Puppy Care · August 2026
Puppy Teething 101: What to Give Them to Chew (and What to Avoid)
Your puppy isn't being destructive on purpose — their mouth is genuinely sore, and chewing is how they cope with it. Here's the real timeline, what's actually safe to hand them, and what to keep out of reach.
Updated: August 21, 2026 Puppy Care 6 min read
Quick answer: Puppies start losing baby teeth and growing adult ones between about 12 weeks and 6 months old, and the urge to chew peaks right in that window. The safest chews are ones you can indent with a fingernail — never anything as hard as a real bone, antler, or nylon bone, since those can fracture a puppy's new teeth. Freezing a stuffed puzzle toy or offering chilled produce can genuinely ease the discomfort, and if any baby teeth are still in place past 6 months, that's worth a vet visit.
Key takeaways
✓Baby teeth erupt around weeks 2-4 and are all in by weeks 5-6 — about 28 of them, according to the American Kennel Club.
✓Heavy shedding of baby teeth, and the most intense chewing, typically happens between weeks 12 and 16.
✓By 6 months, all baby teeth should be gone and around 42 adult teeth should be in — any baby tooth still present after that needs a vet's attention.
✓The safest chew test, per VCA Animal Hospitals: if you can't indent it with a fingernail, it's too hard for a teething puppy.
✓Freezing a toy or offering chilled produce can help numb sore gums the same way a frozen teething ring works for a human baby.
✓Always supervise chewing, and retire any toy once it starts to crack, fray, or come apart.
One day your puppy is happily gnawing on their own toys, and the next they've worked through a table leg, a shoe, and the corner of the couch cushion. It can feel like a behavior problem. Usually it isn't — it's teething, and it's one of the most predictable, temporary phases of the first six months of a puppy's life. Knowing roughly when it happens and what's actually safe to hand them makes the whole stretch a lot less stressful for both of you.
Why Teething Makes Puppies Chew So Much
Chewing does two jobs for a teething puppy at once: it applies counter-pressure to sore, inflamed gums, and it's how a puppy explores the world in general, teeth included. According to PetMD, the increased chewing, mouthing, and gnawing that shows up during this stage is "completely normal" and part of typical development — not a sign your puppy is poorly behaved or under-exercised.
That's genuinely useful context, because the instinct to correct or punish chewing during this window usually just adds frustration for a puppy who's dealing with real physical discomfort. The more productive move is redirecting the behavior toward things that are actually safe to chew — which starts with knowing where your puppy is in the timeline.
The Puppy Teething Timeline
Every puppy is a little different, but the American Kennel Club's timeline is a reliable general guide:
| Age |
What's happening |
| Weeks 2-4 |
Baby (deciduous) teeth begin coming in, usually while still with the breeder |
| Weeks 5-6 |
All ~28 baby teeth should be in |
| Weeks 12-16 |
Baby teeth start shedding and adult teeth push through — the most intense chewing phase, when you may find tiny crumb- or rice-sized teeth around the house |
| 6 months and up |
All baby teeth should be gone and around 42 adult teeth should be in |
That 12-to-16-week stretch is usually the roughest on furniture, shoes, and fingers, since it's when the most teeth are actively working their way out. Chewing tends to taper off — though it rarely stops entirely — once the adult set is fully in.
Safe Chews vs. What to Avoid
The clearest rule of thumb comes straight from VCA Animal Hospitals: choose toys "that have a little bend or that you can indent with a fingernail." Anything harder than that — VCA specifically calls out nylon bones, real bones, and antlers — risks fracturing a puppy's new teeth, and any hard item that gets chewed into pieces can also become a swallowing or blockage hazard.
✅
Look for: some give under a fingernail
Rubber puzzle toys, silicone chew toys, and soft-but-durable rubber shapes designed specifically for chewing pass this test — they absorb bite pressure instead of fighting back against it.
✅
Look for: purpose-built puppy or all-life-stage chew toys
Toys sized and rated for a puppy's jaw strength, rather than a toy built for an adult dog's much harder bite.
⛔
Avoid: real bones, antlers, and hard nylon chews
Too hard to indent with a fingernail — VCA's own warning is that these can fracture a puppy's incoming adult teeth.
⛔
Avoid: anything that's starting to break apart
A cracked or shredding toy stops being a chew toy and starts being a choking or blockage risk — retire it as soon as you see damage.
Frozen Toys and Cold Relief
Cold genuinely helps here, the same way a chilled teething ring helps a human baby. VCA notes you "can also freeze toys and treats to help alleviate inflammation and discomfort," and PetMD specifically suggests chilled or frozen blueberries, green beans, and carrots as a cold, low-mess option for sore gums.
1
Stuff a puzzle-style chew toy
Fill it with a small amount of dog-safe wet food, plain pumpkin, or a puppy-safe treat.
2
Freeze it for a few hours
A solid few hours (or overnight) is enough for the filling to set and the toy itself to chill through.
3
Offer it during peak chewing moments
Right before a nap or a period you need your puppy occupied — the cold plus the texture keeps them focused on the toy instead of your furniture.
4
Supervise, and rotate in fresh options
Keep a couple of frozen toys in rotation in the freezer so there's always a cold one ready.
What We Carry
Whisker House carries two West Paw puzzle-style toys that are genuinely built for this — both are made from a soft-but-durable rubber that passes the fingernail test, and both are designed to be stuffed and frozen.
Best for stuffing & freezing
West Paw Toppl
From $20.95 · in stock
A cup-shaped puzzle and slow feeder made from West Paw's soft, chew-friendly Zogoflex rubber. Stuff it, freeze it, and hand it over during the roughest teething stretches — it also doubles as a slow feeder once the teething phase passes.
Shop West Paw Toppl — From $20.95 →
Good for more assertive chewers
West Paw Tux
From $19.95 · in stock
A step up in durability for a puppy who chews with more enthusiasm, while still staying within the soft-rubber range that's safe for a teething mouth. Also stuffable and freezer-friendly.
Shop West Paw Tux — From $19.95 →
For a puppy who's further along and starting to lose interest in soft rubber, our West Paw Rumbl is another stuffable option in the same soft-rubber family. And once the adult teeth are fully in around 6 months, that's a reasonable time to start layering in something like West Paw's Natural Dental Sticks as part of an ongoing dental-care routine — teething is really the starting line for a lifetime of dental habits, not a separate, unrelated stage.
When to Call the Vet
⚠ Baby teeth still present after 6 months
Per the AKC, if any baby teeth are still hanging around once your puppy is past 6 months old, it's time to have your vet take a look — a retained baby tooth sometimes needs to be removed so it doesn't crowd the adult tooth coming in behind it.
Beyond that specific timeline marker, general judgment still applies: heavy or ongoing bleeding from the gums, a puppy who suddenly stops eating, or a tooth that looks visibly cracked or displaced are all reasons to get a same-week vet check rather than waiting it out. Routine teething discomfort and the occasional fleck of blood on a chew toy is normal; those other signs aren't.
Myths vs. Facts
MythAny toy marketed as "tough" or "indestructible" is safe for a teething puppy.
FactMarketing language isn't a safety test — the fingernail-indent test from VCA is. A toy can be durable for an adult dog and still be too hard for a puppy's incoming teeth.
MythOnce the baby teeth fall out, the heavy chewing stops.
FactChewing usually eases up once all the adult teeth are in around 6 months, but the AKC's timeline makes clear that's the end of the tooth-replacement process, not necessarily the end of a young dog's general urge to chew.
MythA puppy that's chewing everything in sight is being disobedient.
FactPetMD is explicit that increased chewing and mouthing during this stage is a normal part of development — the fix is redirection to safe chews, not correction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal to see a little blood on a chew toy during teething?
A small fleck of blood from a loosening baby tooth is common during the weeks-12-to-16 shedding window. Heavy or ongoing bleeding isn't typical of normal teething and is worth a vet call.
Are ice cubes a good way to soothe teething gums?
We didn't find a clear vet recommendation either way on plain ice cubes specifically. A frozen, stuffed puzzle toy or chilled produce like carrots or green beans are the cold-relief options actually recommended by the sources we checked, so we'd point you there instead.
Should I stop my puppy from chewing altogether during this phase?
No — the goal is redirection, not suppression. Chewing is meeting a real physical need, so removing every outlet just shifts the chewing onto whatever's nearby, furniture included.
What if my puppy loses interest in a toy after a few weeks?
That's common as jaw strength and preferences change through the teething stages. Keeping two or three different textures in rotation — a soft rubber puzzle toy, a slightly firmer chew, a frozen option — tends to hold interest better than any single toy on its own.
Do all puppies teethe on the same schedule?
The AKC's timeline is a general guide, and individual puppies (including by breed and size) can vary somewhat around those windows. If your puppy seems significantly ahead of or behind the general timeline, your vet can confirm whether that's within normal range.
Final Recommendations
1
Use the fingernail test before handing over any chew. If you can't indent it, it's too hard for a teething puppy's mouth.
2
Keep a frozen, stuffed puzzle toy on hand for the roughest stretch of the 12-to-16-week window — it genuinely helps with the discomfort.
3
Redirect, don't punish. Increased chewing during this stage is normal development, not a behavior problem.
4
Retire damaged toys immediately and always supervise chewing sessions.
5
Check in with your vet if a baby tooth is still around past 6 months, or if you see heavy bleeding, a cracked tooth, or a sudden drop in appetite.
Stock Up Before the Next Growth Spurt
The West Paw Toppl and Tux above are both in stock now, along with the rest of our toy collection for every chewing stage. New visitors get 7% off automatically at checkout.
Shop Whisker House Toys →
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