During his development, your new (or future) pup will have many growth stages to overcome. He will learn how to walk, open his eyes, and eventually have to pass through puppy teething. Just like humans, the baby teeth of your young dog will fall out to make some space for his adult teeth!
Not a long time ago, I was thinking about my buddy when she was younger. In my memories, teething has been an important step for her development. Therefore, I’ve recently done some research to help you to take care of your puppy teething phase properly. Let me share with you all the information that I’ve discovered during my experience and research!
Most dogs are born without teeth. For puppies at 3 or 4 weeks of age, 28 temporary teeth are starting to grow. In general, these puppy teeth fall out anywhere between 14-30 weeks. (3-7 months) After this stage, your pup’s adult teeth will slowly replace the baby ones. At the age of 8 months, your puppy should have his 42 permanent teeth!
Nonetheless, the timeline isn’t the only thing that you should know about puppy teething. This process can be extremely painful for your companion. That’s why you should understand how to help him to pass through his puppy teething phase. At the end of your reading, you will have all the essential information to take care of your young pooch’s teeth properly!
Puppy Teething Timeline!
The development of puppies is very interesting. Moreover, there’s nothing cuter than a newborn or very young dog. To get started, you should understand the stages of puppy teething. Let’s see the timeline from the birth of your buddy to when he has all his 42 teeth in place!
Puppy From Day 0 to Week 2:
Apart from a few exceptions, dogs are born toothless, blind, and deaf. In your puppy’s first two weeks of life, there’s not much going on. He will mainly sleep, eat, stay warm with his siblings, and start to open his eyes!
Weeks 2 to 4:
At this age, your small pup’s temporary teeth start coming in. He will also begin to be more active to eventually walk and play with his brothers and sisters. Around 3 weeks old, you could even notice that your buddy is reacting to different noises because his ears are slowly opening!
Weeks 4 to 6:
Around week 4 or 5, your puppy should be able to start eating real food or stealing it from his mother’s bowl. At 6 weeks of age, his baby teeth are fully in, and he’s ready to eat some puppy food. Besides, your companion will also start to depend less on his mother by stopping nursing and spend more time with his siblings!
Weeks 6 to 8:
At this stage, there’s nothing new that you can see about puppy teething. However, the permanent teeth of your companion are slowly starting to push his milk (or baby) teeth. It’s also important to make him socialize with other animals and people around 6 to 8-weeks old!
Here’s an interesting video that shows the development of puppies from day 1 to week 8!
Puppies Are Ready To Be Adopted From 8 to 12 weeks:
For the puppy teething timeline, this age isn’t very important. Your companion adult teeth will continue to develop under the baby’s teeth. On the other side, this is probably the most important time for you because it’s normally when puppies are ready to be adopted. Therefore, you might not have the opportunity to see your pup’s first 8 weeks of life!
Weeks 12 to 16:
At this age, your puppy’s milk teeth are starting to shed. Normally, his adult teeth start to emerge around 3 or 4 months old, but it can take him a lot of time before he gets all of his 42 permanent teeth!
Usually, the incisors are the first teeth to fall. Nonetheless, which teeth fall first isn’t very important as long as they are slowly shedding. This stage is normally when your companion starts to suffer from puppy teething!
Months 4 to 6:
Once your pup’s teething phase begins, you might have to visit the veterinarian if you think that there’s something unusual. To give you an idea, almost all the baby teeth should be out of your dog’s mouth after 4 months. At this same time, his molars are normally starting to grow. After 6 months of age, your puppy’s adult teeth should nearly all be in place!
If his temporary teeth aren’t falling out, it’s highly recommended to visit your vet. This could cause a double set of teeth and restrict his permanent teeth to grow properly. Your veterinarian will be able to extract the baby teeth that don’t fall naturally. Moreover, it’s always an excellent idea to ask help to professionals if you have any doubt concerning your puppy’s development!
Months 6 to 8:
Puppies that are older than 6 months should no longer have temporary teeth. Moreover, most pups will have all their 42 adult teeth grown in at 7 months of age!
When your puppy’s permanent teeth are all in place, it’s the best time to start taking care of them with regular teeth brushing for example. There are also some treats, food brands, or other products that can help to keep your dog’s teeth healthy!
After 8 Months of Age:
Once your buddy reaches 8 months old, his teeth should be fully grown (or almost). That also means that puppy teething stops around this age. However, your pup could keep chewing everything he can just for fun without proper training!
That’s why it’s essential to provide the right objects to chew during the puppy teething process. Besides, some basic obedience training commands such as “Leave It” could also be useful to avoid chewing issues!
Info About The Puppy Teething Process!
If you ever have been through this with another pooch, you know that it’s painful. Therefore, you must be very careful to help your puppy to overcome this teething process properly.
Unfortunately, puppies will chew on things that they shouldn’t or nip harder than they should during this phase. That’s another reason why you should be very careful during your companion’s teething phase!
Here’s an infographic that resumes the puppy teething timeline!
It’s awesome to know when your buddy will start to teeth, but you still have some other things to discover. Before going further, take note that all the information above (or in the infographic) is general!
Whether you want to know when your puppy starts teething or how long does it take, every companion is different. That’s why I highly recommend you to ask some questions to your vet to have personalized answers and advice!
Here’s a similar article about the puppy teething timeline on the AKC blog! [Link Open In a New Tab]
How Do You Know If Your Puppy Is Teething?
Your buddy’s age isn’t the only way to know if he’s teething. In general, this painful stage of life for puppies starts between 3 and 4 months of age. Puppy teething only becomes more serious (or painful) at around 16 weeks old or a little bit later!
Nonetheless, you can’t know if your young pooch is teething only with his age. Therefore, you might want to understand the signs that will tell you when it’s time to help him!
Puppy Teething Symptoms!
The teething symptoms aren’t always obvious, but they can still be extremely useful. That’s why you should be very careful when your pup is around 4 months of age. The faster you notice that he’s teething, the better you can help him to avoid serious pain. Here are some of the signs that your puppy is teething!
- Blood On His Toys.
- Bleeding Gums.
- Missing Teeth.
- Unusual Excessive Chewing.
- Increased Drooling.
- Eating Slowly. (Or Hesitation To Eat)
- Red or/and Inflamed Gums.
- Unusual Whining.
- Lower Mood Than Usual.
- Slight Fever.
- Etc.
How Long Does Teething Last In Puppies?
The process of teething starts as soon as 3 months of age. At this time, the baby teeth are normally starting to fall to let the permanent teeth replace them. However, the signs of pain will only be noticed when your dog is around 4 months old. Puppy teething lasts around 2 or 3 months, but it will vary depending on the breed and many other conditions!
Therefore, your pup should be teething anywhere from months 3 to 8. However, it should not last for 5 months. Puppies are generally in their teething phase during their months 4 to 6 of age. Several factors can influence how long teething will last for your pooch!
Do Puppies Have Teething Pain?
As I already told you, this process can be painful. Nevertheless, every companion will react differently during this phase. If you take care of your pup properly this growing phase is generally not too painful for him. Of course, it’s normal that your puppy suffers from discomfort while teething. However, it’s possible to prevent or ease the pain by taking some precautions!
When You Should You Visit The Vet?
Teething can be painful, but every furball will pass through it. To make it clear, it’s not always necessary to see your vet during this stage of life. On the other hand, it can be very useful to avoid future problems. Let me share with you some signs that you should visit your vet right away!
- Excessive Bleeding From The Gums.
- “Double” Teeth. (Baby Teeth That Don’t Fall)
- Cracked or Broken Teeth.
- Loose Permanent Teeth.
- Etc.
You can find more information about other issues related to puppy teething in this article from the Spruce Pet website! [Open In a New Tab]
How Can You Help Your Puppy With Teething?
Owning a dog can be extremely fun, but it also comes with responsibilities. During the puppy teething phase, your little furry friend will need things to chew. If you don’t provide him with toys, bones or other objects to chew, he will find something else to ease the pain. That’s why it’s your responsibility to provide the right things to chew and help him pass through this development stage more easily!
This is probably the best time to teach him that he can only chew on toys or objects that you give him. It’s not rare that owners find their puppy chewing on shoes, clothes, or other things that they shouldn’t. The first important thing is to not yell at him or correct him aggressively. Keep in mind to always teach your puppy only that he should only chew on toys through positive reinforcement!
Here’s an excellent video that can give you some interesting information about puppy teething!
Tips And Tricks To Help Your Puppy With Teething!
Admiring your pup all day long can be fun, but it won’t help him to ease the pain. Therefore, let me share with you some of the best advice I’ve found to take care of puppy teething properly. The following information will also help you to prevent chewing issues that many young dogs are developing during this growing phase. Here are some things you can do to help your puppy pass through teething more comfortably!
Keep Lots of Interesting Toys Available!
Your puppy will need something to chew on during his teething phase. Whether it’s a toy or your brand-new shoes, he doesn’t care. Nonetheless, you might not want him to destroy your things. That’s why you must provide him with plenty of toys that he can chew safely. Here are some ideas of toys that are specially made for puppies! [Links Open In New Tabs]
- Nylabone Puppy Chewing Key Ring (See It On Amazon!)
- KONG Puppy Teething Toy (See It On Amazon!)
- Nylabone Puppy Teething Dinosaur Chew Toy (See It On Amazon!)
- Benebone Wishbone Dog Chew Toy (See It On Amazon!)
- PlayfulSpirit Natural Rubber Ring (See It On Amazon!)
Puppy-Proof Your Home!
It’s essential to make sure that your house is safe for your puppy. When he’s in the teething stage, make sure that there’s anything accessible and dangerous for him to chew on!
This isn’t only important if your little furball is teething, but he will be more likely to chew everything during this period. Therefore, you should not let too small toys, objects with sharp angles, or any other dangerous thing that your puppy could be tempted to chew on the floor or accessible for him!
Try Cold Chew Toys or Frozen Food!
There are many puppy accessories or toys out there. Nonetheless, the best way to ease your companion teething pain is with freezable toys. These types of accessories will reduce his pain and inflammation during his teething process. Moreover, it’s awesome to keep your buddy cool in hot temperatures. Let me share with you some of these puppy toys that can be frozen! [Links Open In New Tabs]
Znoka Cooling Teether Chew Toy (See It On Amazon!)
Petstages Dog Toy (See It On Amazon!)
Foods That You Can Freeze!
There are also some foods that you can freeze to ease your pup’s teething pain. For example, things like carrots, ice cube, or many other foods can be used to keep your buddy cool and reduce his teething pain!
Keep Your Puppy Somewhere You Can Monitor Him!
Letting your young pooch free in your house is an extremely risky move. Even if it’s for 5 or 10 minutes, he can destroy many things such as your sofa or shoes in a short period. That’s why it’s always recommended to keep your puppy in secure places especially when he’s teething. One of the best ways to restrict him from chewing everything in your house is with an exercise pen! (Here’s one of the best ones that you can buy on Amazon!) [Link Open In a New Tab]
Have Fun With Your New Companion!
The last thing to remember is to have fun with your puppy. Whether he’s teething or not, you must make the most of his company while he’s young. Just like humans, dogs are growing very fast. That’s why your puppy’s teething phase shouldn’t restrict you to have fun playing with him. Moreover, most playtime you have with your companion, the less he will think about his pain or how much he would like to chew your shoes!
How To Take Care Of Your Dog’s Teeth?
According to Chewy’s blog [Link Open In a New Tab], the teething phase isn’t the right time to start caring about your puppy’s teeth. In their article, they explain that you don’t want him to associate the toothbrush with the feeling of pain or discomfort. Therefore, you should probably wait until your dog’s teeth are fully grown (around 6 to 8 months) before taking care of them!
After this stage, it will be important to not neglect your buddy’s oral hygiene. From the food he eats to professional cleanings it can be difficult to understand how you can take care of his teeth. With regular brushing, quality food and some dental treats, your dog’s oral health should be alright. If you have any other questions about this topic, you might need to visit your vet!
Last Thoughts About Puppy Teething!
This blog post has covered a lot of different subjects about puppy teething. Nonetheless, you don’t need to remember all this information. The most important thing to keep in mind would probably be that it’s normal if your pup seems uncomfortable while he’s teething. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help him to feel better!
As you probably know, I’m not a professional. I simply want to share with you all the information I’ve found on the web or with my personal experience. Don’t forget that the well-being of your buddy is in your hands. I hope this article helps you to understand better the timeline of puppy teething!
I wish you to spend a good time with him even during his early development stage. My Labrador and I would love to help you both to stay active, healthy, and happy with our blog!
