Teething Puppies

Teething happens when your puppy is growing a brand new set of teeth. It might sound quite simple but the teeth need to make their way through their gums which can be a painful process for them. Puppies have two teething periods but luckily for you, their baby teeth start to come through at just a few weeks old. Their mother tends to bear the brunt of this but they’ll have flown the nest by their second round of teething. At around six weeks, before they’re even ready to come home with you, all of their puppy teeth should be through and they get to have a little rest as they get ready to start exploring the world. At this age, they start to eat softened puppy food so that by eight weeks when they’re ready to leave their mum, they’re feeding for themselves and have a full set of gnashers.

Most puppies will start to lose their baby teeth and grow in their adult teeth from three months of age and onwards. This means you usually get about four weeks of bliss with your puppy because their needs and behaviour might alter a little when they start teething. You’ll sometimes find little fragments of teeth around the house which is perfectly normal. Puppies will chew on things when their baby teeth are loose to help make room for their adult set. Most of the time, your puppy will behave as normal but will just want to chew a lot more than usual. Occasionally, if they’re uncomfortable, you might notice they’re a little bit more sensitive or grumpy and will either not want too much fuss or they might be a total baby and come to you for cuddles.

By six months of age, they should have all of their adult teeth through, just in time for those juvenile hormones to kick in as they hit puberty!

Teething is a hard period for your puppy, they go through a lot in a short space of time so providing different things that will help and comfort them is important. Every pup is an individual so you might find what helps them the most is different to someone else’s puppy. It’s always best to offer them a choice of things to do.

VetIQ Puppy Teething Gel is a product designed to reduce the amount of chewing your puppy will need to do to try and deal with their sore gums. It’s a toothpaste that works to relieve some of the pain and soothe the gums so they don’t need to take it out on your hands or your furniture quite so much. It contains chamomile, peppermint, and clove oils for improved oral health. It can also help with introducing your pooch to teeth cleaning. It recommends you start by getting your puppy used to the taste of the toothpaste. It’s a nice meaty flavour so they’re more likely to look at it as a tasty treat and they can start having it from as little as four weeks of age.

You can even start using the teething gel before they begin to teeth to get them used to the sensation of your brushing and touching their gums. By the time they actually start feeling the discomfort of their teeth coming through they should be well used to the taste of the gel and it can help to get them feeling better.

Whimzees Puppy Value Bag Extra Small are suitable for puppies aged three months of age and older so it’s just in time for their second period of teething. When teething, your pup will start to look for things to chew so having plenty to offer including some delicious chews is going to be important. It might take a lot to coax them away from your dining room chair legs or the arm of your couch so they have to be high value enough to catch their eye. Whimzees puppy chews are a perfectly natural chew with no nasty additives. They are made entirely from vegetables and they work to freshen their breath as they chew. The various shapes of the chews help so that they can really get their teeth into them.

Not only will it help to soothe their gums but it will keep them occupied for a while too!

Besides having lots of chew options to help their teeth they should have some fun toys as well to bite and play with. Many puppy toys are made from a hardy rubber that feels great for teething puppies to chew on. The Nylabone Puppy Teething Rings are an excellent choice with the different shaped rings so your pup has a choice of which piece to chew. When toys have some give to them and some moving parts, it can help to satisfy any of their destructive needs without actually causing chaos.

The teething rings are bacon flavour so you can be sure they taste better than your skirting boards! By giving your pup a range of delicious tasting chews and toys, they’re bound to make better choices.

The teething period can be a hard one to prevent unwanted behaviour. If you catch your pooch chewing on something they shouldn’t or being destructive, it’s important to remember that they’re not simply misbehaving. Pain and discomfort will make your puppy want to relieve it and chewing on things can really help with that. Teething puppies will enjoy tearing into all sorts of things so it’s good to have some staples around that are tried and tested to help with the process. It’s important to provide outlets for the things they want to do and not all of them have to cost a fortune.

If your pup keeps trying to shred the mail whenever it’s delivered or seemingly pull apart your furniture, you can try giving them things like cardboard boxes to destroy. You can even hide some treats in there to reward them and show them that it’s an appropriate outlet for their desire to shred things. Whatever the behaviour is, whether it’s gnawing on your ankles or stealing things from around the house to chew on, giving them plenty of other options that are allowed to bite into will help. They will still get the urge to chew no matter how hard you try to manage what’s available to them. The best way to save your house and arms from little teeth marks during this period is to allow them to chew something else.

From chew toys, to enrichment to soothing teething gels, visit us in store or online for everything you need to help your puppy through their teething period.