3 Stages of Puppy Teething

When Diesel was a puppy, we were very fortunate that he never chewed on the furniture. He was more content chewing on bones and me ha! Annie, however, has been the polar opposite. While she does like to chew on bones (thank goodness ha!) she has tried to chew on the furniture multiple times. When puppies are little, they go through a process called teething, similar to babies, where they lose their baby teeth so their adult teeth can come in. 

Today I’ll be walking through the different stages of puppy teething as well as answering common questions like:

• When do puppies start teething?
• When do puppies stop teething?
• What are the best chew toys for teething puppies?
• How to help a teething puppy?

P.S. Want more tips and advice for your new puppy? Check out my Puppy 101 section for information about potty training, puppy proofing your home and more! 

Stage 1: Weeks 5-8

At this stage, your puppy will have all 28 of their puppy teeth. Now, if this is your first puppy, something important to know is that puppy teeth are super sharp! If they hurt you when they gnaw on you, know that it isn’t out of meanness and to stay happy and calm.

Stage 2: Weeks 12-16

At this age your puppy will start to begin the teething process. When puppies teeth, this process isn’t comfortable for them. Their gums are sore and they are simply looking for relief, aka why they want to chew on anything and everything! 

The best way to help a teething puppy is to invest in some teething toys and bones so that their focus will go on items you give them vs. items they find on their own (i.e. your shoes, furniture, etc.). This teaches them what is theirs and what is yours and is a great training tool.  

My favorite teething toys for puppies are:

• Nylabone Teething Keys
  • Pro Tip: Put these keys in your freezer and then give to your puppy. The cool texture will feel amazing on their gums!
• Nylabone Puppy Starter Kit or Nylabone Puppy Triple Pack
• KONG Classic Puppy
• KONG Teething Stick

To learn more about the KONG teething toys listed above, make sure to check out my blog post about my favorite KONG toys for puppies! 

One other training opportunity at this age is to begin touching their face and opening their mouth. It’s good to get them used to having their mouths touched as a puppy as it prepares them for future vet visits or when you need to check for any problems on your own.

**Please note that with anything you give your puppy to supervise them while they chew. At a certain point, the puppy will be able to chew through the puppy Nylabones and you want to make sure they don’t eat any of them (unless they’re the digestible kind).**

Stage 3: 6 Months and Older

Once your puppy is 6 months old, all of their adult teeth should be in place and the puppy teething process should be done. 

Fun fact: Did you know that adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth? Cool right!

When your puppy hits this age, they can start chewing on harder bones like antlers, horns and soup bones. Annie actually got a hold of Diesel’s buffalo horn at around 4 months old and it didn’t harm her at all. She really enjoyed the harder chew and it definitely helped her puppy teeth fall out! 

Some of Annie and Diesel’s favorite bones to chew on are:

• Buffalo Horn
• Nylabone Durachew Double Bone (bacon flavor)
• Redbarn Peanut Butter Filled Bone
• Redbarn Cheese N’ Bacon Filled Bone
• Barkworthies Pumpkin, Sweet Potato & Carrot Filled Bone

I always like to get my horns and filled bones at PetSupermarket. They’ve always had a great price plus, you’re able to pick out the size that’s perfect for your dog! 

Thanks for reading my post about puppy teething. I hope I answered all of your questions and if I didn’t, please share it in the comments below! I’d love to help answer any question you have! 

If you loved learning these helpful puppy training tips, check out some of my other posts about puppy tips and puppy training like:

• How To Potty Train A Puppy
  
• How To Crate Train A Puppy
  
• How To Puppy Proof Your Home & Yard
  
• 10 Items To Buy For Your New Puppy
  
• What To Know Before Getting A Puppy

Plus, don’t forget to check out some of my most recent posts below:

Photography: Kate Kelley Collection

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