Repositioning such items as sewing needles, cleaners, soap, candy, yarn, paint, mod- eling clay, pens, pencils, thumb tacks or crayons (the list goes on and on) is the surest way to keep the puppy safe. Think of him as a human toddler, a very busy and curious creature, investigating, touching and tasting everything.
Puppies simply enjoy chewing and it doesn't matter if the item is an old running shoe or your very best dress shoe. It's also nature's way of reducing the painful eruption of baby teeth and then the arrival of adult teeth a few months later. They can also chew to relieve stored up energy stresses or just from simple boredom. Acceptance of these facts is a very bigstep in understanding your puppy. You probably can't watch your puppy 100 % of the time if you're like most people, therefore, the safety precautions make perfect sense and are a NATURAL way of resolving the problem.
All puppies chew. It’s nature’s way of reducing painful cutting and growing of baby teeth. They also chew to relieve stress from built-up energies within themselves or from simple boredom. Puppies will chew anything, from toilet paper to gyp rock or wallboard. Preventative measures are the best method of correcting the problem
The puppy needs a variety of textures and sizes of toys to vent different areas of canine instinct. For example, soft , plush type toys simulate small mammals to your puppy. Stuffed toys designed for dogs are safe; if you are giving any other stuffed toy, remove the toy’s eyes & noses and any other parts that can be chewed off for safety. If the pup was still with it’s mother instead of with you, she would be teaching it how to stalk, hunt and even perhaps ingest small mammals to survive. Those instincts are still active even though we humans provide them with a balanced diet. Allowing them to have access to furry, little stuffed toys enables them to vent this natural instinct. You may see your puppy stalk or sneak up on this type of toy, then pounce on it, play with it by tossing it around the floor or through the air then pounce on it again. They will mouth the object and may even shred it pretending to kill it. If this happens, remove the article and give him another.
Rubber toys come in all shapes and sizes and make super entertainers. A small Kong (hard rubber hollow toy) or two are wonderful to have. You can smear some peanut butter or cream cheese inside to give your pup lots of busy time in his crate. Of course, no toy box is complete without a ball of some sort in it. Tennis balls, the orange ball hockey balls, soccer balls, footballs and big soft baseballs seem to be favorites. One of our JRTs has a Jolly Ball, a large hard ball designed for horses, that he enjoys pushing around the yard and growling at for hours.
Without access to his own toys, your puppy will find his own toys amongst the families belongings. This could include slippers, mats, shoes, cushions, couches, chair legs, cushion flooring, woodwork, etc. We have all heard the horror stories of people coming home to find that “FIDO” ate through their living room sofa. Why?? Because he had free access to it (uncrated), plus a reserve of energy that needed to be burnt off.