Odd name I know! With pups heading to new homes, I wanted to write something hopefully helpful to anyone with a new lil pup at home!!
New pups bring so much fun, laughter & joy. They also bring a need for lot of work and patience from their human families! One thing that is so very important is using chew toys as a “pacifier.”
Puppies CHEW. A LOT. They teeth upwards of the first 6 months of their life. And this need to chew must be satisfied. If you do not provide the proper things they CAN chew on, they will find inappropriate items to teeth on!
You can use a pacifier to also help puppy associate places like a crate, car ride, trimming nails, etc as positive things. They also help keep puppy busy when left home alone.
My favorite pacifier is beef bones. (Not just because we live on a cattle ranch, I swear!) Beef bones are SAFE because they do not chip into little pieces (choking hazard). If you can find frozen fresh beef bones, it will keep your pup busy for a long time! You can take the pacifier away when you don’t need pup to be occupied/quiet, then bring it back out when needed again to keep it fresh and interesting! You can purchase beef bones at some local grocery stores, butcher shops, or now days even online! They might seem pricey, but they last FOREVER, and dogs are gauranteed to love them!
Another favorite pacifier is frozen Kong toy. You can stuff the Kong with anything you like, from the Kong brand stuffing cheese stuff, to mixing up meat mixture, to simply adding some canned dog food! Stuff them and freeze them for a pacifier thats sure to delight your pup!
Another option is beef/pig hooves! These can be purchased at most pet stores and/or tractor supply. Most pups will readily chew on these. If they need a little refresher, you can stuff them with any mixture like above in the kong paragraph, and freeze it if wanted!
Some benefits of using pacifiers include: -A calmer pup! – Less anxiety – Pup will learn quicker and with less frustration – Get along better with other dogs in the household! – Great for entertaining a pup when you are busy or if weather doesn’t allow much outside time
You can use other bones/chew toys, just be sure the pup actually chews on them and enjoys them. If they don’t chew on it, you don’t actually have a pacifier!
