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August 19, 2014

The Joys of Living With a Teething Puppy

Raising a puppy sometimes feels a lot like driving in circles. “Didn’t we already pass this place?” is a common refrain in both cases. Currently, Penny is in the throes of teething and has reentered the much dreaded “If it is a thing, and I can reach it, I’m chewing on
Raising a puppy sometimes feels a lot like driving in circles. “Didn’t we already pass this place?” is a common refrain in both cases. Currently, Penny is in the throes of teething and has reentered the much dreaded “If it is a thing, and I can reach it, I’m chewing on it” phase that typified her first days home. I do my best to keep the little menace occupied.Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, teething, chicago, marking our territory

I strategically place bones and chew toys along the floor to keep Penny away from the furniture

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, teething, chicago, marking our territory

That plan doesn’t always work, unfortunately. Penny feels compelled to test her jaws out on everything

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, teething, chicago, marking our territory

Including Eko’s collar…

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, teething, chicago, marking our territory

And shoot, she’ll even munch on Eko! Who clearly doesn’t find this particular habit as funny as I do

Maybe it was karma, or maybe my luck ran out, but we just suffered our first real teething casualty.

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, teething, chicago, marking our territory

I ran downstairs to take out the trash only to find Penny had begun an art project in my brief absence

I walked in and was handed that strong emotional cocktail of frustration, guilt, self-hatred and regret that only dogs know how to perfectly mix up. That pit in your stomach is the worst!

But there was nothing to do except be thankful I only own second-hand furniture! After they give you that gut wrenching feeling, dogs are also excellent at helping you find zen. Penny’s teething is no fun for us, but I’ve been keeping an eye on her gums and know that it’s certainly a real pain for her.

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, teething, chicago, marking our territory

A baby tooth (curved, middle of mouth), crowded out and hanging by a thread. Looked painful!

In the hopes of saving the rest of my furniture, I’ve added a number of frozen treats to Penny’s daily schedule. The above tooth finally fell out, but the ice should help numb those gums while the rest of her teeth come in.

If you have any additional suggestions for helping along a teething pup be sure to let me know. I’d like to keep those little razor-wire teeth from cutting through everything I own!

Comments for The Joys of Living With a Teething Puppy

  1. Oh nooo! Poor you! Poor Eko!!!!! Poor Penny! You are doing everything that you can do….I had given Dakota all kinds of things, he finally grew out of his craving for wood at about age 2 (I am NOT kidding) I tried the bitter apple (I basically am against using that, but I was at my wit’s end) and it didn’t work anyway.

  2. fredrieka says:

    I still like chewing, but mostly on a antler momwithoutpaws gave me. I only do it when I am real bored

  3. Kyla says:

    It will be a great excuse for new furniture-until you get another puppy. Kismet says get a parrot-no teeth.

  4. Elyse says:

    Duncan loves ice cubes. I’ve found a couple of recipes for easy home-made frozen treats because he simply inhales chew bones of all types. I haven’t tried these, but they sound good. Floor might need mopping more often, though.

    http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/diy-eat-frozen-treats/20315

  5. Emmadog says:

    Luckily teething with Bailie was a breeze and she was fine with antlers when she needed a chew. Our nightmare began at 13 months! Mom just tries to smile and be patient, it is about all one can do with a young one.

  6. Tiffany F. says:

    I thought baby teething was bad, but at last my daughter can’t destroy furniture with her chompers. Although she is making a pretty good dent in her crib………

  7. Oskar loved his nylabone dental dinosaur. His brother Jester however, arrived later and loved my Teak table and chairs. You might try the Dental Dinosaur, the nubbins seem to massage the sore gums.

  8. Dottie and Tuffy -Cat says:

    Furniture can be repaired – or replaced, if it’s too bad. But, sometimes it’s neat to just keep it for a conversation piece… and a reminder. Although parrots don’t have teeth, trust me, they have very hard and sharp beaks. I had one for several years and he loved taking my pierced earrings out of my ear, but ever so gently, and he called me Baby. But, they just don’t cuddle like a cat or dog. You may want to let Penny chew on a cold wet washcloth, when all else seems to fail. You might even want to put it in the freezer for awhile. Love all the photos, Will. Keep them coming.

    Dottie and Tuffy-Cat

  9. Clowie says:

    I chewed everything that they couldn’t move! My bipeds were pleased when that phase was over!

  10. Jamie says:

    We had great luck with whole frozen carrots. Our pup won’t touch them now, but they were his favorite then. Thankfully he never got furniture, but he did manage to chew a hole in the carpet.

  11. Alisa says:

    This had me laughing because I totally feel your pain! The mix of frustration and self-hatred can be so intense, you know it’s ultimately your fault but you wish it just hadn’t happened. Roo still has a lot of those needle sharp baby teeth but is getting in some big guys. Like Penny she also chews on the tail of Samson’s collar, as well as his ears, neck, tail, etc… So far we’ve been lucky as far as furniture, but I give her ice cubes, carrots, frozen kongs and good old fashioned sticks (I know not everyone would agree with sticks, but I live in Africa and we don’t have many dog toys here).

  12. Whoops that’s a heck of a chew time in your absence.

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