Wood for teething

WolfieWolf · 11-13-2012, 02:14 PM

I mentioned this in another thread, so sorry if I sound like a broken record, but am hoping for comments from more people on this.

Do you think it's OK to give a GSD puppy a portion of old furniture to chew on, making sure I remove anything like nails etc.? I did this with my previous GSD puppy, took the back of an old dining room chair off and gave it to him when he tried to chew on our furniture. He understood, and only chewed on his chair back from then on, till he was done teething. No harm came of it.

So, I'm wondering, now that I'm older and wiser, if I should have done that -- varnish, stain, etc. Or if it was just fine, and would be so again. After all, if it is an old piece the varnish and stain are very old. Nothing got chewed off the chair back anyway, just a lot of little puppy teethmarks in it. I am not keen on giving him bull dongs, no rawhides of course, the himalayan cheese apparently causes loose stools, our other dog was totally uninterested in nylabones and the like..., plus I'm picky about where things are made -- well, it's always something... !!

Obviously I'd make sure it was smooth and rounded and not the kind of thing that would splinter or have pieces chewed off of it. And I would supervise him. They really like wood! We got to have a 3-month old puppy here overnight recently. He was lying under my chair, which has cabriole legs, and all of a sudden I heard him gnawing on something. It was the chair leg!

kiya · 11-13-2012, 02:24 PM

Absolutely NOT. Aside from the dangers of splintering wood getting lodged in the roof of his mouth or else where, you do not want to encourage any chewing of things puppy should not chew. The same as giving a puppy an old shoe to chew, makes the pup think shoes are chew items.
There are tons of proper chewing items to choose from.

**Chris Wild** · 11-13-2012, 02:27 PM

I agree, absolutely not. This could be potentially dangerous, both to the puppy's health and to any wooden furniture, doorframes, etc.. in your home that you don't want a dog developing a taste for.

SukiGirl · 11-13-2012, 02:30 PM

We had a scare a few months back when Suki ate a piece of mulch that was too sharp. We would never give her wood to chew on intentionally. Try an elk antler - our pup loves hers. Same density as wood but does not split or splinter and is safe to eat.

jae · 11-13-2012, 02:46 PM

What's wrong with bully sticks?

Lilie · 11-13-2012, 04:35 PM

A small splinter can lodge in her gum, along side a tooth. Very, very painful and you wouldn't notice it until infection has set in.

A very costly mistake.

Good_Karma · 11-13-2012, 05:03 PM

Agree, I think it's a bad idea. I am not wild about my dogs chewing on sticks outside, but as we live in the woods it's hard to always keep them away from sticks.

I would just keep experimenting with the different chew toys/products out there. I have found that brand new Nylabones are not that appealing to my dogs, but once they get them started they are a lot more into them. Also the white plastic is not as appealing as the beige plastic ones.

How about deer or elk antlers? You can get ones locally or from the US at least.

Gharrissc · 11-13-2012, 06:00 PM

They won't be able to differentiate between old furniture and your antique china cabinet when it come to chewing.

WolfieWolf · 11-14-2012, 07:37 AM

OK, stand corrected, and am grateful for everyone's frank and honest advice. Thanks! Yes, we will get deer antlers. I've heard about beef tendons now -- are those safe, or are they just another name for rawhides?

Bull dongs... say what you want about me but just can't mentally bring myself to let my dog suck on a, er, well on a penis.

11-13-2012, 02:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
WolfieWolf Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 41	Wood for teething I mentioned this in another thread, so sorry if I sound like a broken record, but am hoping for comments from more people on this. Do you think it's OK to give a GSD puppy a portion of old furniture to chew on, making sure I remove anything like nails etc.? I did this with my previous GSD puppy, took the back of an old dining room chair off and gave it to him when he tried to chew on our furniture. He understood, and only chewed on his chair back from then on, till he was done teething. No harm came of it. So, I'm wondering, now that I'm older and wiser, if I should have done that -- varnish, stain, etc. Or if it was just fine, and would be so again. After all, if it is an old piece the varnish and stain are very old. Nothing got chewed off the chair back anyway, just a lot of little puppy teethmarks in it. I am not keen on giving him bull dongs, no rawhides of course, the himalayan cheese apparently causes loose stools, our other dog was totally uninterested in nylabones and the like..., plus I'm picky about where things are made -- well, it's always something... !! Obviously I'd make sure it was smooth and rounded and not the kind of thing that would splinter or have pieces chewed off of it. And I would supervise him. They really like wood! We got to have a 3-month old puppy here overnight recently. He was lying under my chair, which has cabriole legs, and all of a sudden I heard him gnawing on something. It was the chair leg!

11-13-2012, 02:24 PM	#2 (permalink)
kiya Knighted Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Long Island Posts: 2,928	Absolutely NOT. Aside from the dangers of splintering wood getting lodged in the roof of his mouth or else where, you do not want to encourage any chewing of things puppy should not chew. The same as giving a puppy an old shoe to chew, makes the pup think shoes are chew items. There are tons of proper chewing items to choose from. __________________ Carolyn Apache - Shiloh Shepherd 12/15/02 Kiya - Shiloh Shepherd 5/15/04 Lakota - WGSD 1/13/10

11-13-2012, 02:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
Chris Wild Administrator & Alpha Bitch of the Wild Bunch Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 13,045	I agree, absolutely not. This could be potentially dangerous, both to the puppy's health and to any wooden furniture, doorframes, etc.. in your home that you don't want a dog developing a taste for. __________________ *Wildhaus Kennels*

11-13-2012, 02:30 PM	#4 (permalink)
SukiGirl Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: South FL Posts: 227	We had a scare a few months back when Suki ate a piece of mulch that was too sharp. We would never give her wood to chew on intentionally. Try an elk antler - our pup loves hers. Same density as wood but does not split or splinter and is safe to eat. __________________ Suki 11.28.11

11-13-2012, 02:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
jae Master Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Chi Posts: 668	What's wrong with bully sticks? Last edited by MaggieRoseLee; 11-14-2012 at 08:59 AM.

11-13-2012, 04:35 PM	#6 (permalink)
Lilie Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: South Texas Posts: 9,075	A small splinter can lodge in her gum, along side a tooth. Very, very painful and you wouldn't notice it until infection has set in. A very costly mistake. __________________ Hondo Von Dopplet L Bauernhof "Hondo"- GSD Lilie's Tug McGraw "Tug" - Golden Retriever Maggie - Mini Dachshund (Rescue) Lonestar - Texas Blue Lacy Funyon, Ashe, Soot - Barn Cats Scooter /1/2 Arabian, Shadow, Katie / APHA

11-13-2012, 05:03 PM	#7 (permalink)
Good_Karma Crowned Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Upstate, NY Posts: 4,654	Agree, I think it's a bad idea. I am not wild about my dogs chewing on sticks outside, but as we live in the woods it's hard to always keep them away from sticks. I would just keep experimenting with the different chew toys/products out there. I have found that brand new Nylabones are not that appealing to my dogs, but once they get them started they are a lot more into them. Also the white plastic is not as appealing as the beige plastic ones. How about deer or elk antlers? You can get ones locally or from the US at least. __________________ Leah: Newbie dog owner Niko: American Showline GSD 3 1/2 years old Rosa: American Muppet Dog (GSD/Border Collie mix) 4 years old

11-13-2012, 06:00 PM	#8 (permalink)
Gharrissc Knighted Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,805	They won't be able to differentiate between old furniture and your antique china cabinet when it come to chewing.

11-14-2012, 07:37 AM	#9 (permalink)
WolfieWolf Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 41	OK, stand corrected, and am grateful for everyone's frank and honest advice. Thanks! Yes, we will get deer antlers. I've heard about beef tendons now -- are those safe, or are they just another name for rawhides? Bull dongs... say what you want about me but just can't mentally bring myself to let my dog suck on a, er, well on a penis.

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