Stop puppy chewing your shoes — Vizsla teething help

Two pairs of running shoes in one week — that's a Vizsla for you. They're incredibly mouthy puppies even by normal standards, and at 8 weeks old the teething drive is already full throttle. Teething is one of the most intense periods of puppyhood, and the single biggest thing that changes how much destruction happens is having the right chew toy available before the puppy goes looking for something on their own. For a pup this young, you need something firm enough to satisfy the urge but soft enough not to damage developing teeth, and ideally something you can pop in the freezer to soothe sore gums. Tell me — is the main problem that the shoes are accessible, or is the puppy actively hunting them out?

Four days in and she's already problem-solving — that's very Vizsla. They're hunting dogs bred to work all day, so that drive to seek and grab things starts early and doesn't switch off. Before we talk containment, what does she have to chew on right now? Any toys, or has it just been whatever she finds?

That's really common — rope toys don't give any resistance back, so they're not satisfying for a dog that wants to really bite into something. What you need is the Kong Puppy in the small size. It's made from a softer pink rubber specifically for puppy teeth, so it's got enough give that it won't hurt her mouth, but it pushes back when she bites which is exactly what triggers that satisfying chew response. The key is to stuff it with something she loves — a bit of wet puppy food or peanut butter works well — and then freeze it for a couple of hours before you give it to her. The cold numbs her gums while they're sore, and she has to work to get the food out, which keeps her occupied long enough to break the habit of going looking for things. Get two so you always have a frozen one ready.

The Kong won't fix it overnight, but it genuinely shifts the pattern. The shoes keep getting chewed because they're the most interesting textured thing she can find — leather smells good, it gives when she bites, and nobody has shown her a better option yet. Once she has a frozen stuffed Kong available and she's getting it consistently every time she'd otherwise be unsupervised, she starts to associate that object with the reward instead. You'll also want to close the bedroom door and move the hallway shoes out of reach for the next few weeks — not as a permanent solution, just to stop her practising the wrong behaviour while you're building the right habit. At 8 weeks she's not being naughty, she's just exploring with the only tool she has.

Go with the small Kong Puppy — it's the right size for an 8-week-old Vizsla and fits neatly in one paw while she chews. She'll grow into the medium eventually but right now small gives her better grip and keeps her engaged longer. Just search 'Kong Puppy Small Pink' on Amazon UK and it'll come up immediately, usually next-day. Grab two while you're there and you're set.