Teething Puppies
Puppies are born without teeth. By the time they are 8 weeks old, they have 28 ‘temporary’ puppy teeth that are super sharp and enable your puppy to eat solid food.
These ‘puppy teeth’ will start to fall out from 14 weeks, starting with the small tiny incisors… you may find these but puppies can swallow them during play with other dogs or when chewing edible chews and toys.
The last ones to fall out are the big pointy (and painful) ones…once teething is over at approx 30 weeks, your puppy will boast 42 adult teeth. The good news is that the adult teeth once through aren’t as sharp as the puppy teeth (phew – just look at Billy’s teeth!).
When your puppy is teething you will notice an increased desire to chew – furniture, clothes, shoes etc. It’s important during this time to provide your puppy with lots of edible chews and toys for them to chew on.
Our favourites are:
- Pizzles
- Skippers Fish throw Sticks
- Animal Earth No Hide Chews
- Stuffed KONGS
- Ostrich Braids
- Buffalo Ears
Be careful about shouting ‘ouch’ when your puppy bites you as they may think you are playing and it may make them worse.
Turning your back or standing still may make your puppy frustrated and escalates the biting.
Top Teething Tips
Our advice is to be ‘proactive’ and have chews ready for them to choose to chew rather than your shoes…. Keep your house clear of shoes, clothing and items you don’t want your puppy to chew.
Also be mindful that getting toys out and having a game or playing with them once they’ve started nipping you may unwittingly reward the nipping and biting.
Try to get in there BEFORE they start biting and mouthing and give them something appropriate to chew on. Also bear in mind that if your puppy is particularly bitey, could they be hungry? Could they need the loo? Could they be over stimulated and need to sleep?
Always remember they aren’t doing it on purpose to annoy or hurt you… they are a young puppy and it’s all normal.
If you have any questions you can email us at feedme@differentdog.com and we can put you in touch with Diane.
