Puppy Teething: Timeline, Symptoms and Relief

Somewhere around the four-month mark, many puppy owners conclude they have adopted a small, furry woodchipper. The skirting boards, the chair legs, the TV remote, your left slipper: all fair game. This is teething, and it is both completely normal and entirely survivable with the right kit and a bit of strategy.

Puppies are born toothless, grow 28 baby teeth by about eight weeks, and then swap the whole set for 42 adult teeth by six to seven months. That is a lot of dental traffic in a short time, and the chewing is how your puppy manages it.

The teething timeline

Those baby teeth are deliberately sharp, incidentally. The leading theory is that needle teeth wean puppies off their mother efficiently: she loses patience, and solid food starts looking good.

What is normal, and what is not

Normal teething looks like this:

• Intense chewing, especially on things with give: wood, fabric, your hands
• Drooling more than usual
• Red, slightly swollen gums
• Tiny spots of blood on chew toys or bedding
• Finding a baby tooth on the floor (or never finding any; most are swallowed harmlessly)
• Mild grumpiness or a slightly softer appetite on the worst days

Not normal: a puppy that stops eating, has obviously bleeding or very swollen gums, develops a fever, or vomits. Those are not teething symptoms, and they justify a vet call rather than a wait.

Relief that is actually safe

The goal is to give sore gums something appropriate to work on. The reliable options:

1. 1Rubber teething toys with texture, sized so the puppy cannot swallow them. Many can be stuffed with a little of the puppy's normal food and chilled.
2. 2A damp washcloth, twisted and frozen, offered under supervision. The cold numbs the gums and the texture is satisfying.
3. 3Rope toys for gnawing, again supervised, and retired once they fray.
4. 4Chilled carrots for some puppies, in moderation and under supervision, though they are not for every stomach.

Equally important is what to avoid: antlers, weight-bearing bones, hooves and rock-hard nylon chews can fracture teeth, and baby teeth fracture easily. The thumbnail test is a decent guide: if you cannot dent it with a thumbnail, it is too hard for a puppy.

The rule of teething: everything the puppy can reach is a chew toy, so decide in advance what that will be.

Saving your furniture (and your hands)

Relief alone is not a strategy; you also need management. Puppy-proof the rooms the puppy actually uses: cables behind furniture, shoes in cupboards, chair legs sprayed with a pet-safe bitter deterrent if your puppy has a favourite. Then run a constant redirect: when the puppy chews the wrong thing, calmly swap it for the right thing and praise the switch.

Hands deserve a special mention. Mouthing is normal puppy play, but letting it continue teaches a growing dog that human skin is a chew surface. When teeth touch skin, end the game for a few seconds, then offer a toy. Consistency across the whole household is what makes this work; our crate training guide covers the related question of giving a chewy puppy a safe, calm space.

Where is your puppy in the timeline?

Enter your puppy's age below to see what should be happening right now, and which signs fall outside normal teething.

Retained baby teeth: the one common complication

Sometimes a baby tooth refuses to leave, and the adult tooth comes in beside it. You will see two teeth in one slot, most often the canines, and most often in small breeds like Chihuahuas and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. The double tooth traps food, crowds the adult tooth, and sets up early dental disease.

Check your puppy's mouth weekly during teething. If an adult tooth is visibly coming through and the baby tooth is still firmly in place after a week or two, mention it to your vet. Retained teeth are usually removed, conveniently often at the same time as neutering.

How long does puppy teething last?

For most puppies, teething runs from around three weeks old, when the first baby teeth appear, to roughly six or seven months, when the last adult molars are through. The uncomfortable stretch most owners notice is the exchange of baby teeth for adult teeth, which typically begins at about twelve to sixteen weeks and peaks between four and six months.

Giant breeds such as the Great Dane sometimes finish a little later, while toy breeds such as the Chihuahua can finish on time but are prone to keeping baby teeth. The dog age calculator helps you place your puppy on this timeline.

Teething does not cause biting. It turns up the volume on a puppy who was already exploring the world with their mouth.

Teething, biting and chewing: what is what

Owners often blend three different things together. Teething is the physical change in the mouth. Mouthing and play biting are normal social behaviours present from the first weeks, which puppies use to learn bite inhibition. Destructive chewing is often a mixture of teething discomfort, boredom and simply not yet knowing what belongs to the dog. Separating them matters, because the fixes differ.

If your puppy is biting you during play, the answer is training rather than more chews. Our guide to how to stop a puppy biting walks through that plan. If your puppy is gnawing table legs while you work, the answer is supervision, management and an appropriate alternative ready to hand.

Your teething-week plan

1. 1Puppy-proof one safe area. Lift cables, shoes, remote controls and children's toys. Use a pen or baby gate when you cannot watch.
2. 2Rotate three or four chew types. Puppies lose interest in the same toy; rotating keeps novelty high. Include one soft, one firm and one food-releasing toy.
3. 3Offer something cold twice a day. A frozen damp cloth, a chilled rubber toy, or a stuffed toy with part of their meal frozen inside.
4. 4Make chewing a scheduled activity. Offer a chew after walks and during settle time, so the habit attaches to the right object.
5. 5Swap, never snatch. If your puppy picks up something forbidden, offer a toy or treat, praise the choice and remove the item calmly.
6. 6Check the mouth weekly. Lift the lips, look for any baby tooth sitting alongside an adult tooth, and get your puppy used to gentle handling.

Safe chew checklist

• Small enough to carry, too big to swallow whole
• Passes the thumbnail test: if your nail cannot dent it, it is too hard for baby teeth
• No cooked bones, antlers, hooves or hard nylon for young puppies, as they can fracture teeth
• No rawhide or small pieces that can be swallowed and cause blockages
• Replace any toy once it splits or pieces come off
• Supervise new chews until you know how your puppy uses them

Start tooth brushing now, with a puppy toothbrush and dog toothpaste, a few seconds a day. The habit is far easier to build at sixteen weeks than at three years. Our dog dental care guide covers the method.

The verdict, by household

Young family: set up a pen, give children a toy to offer instead of their hands, and supervise every interaction.

Working from home: schedule chew sessions during calls; a stuffed frozen toy buys twenty quiet minutes.

Small or toy breed: check closely for retained baby canines at six months.

Large, mouthy breed such as a [Labrador Retriever](/breeds/labrador-retriever): buy durable toys sized for the adult dog, and expect enthusiastic chewing well past teething.

When to call your vet

Teething itself never needs a vet, but call if your puppy stops eating, has significant or ongoing bleeding, develops very swollen gums or facial swelling, has a fever, or if you spot a retained baby tooth that is not budging. Otherwise: stock the chew toys, freeze the washcloths, hide the shoes, and take heart. By seven months, the woodchipper phase is over.

Teething myths, checked

The most useful mindset is that teething is a short phase and chewing is a lifelong need. Give your puppy good outlets now, and the adult dog keeps them.