Teething and training

[Dexter Doodle]

My Dexter is a 13 week old mgd. It has been a long, tough 5 weeks. Since I am a worrier, I find myself concerned with not only what he is currently doing, but what he may do. Crazy, I know!

Anyway, since I watch Dexter like a hawk, I never allowed him to chew on anything he isn't supposed to. He will occasionally go after a shoelace, but I quickly replace it with an appropriate toy. I know with losing baby teeth soon, chewing is supposed to get worse. Does this mean that he will likely go after furniture and other non chew toys that he currently leaves alone? I certainly won't stop watching him, but does this need to chew make them go after everything or is it possible he will continue chewing appropriate items?

Also, the nipping got pretty bad for a while. I started to grab his snout, look him in the eye and tell him no biting. I then give him something to chew. After a few corrections he is usually good for a bit and will only lick or touch his teeth on me without any pressure. Again, will this all go out the door when teething gets worse?

We start with a trainer next week. I'm sure she will help answer many questions and set expectations. Boy do we have a lot to work on still! I keep trying to tell myself to take things day by day...I'm just not very good at it!

I look forward to hearing others experiences.

[Sarah & Dahlia]

I know exactly what you are feeling! My Dahlia is 6.5 months now, but when she was that old, I had numerous nick names for her like puppy piranha, shark puppy, Dahlia Diablo...the list goes on. My legs were covered in black and blue marks from her nipping, she wouldn't listen to any one and she definitely did not want a toy in her mouth instead of my hand. Training will help some, but he is going to nip still, they are very strong willed. I tried everything I could find on the internet and training with a dog psychologist and she still was nuts. I know it's frustrating right now and exhausting, but with time he will start to be that sweet boy more and more of the time. The chewing does not necessarily get worse in my experience, but I find my doodle prefers chewing on things that are food related, like bully sticks. Bully sticks come in all different shapes and sizes and can keep a puppy occupied for a good while, and they're not rawhide. When she was that age I just made it a point to observe what she really liked toy wise and get more of those so that she would have toys in any room we were in. Furry toys, balls, squeaky stuffed toys were all good. She didn't seem to have an interest in plastic or rubber toys. 

All the google searches in the world are not going to give you the magic spell to tame this pup, it's all about time and practice. Dahlia is the sweetest girl now and I know Dexter will be too, all this time and energy will pay off, but remember to relax and enjoy him now!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We managed to get through the chewing stage with no shoes, furniture or anything else "harmed in the process".  My guys always had lots of appropriate things to chew (antlers were their favorite), and I always corrected them and gave them a chewing alternative when they went to something they shouldn't chew on.  My little guy has always loved removing "squeakers" from stuffed toys....that's something I don't think he'll ever outgrow.

[Cindy and Olive (Ollie)]

Keep a damp, knotted washcloth in the freezer and he may love that during teething. Mine did. Also empty, cleaned and de-ringed Gatorade bottles were great. Cheap and accessible!

[Christina]

Im in the same boat but I call her Porsche monster, her name is Porscha. It does feel like it won't end but at the end of the day they are just a little innocent puppy. I keep the chew toys in the freezer and get a new one out when she needs it. I keep her chew things in every room. I also got a kong that I put peanut butter in when she is really going wild. That seems to get her attention the most