Chewing is a normal stage that puppies go through as they grow and develop their adult teeth. Just like human babies, they use their mouths to explore their environment and occupy their time. Bored or unattended puppies can cause damage to household furnishings and can ingest material and make themselves sick. Some items may splinter and cause a puppy to choke or have internal injuries or blockages. The best way to avoid this is to be sure that the puppy is supervised and given appropriate items to chew on.
Select items that are appropriate for the puppy's size and breed. A small breed puppy needs smaller-sized chew items. A larger breed puppy could choke on a chew toy intended for a smaller-sized puppy. Some suggested chew items include hard or rubber toys and balls (correct diameter/size for the size of the puppy), nylon bones, and knotted ropes. There are a lot of different chew toys on the market. Just be sure that your puppy can't swallow or choke on the item.
Supervision of your young puppy is key! Puppies should always be supervised and kept out of areas where there may be more temptations. If the owner isn't able to watch them at all times, they may be safest in a controlled space such as a crate. This keeps them away from electrical cords and other items that could harm them or poison them.
If your puppy starts to chew on an item that he shouldn't, simply trade the item for something that is acceptable for him to chew. Be very consistent with this so that the puppy will learn that he must chew only on acceptable items. Praise him when he is chewing on the things you have provided for him. Your puppy doesn't need a huge number of toys, but there should always be one handy for him to chew on. To keep him interested, you can switch the toys in and out so that each day presents a different toy for him to play with from the day before.
