Yuliya Yuran

Rawhide Chews for Puppies - Make Chewing Safe and Healthy

Chewing is natural puppy behavior. Teach your puppy to chew on his treats instead of household stuff. Important things you should know about giving rawhide chews to a puppy.

While chewing is normal and beneficial puppy behavior, it can cause a lot of trouble and damage if you allow your new canine companion to select the objects of his chewing pleasure. It is likely that your puppy will find enjoyment in chewing your new wallet, shoes or furniture or make another inappropriate choice.

Do not punish a puppy for chewing and do not try to stop it. Chewing is in dog nature and puppies need to chew on something rather hard to alleviate teething pain and discomfort in their gums and also to develop strong jaws. Just direct the puppy on the right chew items and move away inappropriate ones. Praise and reward the puppy when he chews on his treats instead of household stuff.

Rawhide dog chews are excellent chewing items for both puppies and adult dogs, however a number of requirements should be observed to ensure that chewing on rawhide will be safe and healthy for a puppy. Choosing and feeding a rawhide treat to a puppy, remember the following:

• Quality is extremely important. Not all rawhide chews are made equal. American rawhide chews are produced under the strictest quality standards without chemical additives unlike most of rawhide bones and chews made in third world countries.
• Always supervise your puppy when giving rawhide. Watch closely that your puppy doesn't chew off and try to swallow large pieces that he may choke on. When the rawhide treat becomes small enough to swallow, remove it. Never leave a rawhide chew and a puppy alone unsupervised.
• Select softer types of rawhide for puppies.
• Do not give puppies large amounts of rawhide, as their digestive systems cannot assimilate excess of protein well.
• Do not let puppies drink large quantities of water after chewing a rawhide bone. Rawhide can swell in the stomach causing irritation or even bloating.

Observance of the above mentioned rules will give a lot of chewing pleasure to your puppy and make chewing healthy and safe.

It is also a good idea to habituate a puppy to rawhide treats from his adolescence, as rawhide chews provide a lot of benefits for adult dogs as well.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

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