My Princess Daisy *dot* com

Chew, Chew, Chew...

It seems like all Daisy does is chew. Whether it is one of her toys or my hand. When she still had her baby teeth it hurt to have her bite your hand. It was like hundreds of little needles poking into your hand. OUCH! I was confused and didn't know if I should scold Daisy when it came to her wanting to nibble on my hands. It is part of a beagles nature, especially as a puppy, to chew. I felt the best way to handle this was to hand her one of her toys whenever she wanted to nibble on my hands.

At about the 3 month mark of her life, she began teething, then losing her teeth. This is when the real chewing began. A puppy's gums hurt when they are teething simply because their adult teeth would be growing in. In this case, the puppy will want to chew to relieve the pain. I made sure to have plenty of chew toys around the house and yard. You don't want your beagle to find something like a shoe to practice her chewing skills on. Be sure to visit your local PetsMart or any other local pet store and buy your beagle some chew toys. I recommend a rubber Kong or something of that type. If you buy a toy made of cloth stuffed with cotton, then you're going to have a huge mess to clean up after your puppy is done chewing that toy. I learned this the hard way. I own a couple Kongs and they are very durable, they bounce better than a tennis ball, and my puppy loves them. The Kongs are Daisy's favorite toys. I highly recommend them for your chewing beagle.

Once your beagle puppy's adult teeth start to grow in, don't think that the chewing is over. Even though your puppy's front teeth have fallen out and grown in completely, the back ones are now taking their turn to do the same. The chewing will continue and you'll notice that your puppy will be chewing with the back teeth where they're growing in. Another thing you might notice is that your puppy will sometimes rub its mouth with its paws. They do this when their gums hurt. One thing you can do is give your puppy an ice cube or a frozen wash cloth. Daisy loves to chew on ice cubes now because of this. The frozen wash cloth is another good way for your beagle puppy to chew and it will relieve some of its pain. Simply grab a small wash cloth, soak it, then let it freeze in the freezer. It will become rock hard and your beagle puppy will thank you for this. The only bad thing is when it begins to melt. You'll have water all over the place. I would recommend doing this outside.

Remember not to get frustrated with all the chewing. Beagles are naturally chew hounds. Beagles chew when they are bored, so its your job to keep them entertained by playing with them. Be sure to have plenty of chew toys ready at all times. If your beagle puppy chewed up something you didn't want it to do, be sure not to physically punish your beagle. A simple, firm, verbal "No" will eventually get the point across that he/she did bad. Your beagle puppy will learn the difference between right and wrong. Be patient.