Collies are one of the best breeds to have as a pet. They’re docile, smart, and the perfect size for those that don’t want a pet too small or too big. They1re going to be your best friend if you open your heart and let yourself fall in love with your new friend. Now, as with any puppy, you may find yourself having some problems with their teething.
Puppies have this compulsion to bite and chew everything they see in front of them. It’s quite rare a dog that doesn’t have a teething problem at some point. The only problems are when that starts to ruin your favorite shoes or even hurts your fingers. It can get even worse if the dog continues with this behavior when they’re adults.
This will make your question, when do collies stop teething? Collies will stop teething between the six-month mark and when they become adults, which is around 1 year of age. Most dogs will cease teething within this time frame. Now, if teething last longer than 6 months for your collie, you’ll need to do a few things.
If you’re reading this article, you’re either worried that the behavior won’t go away, or your collie has gone too far with it. Maybe you’re tired of having your shoes, clothes, and wallet ruined by this behavior. Or you’re full of biting and scratching marks on your arms and legs. Whatever is your case, there’s always something you can do about it.
In this article, you’re going to learn not only when your dog should stop teething, but what to do when the behavior persists. It’s also recommended that you do this when your little friend is still little. It’s much easier and quicker to solve this.
Now, if that’s not your case, fear not. There’s always something to be done. That’s exactly what you’re going to learn if you read this ‘til the end.
It’s More About The Individual Dog Than The Breed
As mentioned above, the teething behavior isn’t particular to a single group of breeds nor it’s the time that it’ll stop happening. This means that any dog owner will identify. So, there’s nothing wrong with your collie. All you need to do is to teach your four-paw friend to not do it.
This means that you’ll have to spend some time training your dog to understand that biting is wrong. The first step that you should take is to make it very clear that biting hurts. If you vocalize to your puppy that the biting hurts you, they’ll understand.
You must do this every time until they understand. Do not encourage biting as a playful moment or show them that you’re finding it cute. Reprehend them every time they try to bite you until they understand what no means.
Another thing that you can do is to help them by understanding that teething usually happens because their teeth are growing. So, they’re feeling a bit of discomfort with it. What you can do is to give them something else to chew instead of your finger.
Most Dogs Stop When They’re Adults
When your dog becomes an adult, he/she will usually stop teething. As mentioned previously, dogs do this because their teeth are growing. This causes a lot of discomfort in their gums. The best that you can do is to teach them not to bite you or anyone else, but give them the tools to do something else.
Now, it’s important to point out that dogs do this due to teeth growing most of the time but that’s not the reason every time. A dog may present this behavior due to anxiety and lack of a better way to direct their energy.
So, a good way to measure this is to pay attention to your dog. Is biting too aggressive? Do they seem a bit not to listen to you while they’re doing? Maybe, the most important thing is to investigate further if your dog is 12 months or older.
When your dog is around 6 months the teething is likely to continue but also reduce. If it isn’t, it may the case to go harder on the training. Treats and maybe even a professional may be needed.
Anti-Chew Spray Works Like Magic Potion
Now, let’s talk about more practical solutions to your collie teething habits. After all, people don’t like having their fingers bitten every time they get home. Also, remember that when you arrive home, that’s the moment that your puppy may get the most excited, which translates into anxiety.
Anxiety usually leads to bad behavior when it comes to dogs. They have more aggressive tendencies and also are more likely to not respond to a command. This is why it’s such a great idea to teach them early on to deal with you leaving the house every day.
Now, about the teething, you may consider anti-chew spray. You don’t need to worry since this is safe and does not present risks for your puppy. All this incredible product does is to discourage your dog from biting.
The anti-chew spray has a taste that dogs hate. This makes sure that they don’t buy stuff. You can apply to furniture, skin, and even wounds. This prevents them from biting and licking immediately. The Grannick’s Bitter Apple is the best anti-chew spray. You can check it out on Amazon here.
Plush Toys Help Reduce Teething Intensity
As much as you can and should train your dog to stop teething, it will still happen. As long as the teething is caused by growing teeth, your dog will feel the constant need to get something to scratch their gums. After all, it’s itching and hurting.
Now, one great solution you can find is in plush toys. They work well with most breeds, including collies. All you have to do is to teach your puppy to bite only the push toy and not your fingers.
The only thing that you must look out for is if the biting is anxiety-related or if it’s really just teeth growing. As long as it isn’t anxiety-related, you should encourage them to bite the plush toy to get that extra relief sensation their chewing gums are craving for.
So, be a good friend and get them a plush toy. Their chewing gums and your finger will thank you. Make sure to get toys with high-quality material that doesn’t cause any harm to your puppy’s health. Also, get more than one since your collie will destroy some of those. The LEGEND SANDY Squeaky is a great pack for dogs that are teething. Get yours here.
Treats Are Great To Decrease Frequency
There’s a lot of debate in the dog-lovers community about treats to be used as an incentive or in training. Still, their efficiency is undeniable. Whatever it is that you think about giving your dog treats, this is an idea for you to consider.
What you will do, in case you choose to use dog treats, it’s to use them to teach your collie that biting is not nice. Here you’re going to need treats and a lot of patience.
Make sure you calm your puppy down, if he/she is too excited they won’t listen to you. Every time that you want to teach your friend something, make sure to have them calm and relaxed.
Then you use the treats and affection to make them understand and incentivize the behavior you want, which stops teething. The Smokehouse Chicken Stix is a great treat for dogs that are teething. It has the nutrients for this stage, and not that many calories. Click to view pricing on Amazon here.
Install A Pet Gate To Avoid House Destruction
The last measurement that you can take is to install a pet gate to avoid house destruction. You know well that the teething problem goes way beyond a puppy that wants to bite your fingers all day. This behavior also causes your collie to ruin your shoes, furniture, and pretty much everything that they can chew.
So, if you’re having problems with this, the best thing that you can do is to install a pet gate while you don’t figure it out a way to stop the teething or while the training isn’t working.
A pet gate is the fastest solution to make sure that your dog doesn’t ruin your house before you get back home from work. It’s a simple solution to make sure that your dog stays in one area that you can make sure it has nothing that they can destroy.
For this situation, you should consider the Auto Close Safety Gate. It’s a great pet gate, especially for dogs that teething. It has a great built that will last you a long time. Take a look at this great item here.
Final Thoughts
So, collies stop teething when they become adults. You’ll notice that around six months they will already reduce how much they’re chewing stuff around. Still, the best that you can do is to get the anti-chew spray, a pet gate, plush toys, and lots of love and patience to train your friend how to behave.
