Pebbles and the Teething Stage: Life with a Tiny Land Shark!

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Pebbles is right in the middle of the teething stage. And, wow… those teeth!

I’ve worked with lots of puppies over the years, but having your own puppy is always a good reminder of what this stage is actually like to live through. You can know all the theory in the world, but it’s very different when you’re trying to drink a cup of tea while a puppy is hanging off your shorts!

Pebbles is currently at the age where absolutely everything is worth investigating with her mouth. The sofa, the skirting board, things she’s found on the floor and, occasionally me.

So I thought I’d share what we’re doing to get through the teething stage, because it’s something I’m sure many of you will experience with your own puppies.

Why do puppies chew so much?

There are several reasons, and teething is only part of the picture.

Puppies explore their environment with their mouths. They don’t have hands to pick things up and investigate them, so their mouths do a lot of the work.

Then, as their adult teeth start coming through, their mouths can become sore and uncomfortable. Chewing can help relieve some of that discomfort.

Puppies also simply enjoy chewing. It’s a natural behaviour and can be incredibly satisfying and calming for them.

So when Pebbles starts chewing something she shouldn’t, my aim isn’t to stop her from chewing.

Instead, I’m thinking:

“What can I give her that she is allowed to chew?”

That’s a much more useful approach.

What Pebbles is chewing

I’ve given Pebbles a few different options and, like most puppies, she definitely has her favourites.

One of the simplest things I’ve been using is a frozen flannel.

I’ll wet a clean flannel, twist it up and pop it in the freezer. When it’s frozen, Pebbles gets something cold to chew, which can be soothing on sore gums. She absolutely loves it.

I’ve also been giving her dried ostrich tendons, which have gone down extremely well.

And she’s been enjoying braided rabbit and lamb skin too.

I like giving her different textures rather than relying on one particular chew. Sometimes she wants something cold, sometimes she wants something she can really get her teeth into, and sometimes she just wants something she can quietly work away at.

It’s really about finding what your individual puppy enjoys.

Of course, every chew comes with its own considerations, so I always supervise Pebbles when she’s chewing and make sure the things I give her are appropriate for her age and size. If something starts breaking apart or she’s managing to swallow large pieces, it gets taken away.

But harder doesn’t mean better

It’s tempting to think that a teething puppy needs something really hard to chew.

I actually want to be quite careful about that.

Very hard chews can potentially fracture teeth, particularly in young dogs. Antlers and very hard bones are examples of things I wouldn’t choose for Pebbles.

The aim isn’t to find the hardest thing possible. It’s to provide an appropriate outlet for chewing without putting unnecessary stress on those developing teeth.

Pebbles and the furniture problem!

Of course, having lots of lovely chews doesn’t mean Pebbles has suddenly decided that the sofa is boring.

Unfortunately, the sofa is still very interesting!

This is where management comes in.

Pebbles doesn’t know that her chew is hers and my furniture is mine. She just knows that both are interesting things that she can investigate.

So I try to make the right choice easy.

If I see her heading towards something she shouldn’t be chewing, I’ll calmly interrupt her and redirect her onto something appropriate.

If she chooses to chew that instead, that’s exactly what I want to reinforce.

I’m not interested in telling her off for being a puppy. I want to teach her what is appropriate.

The more opportunities she has to practise chewing her own things, the more useful those behaviours become.

And then there are the teeth on skin…

This is probably the bit that people find the hardest.

Puppy biting can be incredibly frustrating — and sometimes it genuinely hurts!

With Pebbles, I try to anticipate it wherever I can. I’m getting to know her now, so I can often see when she’s about to launch herself at my hands, clothes or feet.

If I catch it early enough, I’ll redirect her onto something appropriate.

But I’m not going to pretend I always manage it!

Sometimes she gets her teeth onto my skin before I’ve had a chance to redirect her.

If that happens, I’ll say “no” in a calm but firm way and give her the opportunity to stop.

If she does it again, I’ll remove myself from the situation.

If she follows me and continues trying to bite, I’ll pop her behind a baby gate or into her crate for a minute or so, just to give everyone a chance to reset.

From a training perspective, what I’m doing here is actually negative punishment.

That can sound quite harsh, but it’s simply the technical term for removing something the dog wants in order to reduce a behaviour.

In Pebbles’ case, the thing I’m removing is access to me. If biting makes the fun interaction disappear, then I want biting people to become less worthwhile.

The “no” isn’t the punishment in itself. I’m using it as a clear verbal interruption. It’s the removal of access to me that is the negative punishment.

There is an important distinction here: I’m not trying to scare or intimidate her, and I’m not physically punishing her. I’m calmly setting a boundary and removing access to something she wants when she continues to bite.

My first choice is always to anticipate, redirect and reinforce appropriate behaviour. The removal of attention is there for those moments when she’s already crossed the line and the redirection hasn’t worked.

But please don’t take the biting personally!

This is something I think is really important to remember.

When you’ve got a puppy repeatedly biting your hands, clothes and ankles, it can feel like they’re deliberately being horrible.

They’re not.

Very often, puppy biting — particularly when it suddenly becomes frantic and relentless — is a sign that they’re tired, over-excited or struggling to regulate themselves.

I’ve definitely seen this with Pebbles.

There are times when she becomes particularly bitey and frantic, and my first thought isn’t:

“She needs more exercise.”

It’s:

“This puppy is exhausted.”

Puppies need an enormous amount of sleep, and an overtired puppy can look completely bonkers!

They can become mouthy, frantic, unable to settle and suddenly seem incapable of making any sensible choices.

Sometimes the best thing I can do for Pebbles at that point is give her a quiet space, something appropriate to chew and the opportunity to sleep.

Learning to recognise those early signs of tiredness has been really useful with Pebbles. The better I get at spotting them, the easier it is to step in before she gets to the point where she’s racing around the room looking for something — or someone — to bite.

Chewing is actually a really useful outlet

One of the things I love about giving Pebbles appropriate chews is that I’m not just addressing her teeth.

I’m giving her something to do.

Puppies have busy little brains. They’re learning constantly, experiencing new things and processing the world around them.

Sometimes they don’t need another training session or another exciting game.

Sometimes they need to switch off.

Watching Pebbles quietly settle down with a chew can be a really lovely part of her day.

It’s also a good reminder that enrichment doesn’t always have to mean another game or another activity. Sometimes something as simple as allowing a puppy to quietly chew something appropriate can be exactly what they need.

We’re learning as we go

One of the things I find interesting about having Pebbles is that I’m constantly learning from her too.

What worked yesterday might not be what she wants today.

Sometimes she’s happy with a chew. Sometimes she wants something cold. Sometimes she’s more interested in destroying a toy than quietly chewing it.

And that’s okay.

There isn’t one magical chew or one magical solution that works for every puppy.

The important thing is providing appropriate outlets, managing the environment, watching your puppy and learning what they need.

And thankfully… this won’t last forever!

When you’re in the middle of puppy teething, it can feel like you’re going to spend the rest of your life rescuing your furniture from tiny teeth.

But this is a stage.

Pebbles will grow out of it, her adult teeth will come through and the frantic chewing and biting will gradually become much easier to manage.

For now, I’m enjoying watching her grow and learn — even if I do have to keep one eye on her at all times!

So if you’re currently living with your own tiny land shark, remember that the chewing and biting are normal puppy behaviours.

Give them appropriate outlets, manage their environment, reinforce the behaviours you like and, perhaps most importantly, don’t underestimate how much sleep they need.

Sometimes the puppy who appears to need more entertainment actually just needs a nap!