September 2005
Edited by Judy Wright
I receive several enquiries each month about puppies chewing excessively. This is a perfectly normal thing and I would worry more if they didn't chew.
When the puppy's first teeth appear, there is often some discomfort and they will chew their bedding or even poor mum's legs and ears. This is a reaction both to the fact that they have new choppers to chomp with, but also to help with the strange feeling that they don't understand, of teeth erupting through their gums.
It is perfectly normal for the mum to leave them for longer periods when this happens, as their new, sharp little teeth will hurt her if they are apt to chew a teat as well as suckle on it! 'Ouch'!
From eight
weeks onwards, depending on how forward the puppy is, it will be off to
a new home. At this stage the learning process begins in earnest and one
of the first things it must learn is the word, "NO!". Up to that time
it has chewed only it's mum or the bedding, but now, in the big wide world,
there are other things to chew. These can be anything from your very best
pair of shoes, your chair legs, the soft furnishings, etc…to be discouraged
and fast.The word "NO!" is easily taught and will be quickly learned by your willing pupil; firstly, when it arrives, give it a couple of toys that are his, and his alone. When he plays and chews them, all is well. However, if he turns his attention to other things and chews them, gently but firmly, use the word, "NO!" in a short, sharp and low and 'growly' voice. Give him his own toy immediately.
He will slink back to the forbidden fruit at some stage, so watch, and as he approaches, growl the "NO!" again, and give him 'his' own chewy toy. Continue this for as long as it takes, and I can assure you, it won't be long before he knows exactly what he can and can't chew.
The adult teeth will push the first teeth out as they erupt through the gums; this is usually around four of age.
I have received a plea from a regular visitor to the website to mention grass seeds, and the problems they can cause.
Grass seeds are long and sharp and can penetrate the skin.
The main problems they can cause however, are in the foot, where they will often slide up between the nail and the toe, this is excruciating for the dog.
If this happens, the dog will be chewing its foot constantly, and there may be some swelling around the base of a nail; the dog may well have chewed the area, increasing the soreness.
It the seed is visible, (long and thin and a pale green/yellow/pale brown colour), with some tweezers, try to pull it out, gently. If you are fortunate and succeed, then it is just a matter of gently bathing the area with salty water every day until the area is back to normal. (1 large teaspoonful of salt in ½ pint or 300mls of water).
If the seed is not visible and if the area is showing any signs of pus forming, then you must go to the vet before a bad infection sets in.
The other, and far more serious place a grass seed is likely to lodge in the ear; the dog will be violently shaking his head and be very upset if this occurs, possibly even screaming; this is very painful.
You will need to go to the vet for this seed to be safely removed. Never poke down into the ear as you may do serious damage to the membranes, or even puncture the eardrum. By poking around, you will almost certainly push the grass seed deeper into the ear.
Do check the coat daily for all the various things that the dog will pick up going about his daily business; it is surprising what they do carry home with them!
TAILPIECE.
More or less on the same subject… For a year I was a groomer at a large kennels in Berkshire. The kennels dealt with many stray dogs, but in the grooming salon, we dealt mostly with dogs that would come in on a regular basis for trimming, clipping, bathing etc.
One of the customers who did come regularly, but not nearly often enough, was called "Rollo", he was a very heavily coated Bearded Collie. His owner never brought him, she was probably a little more than ashamed to, for he was always very matted and smelly, and a 'friend' always delivered him.
When we knew that he was coming in, we would draw straws; he was never an easy job!
Rollo's owner must have been a heavy smoker as he always reeked of tobacco, (any dog in a house where there are smokers will smell of tobacco). It was an all-pervading smell!
The normal practice was to get every last matt and tangle out of the coat before we bathed them, and any scissoring or clipping was always done after the bath and when the coat had been thoroughly dried; Rollo was always a great challenge and took an age to do.
Apart from grass seeds, mud and dust, we would often find cigarette ends and many matches in his coat, and on one occasion, a red hair roller! It was rolled up into a tight matt!
Following the combing and de-tangling came the bath. Rollo adored the bath and was quite a handful once he was in the bathtub! As soon as he was wet all over, the smell of tobacco was quite overpowering, so it was a matter of getting the shampoo on and rubbed into the coat as soon as possible; whilst all this was going on, Rollo would be playing with the shower head, leaping up and down and generally causing mayhem!
Then the drier! As with many busy grooming salons, we used stand driers, but also a drying cabinet; Rollo was impossible to dry with the stand driers, so he was popped into the cabinet until his coat was blown dry by the big fans; whilst in there he would 'sing' lustily. It was impossible to talk or answer a telephone whilst he was in there!
The last part of the grooming was easy, as by then, he was worn out from all his exertions! He just required a little tidying up; and would be ready for collection by lunchtime. Time then for the luckless groomer to go and wash the smell of tobacco off themselves!
There is never a dull moment when grooming dogs for a living! It is very hard work and amazingly physical sometimes, especially when a great lump of a dog decides to lean on you, or won't stand still! At least Cavaliers are manageable when in the bathtub, although there are many exceptions!
However please remember that we are not Vets or Lawyers so questions on these topics should be addressed to the professionals for advice.
Questions and answers that are of interest to other owners may be published on this page.
This document maintained by the webmaster@thecavalierclub.co.uk.
Material Copyright © 2005 The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club