!) redirecting her onto the correct items, this very trying but normal behavior will dissipate.

It will resurge a bit when she gets her big girl teach around 4 months, but view that as a proofing.

Things that can make it worse
(eg: make it stick around longer than normal)
clamping her mouth shut
smacking her nose
spraying deterrent sprays in her face
making a big OW when she does it
(some dogs actually escalate when you do that)
shoving your fist down her throat when she bites

What will work:
patience
redirection

Great baiting:
Kongs with her kibble packed loosely inside and frozen
Dental dinosaurs frozen inside a bag with low sodium chicken broth
frozen bones (supervised only)
balls that spill kibble
hunting trails of kibble

Avoid:
cloth items that might be easily misinterpreted as couch cushions later on
peanut butter with sugar in it (not a big peanut butter fan, but that kong paste is fantastic!!)
items she has already destroyed but you do not want her to chew on later like old shoes or socks