I have a nine week old dog, and I’d like some advice on a couple of things.
Should he have chew toys? I read a site online that said that chew toys were a bad idea because they prolong and encourage behavior that is destructive and unecessary. It said that people who say dogs need to chew to develop strong teeth and jaws are incorrect.
The puppy seems to go a little crazy when he’s on the leash. When we get back inside, he attacks the leash (growling and biting it), and bites and growls at me when I try to remove it. The leash doesn’t seem to cause him any pain, because he runs around outside on it, and does just fine. The problem starts when we get back into the house. Does anyone have any idea what’s going on here?
He’s afraid of the neighborhood dogs (because they bark at him), and tries to run back inside when he sees them. Should I let him, or make him stay outside and get used to it? He’s not afraid of all dogs, just the ones that bark at him, but I’m worried that he’ll grow up to be afraid to go into his own yard.
Just a note-I haven’t taken him to the vet yet because he is on vacation, but we will be going next week, and I do plan to ask his opinion on the situation.
I have never heard that. Where on earth would you have read such a thing? That’s bizarre.
A dog shouldn’t have TOO many chew toys; some dogs lose track of what’s theirs and what’s not if they have too many and are more likely to chew shoes and stuff if they have the impression that the world is their chew toy. This may be projection on my part, but it’s my experience that say 6 chew toys tops makes it easier to keep the puppy focused on legal chewables.
He’s probably playing. If he’s growling at YOU, to keep you away from his leash, that’s not to be tolerated.
Don’t “make” him. He’ll get used to it. If he’s confident that there’s a refuge for him if he’s afraid, he’s less likely to BE afraid. Forcing him to “face his fears” is more likely to reinforce them than assuage them.
This is absolute bunk. Dogs have a powerful instinct to chew-- in the wild, they chew on sticks and bones. It keeps their teeth clean and strong.
Dogs also get bored when their people are not home. Chew toys give them something to do. Otherwise, your dog might end up with nervous or destructive behaviors.
Give your dogs lots and lots of chew toys-- the bigger the variety the better. Never give him socks or old shoes, because that will get him used to chewing on things that smell like you, and he can’t tell an old shoe from a new one.
Flavored Nylabones are great for this purpose. Rawhide chews might or might not be good for your dog. It depends on their chewing style. If they tear off large chunks, or get bad gas after having one of them, they probably shouldn’t have them. Rope toys and Kongs are also great. Dogs love stuffed toys, but they usually don’t last long, and eating the stuffing can make them vomit or get very sick.
He’s playing with you, and is excited to be home. You need to train him what to do when you get home.
Have some treats sitting by the door. Make him sit, then give him one, preferably one which takes at least a few chews before he can swallow it. While he’s eating, take off the leash.
After doing this a few times, try it without a treat. Make him sit calmly, then take off the leash. Don’t take the leash off until he obeys you. If he starts to get excited when you reach toward him, stop, stand back up, tell him “NO!” and then command him to sit again. It may take a while but repeat until he will sit patiently while you remove the leash.
This dog really needs socialization. If you don’t act soon, he could become aggressive towards other dogs, or extremely timid. He also needs to learn dog ettiquette, and he can only learn that from other canines. If he doesn’t, he could get into fights.
You may want to think about enrolling him in Puppy Day Care. (Chances, are, there’s one near you.) They let dogs play in a supervised environment, and some offer training as well. It’s great for while you’re at work.
I had a dog with the same shyness problem. I took her to Day Care for about three months, and it completely solved the problem. For the first couple of weeks at Day Care, she huddled by a wall, still frightened of other dogs, then she started to loosen up. Within a month, she was playing happily with the others.
If you can’t do that, have friends with friendly dogs come over for a visit. Sit in the living room with the dogs, and just let them go. Your dog may need several sessions before he warms up, but enventually, he will start playing.
Your demeanor is also important. Dogs are amazing when it comes to reading body language. They can detect even slight tension in their people, and take their cues from it. If you are nervous or concerned when you see another dog, your dog will be, too. Act extremely casual around other dogs.
Don’t force him. Try to arrange situations where he will be around other dogs in a comfortable enviornment, but don’t make him interract. Let him adjust and learn at his own pace. If you give him enough positive interractions, he will be fine.
From here. I didn’t see the part where he recommended real bones and sticks instead of toys. Now, I see that he said that they didn’t need chew *toys * for strong teeth, not that they didn’t need to chew period. My mistake.
Thanks for the book recommendation. I’ll pick that up ASAP. As for the leash, he does play growl and bark sometimes, but this seems different than that. It seemed strange to me that the leash seemed to cause the behavior.
Okay, good. I’ve been letting him go back inside, but I wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do.
Sticks are not a good idea. First of all, splinters can lodge in their intestines, and secondly, you don’t want you dog to get the idea that chewing on wood is okay, or your baseboards will suffer for it.
Bones MAY be okay, depending on your dog’s chewing syle. If he just gnaws on them, they’re probably fine, but if he breaks off chunks, you shouldn’t give them to him because they can get lodged in the intestines, too.
Here’s a chew toy which will keep your dog engaged for hours: Buy a large rubber Kong toy. (They look like big, red, hollow turds, frankly.) Stuff it full of peanut butter and leave it in the freezer overnight. Hours of yummy fun.
Unfortunately, there’s not one around here, since I live in the middle of nowhere, but during the day, he’ll be going to a home where a one year old dog lives.
Yep, he’s got a kong (although I got him the small one) along with a few other things, then I found that page, and thought “shoot”. Dog #1 isn’t a chewer either (honestly, he just sits around most of the day. I don’t know what his puppy stage was like since he didn’t live here at the time). I didn’t think about the issues with sticks, but I’d decided not to give him bones for the reasons that you mentioned.
My newest dog, Sirius, wasn’t a chewer when I got him, either. He’d lived in an outside pen for his first five months, and he didn’t have any toys. Unfortunately, he had teeth problems because of it-- dragon breath like you wouldn’t believe! I really had to tempt him to get him to chew with tasty treats like those cornstarch bones and flavored rawhides. Once he started chewing, that cleared up the teeth problems.
Some bones are okay (if he doesn’t break off chunks). The sterilized bones you see in stores that are pre-filled with yummy stuffing are usually okay. They’re very hard, so most of the time, all the dog can do is scrape his teeth on them. My three dogs have some, but none of them are “chompers.”
The great thing is they last years. Once in a great while, I’ll rub some of the juice left in the pan after I fry a steak on it. You don’t have to make it greasy (which will stain the carpet). You can even wipe it off with a paper towel afterwards. The scent remains enough to make the bone attractive again. You can also put a smear of peanut butter on the inside.
What everyone else has said. In addition two words.
Obedience School.
Find a good one, don’t go to some fly by night one with oddball beliefs like where you found the information on “dogs aren’t supposed to chew”.
This is the best to to gently and lovingly show the puppy that YOU are the alpha dog and that there are things that he’ll be expected to learn and rules he has to follow.
Scent training is a good way to avoid this kind of confusion. Put a drop of lemon juice or vanilla–any scent you choose-- onto all of the dog’s toys. He’ll learn he can only chew on items which smell like that scent.
I like to give my dogs lots of toys. It keeps them from getting bored, and mental stimulation is important for having a happy dog. A friend of mine rotates her dog toys-- she keeps half a dozen or so in a box, and every once in a while, collects the toys the dog has been playing with and dumps out the box of “new” toys.
There’s a school in my area that the puppy and I will be checking out this week. I’ve heard good things about it so I’m optimistic. It’s the only place around here, so I hope it’s a good fit. There’s so much conflicting information out there, that it’ll be great to find a place I can trust.
Thanks for the information on the sterilized bones and scent training Lissa. I’ll get a couple for both of the dogs. Maybe the flavors will get the older dog to chew a bit too. He too, has “dragon breath,” which is partly toned down a bit by getting his teeth brushed.