All the things I wish I knew before I got my first ever puppy!
If there’s one thing puppies love to do the most, it’s chew. Whether it be your hands, the furniture, your shoes, your feet, stones in the garden, if they can get it in their mouth, they’ll have it!
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I read before we got Cooper that Golden Retrievers are known as little land sharks and one of the bittiest pups going. I was expecting the odd nibble, but I had no idea just how bad pup’s chew and bite!
Even if your pup isn’t a chewer initially, between 4-6 months puppies lose their baby teeth and grow around 42 adult teeth…that’s a lot of teething for 2 months!
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There seem to be 4 kinds of chew that I’ve come across so far…
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Chew toys.
Chews with flavour but not edible.
Edible chews.
Makeshift Chews.
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Every dog is different, but I found in order of favourite, Cooper will always go for the edible chews first, then chews with flavour but non edible, then makeshift chews, then if he’s really bored he’ll chew on the chew toys. Obviously you have to limit how many edible, chews they get and always be weary of any age recommendations for them!
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We find Cooper goes through patches of teething, and boy do you know it when he’s got a tooth loose or a new one coming through!
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Here’s a list of the chews that Cooper chooses…
BULLY PUZZLE STICKS
(edible)
I genuinely don’t even know how to begin to explain how much Cooper loves these things. A trainer recommended them to us and sent me this link on Amazon, I was a bit unsure at first as they are super pricey as far as treats go, but oh my… they work WONDERS. They keep Cooper occupied for about 30mins to an hour at a time and you will not hear a peep out of him. You can buy them at pet shops as well, but I’ve found that he doesn’t enjoy them as much. From the small amount of research/googling I’ve done on them, they are also a good source of protein for your dog and can help with their dental health.
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Also, fun fact… Bully/Pizzle stick is a fancy term for BULLS PENIS… the lady in the pet shop waited till I picked up a handful before she told me that!
DEER ANTLER
(Non-Edible (ish) )
Don’t worry, bambi wasn’t harmed in the making of these…well I don’t think so anyway!
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These are a really solid chew that pup’s can have a proper gnaw on and not really do any damage to. You can also get a full antler (instead of split), but apparently if your pup has one of them, limit them to 20minutes or so at a time with it because they are quite hard on their teeth.
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I've put -ish next to the non-edible, as although they don't technically eat them, they do wear down the more they chew on them!
YAKERS DOG CHEW
(Non-Edible (ish) )
These are very similar to the antlers in the fact that they can properly gnaw at them for long periods of time without making much of a dent into it. Again, they do eventually wear down, hence non-edible (ish!)
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The other cool thing about these is once they either get chewed down to a small piece or if they are dropped and a small piece comes off, you can put it in the microwave for a minute and it, for lack of better word, balloons up into a bigger treat that they can eat!
NOÂ HIDE CHEWS
(Edible)
This was something else recommended by a trainer which is proving super popular with Cooper. They come in 3 flavours and 3 sizes. Chicken, salmon and beef, small, medium and large.
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They aren’t quite as popular as the Pizzle stick, but they last Cooper a week or so with on and off chewing. The only negative with them is they seem to dry out quickly if left out- although that doesn’t seem to put him off chewing on them still!
CARDBOARD BOX
(Makeshift)
You know how you can buy a child all the toys in the world and they'll play with the box, well puppies are the same! It never ceases to amaze me just how excited Cooper gets at the sight of a box. He'll spend hours ripping them to shreds, which, although it makes a mighty mess, amuses him and saves my furniture!
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Just make sure there are no staples holding the box together and ideally take the tape off so it doesn't get stuck to them.
ICE CUBE
(Makeshift)
When Cooper is really teething ice cubes are a total lifesaver and he has 5 or 6 a day. The ice numbs their gums and helps with any teething pain. Unfortunately they don’t last long though so make sure your freezer is properly stocked up!
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(For an extra treat, boil some chicken and use the water that you boiled it in to make the ice cubes…and use the chicken as a treat for your pup- double whammy treat for them!)
AN OLD SHOE/SLIPPER
(Makeshift)
I say an old one because 1) It’s going to get wrecked and 2) dogs seem to want the shoes that have already been worn!
My grandad very kindly donated Cooper his slipper after Cooper quickly sped off with it the first time he went into his flat- he still chews/plays with it every day… and he still tries to steal his new slippers as well!
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Just make sure there’s nothing on the shoe or slipper that could come off and they could swallow!
COFFEE WOOD
(Non- Edible (ish) )
For the first few months, Cooper was completely indifferent about this chew. If you gave it to him he might have had a quick bite on it, but he never really gave it much attention. Then he got some of his big teeth through... All of a sudden the coffee wood keeps him amused for hours and he loves nothing more than sitting and gnawing on it! The idea of coffee wood is it's like eating a stick for them, but unlike a stick it doesn't splinter and large bits don't break off, instead it kind of crumbles into little pieces- not great for the hoovering, but a lot safer for your dog!
GREAT & SMALL CHEW ON BULL PIZZLE STICK
(Edible)
So these have the same name as the other bull pizzle, but these, for lack of better description are more crumbly! Cooper loves them and unlike the other puzzle sticks he never tries to swallow big pieces. However it only takes him 30 or so minutes to polish them off! As far as I know you can only get them from Pet’s Corner pet stores or from their online store.
CHEW TOYS
(Non-Edible)
To be honest Cooper really isn’t that interested in his toys to chew on per say. He goes to them as a last case scenario. But the toy above has been his favourite toy from day 1, and if he doesn’t have it to go to bed with, then all hell breaks loose! We always refer to it as Zebra… turns out it’s a cow. But hey ho!
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One thing I have found is the toys at Pet’s at Home have actually been really hardy and long lasting. He hasn’t managed to destroy any of the toys from there yet… Although touch wood, so far he hasn’t been the most destructive dog in the world!
