New puppy - advice needed

[Pennies]

Got a new labrador puppy who is chewing everything. I've never had a dog before and have just given her a newspaper to rip up. Is this OK?

[Costacoffeeplease]

Better to get a chew toy, nylabones are very good, my retriever pup used to love them

[mistlethrush]

What age is she? What toys have you got her that she can chew safely? A toy that you can stuff with treats is useful - if she's teething a kong toy stuffed with kibble mixed with a little plain yoghurt would help her gums and hopefully keep her occupied for a reasonable length of time.

[FuckyNell]

Ha ha that'll be fun! Although not so fun when you're actually trying to read one and she thinks it for ripping up I expect.

You shouldn't give dogs things like slippers/old shoes, etc as they can't differentiate between what's theirs and what's yours.

Get her a kong and stuff it with peanut butter instead!

Although once a year when the yellow pages came through the door our old dog was kept occupied for days so what do I know

[Pennies]

She has a Kong toy but it doesn't really interest her. She also doesn't really like the nylabone either. She loves new things to play with and I've run out of egg boxes / plastic bottles etc.

[mistlethrush]

What have you put in the kong toy or are you just expecting her to chew it without anything in?

[HorizontalRunningOnly]

Don't give her plastic bottles, few soft toys designed for puppies and a puppy king with some of her food in. There are loads of puppy toys available dont give household stuff unless u want pup to grow up and think its for her to chew. Labs are notorious chewers!

[HorizontalRunningOnly]

She will learn to enjoy her toys u just have to find her Achilles heel of what get her going!

[Pennies]

I put Kong treats in it.

[mistlethrush]

Try something different that she might like - cream cheese, peanut butter - mixed with her normal food (if she's fed dry food) adn see whether the new taste encourages her

[moosemama]

I'd go for something super smelly, like sardines or pilchards, mixed with her kibble in a kong to get her interested and then actually hold it and encourage her to get stuck in. You often have to teach them how to use a kong, either by holding it while they lick it out or throwing and bouncing it so the contents fall out.

The other thing my pup loves is his split antler, the whole ones are too tough for puppy teeth, but they can scrape the marrow out of the split ones without damaging their teeth.