My puppy chews everything! Is this normal teething behavior?

Chewing on lots of things, including human hands and clothing, is completely normal behavior for a puppy this age - this is how puppies explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play. She will grow out of this behavior as she gets older, but there are some things you can do in the meantime that will help. Make sure that your pup has a variety of different toys to provide an appropriate outlet for this behavior - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. She should also have lots of different chews and long-lasting treats to chew on such as bully sticks, large rawhide chews, cow or pig ears, and puzzle toys like a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. You will need to keep your belongings put away out of her reach for now, just like you would with a toddler or small child. For furniture or other items that can't be put away, you can use Bitter Apple spray to make them taste bad, which should help to discourage her from chewing on them. If you are playing with her and she bites you, just redirect her to one of her toys and use that to play with her instead. If she bites your hands when you pet her, calmly stop petting and wait for her to settle down. I would not recommend restraining her against her will, or pinching her ear to punish her for this behavior - these techniques often make things worse by causing frustration, and do not help her to understand what you want. In addition, doing things like this may cause her to be afraid of being picked up or handled, since she associates pain and discomfort with these things. Just be patient and calm, and redirect her to appropriate things to chew as needed - this behavior will go away on its own with age :)

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You are likely describing teething which is basically a normal type of behavior when puppies are growing up and it is secondary to mouth discomfort as teeth are growing. I recommend that you get Lucy teething type toys which you can get at your local pet store or online. Anytime that he tries to nibble at you, you say no and give him the toy. This is likely going to resolve the issue. Puppies do tend to sleep for long periods of time and that is normal and expected so as long as she is not showing any other signs of being sick like vomiting or anorexia, it is ok to continue to monitor that. Good luck and have a great day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You are likely describing teething which is basically a normal type of behavior when puppies are growing up and it is secondary to mouth discomfort as teeth are growing. I recommend that you get Cooper teething type toys which you can get at your local pet store or online. Anytime that he tries to nibble at you, you say no and give him the toy. This is likely going to resolve the issue. Good luck and have a great day!

Wanting to chew on things is a very normal behavior for a puppy but you do want to make sure your house is puppy proofed so Venus doesn't eat something that can cause an intestinal obstruction. A Kong stuffed with a treat can be used to give Venus something safe to chew. A young puppy will often exhibit large bursts of energy so this is also normal behavior. Venus will most likely grow out of the chewing behavior. This article may be of interest to you: https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-great-toys-for-teething-puppies/ Thanks for using PetCoach!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unfortunately, this is very typical teething behavior. I have just refinished most of the baseboards in my kitchen from raising a litter of puppies! All you can do is provide Otto with as many different kinds of chew toys as you can find. They should be hard, soft, squeaky, crinkly, long & short. You may have to switch them out to keep his interest. I do not think you have to put him in time out for too very long, but he should be acclimated to a crate so he is confined when you are not interacting with him. ( I had too many pups to crate them all. I was fostering the litter until homes were found ). Tell him no when you catch him in the act, & put him in the crate with a treat & a couple of things to chew on for 15 minutes, or so. If he sleeps, leave him be. He should pretty much grow out of this behavior by 5-6 months of age. This is when his adult teeth will be in. Have patience. Otto will grow up.

I'm sorry to hear that you're frustrated with Gracie! It sounds like she's being a normal puppy - chewing on things is completely normal at this age. You will need to puppy-proof your room so that there is nothing on the floor or within her reach that she isn't allowed to chew on, just like you would with a human baby. She also needs plenty of different toys and chew items to provide an appropriate outlet for this behavior - try things like bully sticks, rawhide chews, cow or pig ears, and puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. Since it sounds like you are frustrated with Gracie in general and unsure how to teach her what you want, I would also strongly recommend enrolling her in a good puppy kindergarten class - the instructor can give you some in-person guidance in dealing with her normal puppy behavior, and show you how to teach her what you want instead of yelling. I also highly recommend the book "Perfect Puppy in 7 Days" by Dr. Sophia Yin - it's a great resource for puppy training and behavior issues, so you may want to give it a read when you get a chance.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Zoey. It is a normal behavior for a dog to chew especially a large breed one. It is just generally an undesirable one. Dogs can be destructive in the home with their chewing. It can be harmful to the dog as well if she ingests an object she chews on. This can become a major abdominal surgery to remove the foreign object. Do your best to provide indestructible toys to satisfying her urge to chew. Keep things picked up around the home to prevent her chewing things she shouldn't. I hope this information helps you!