All puppy’s need to chew to alleviate boredom, soothe gum pain, to investigate, and for the fun of it! Help your pup make the right chew choices by providing him with a variety of appropriate options and rotating them on a daily basis in order to keep his interest high.
There are a few general categories of chew toys that you should be aware of:
Food Dispensing Toys
These toys are hollow and designed to be filled with your pup’s kibble or treats. Your pup needs to push them about with his nose and paws to get the food to come out. These toys are great for helping your pup burn off mental and physical energy as they ‘hunt’ for their food.
Food Stuffable Toys
Like food dispensing toys, stuffable toys are designed to hold a special treat. The food stays in place in the toy and your pup chews or licks at it to work for the reward. Most food stuffable toys can be used with moist food such as peanut butter.
Digestible Chews
This includes bones, jerky’s, rawhides and bully’s. Note that many ingestible chew toys tend to be relatively high in sodium. This will make your pup more thirsty, so provide plenty of water. Digestible chews also have higher fat and calories and should remain more of an occasional treat.
Rubber and Plush Toys
Soft rubber toys are gentle on your pup’s gums and will help during the teething process. Plush or stuffed toys usually have a squeaker and will keep your pup entertained for hours. Supervise your pup while he is playing with toys. Always remove toys if they become damaged or ripped.
Freezable Chews
Especially early on in the teething process, the frozen or cold chew items are very soothing on your pup’s gums. There are a few good freezable chew toys on the market that you can check out here. Or if you are looking for a new DIY project try to make your own. Rip an old t-shirt to shreds, tie the shreds into a knotty rope, soak in water and freeze… Voilá!
P.S. Toy destruction is okay!
Let your pup rip apart that plushie, it will keep his attention away from household items that aren’t approved chew toys. Just make sure to monitor and remove the fuzz as it could be a choking hazard.
Bringing a new family addition into the home is extremely exciting! Becoming a new puppy parent comes with a ton of new joys, challenges and responsibilities. PupBox was created to help new puppy parents like yourself, by providing all of the toys, treats, accessories and training information you need, when you need it. CLICK HERE to learn more about PupBox.
And remember, puppyhood is fast and is gone before you know it. Make sure to savor the time when your pup is young, and take lots of pictures along the way!
