Everything you need to know about puppy teething: when it starts, when it ends, what symptoms to expect, and how to manage the biting and chewing phase.
Puppy teething is one of the most misunderstood phases of early dog ownership. Owners often interpret the increased biting, the destroyed furniture, and the bloody chew toys as behavioral problems or training failures. They are not. They are the predictable physiological response to a puppy growing an entirely new set of teeth.
Understanding the timeline, recognizing what is normal, and having the right management tools in place makes this phase manageable. Here is everything you need to know.
Puppies are born toothless and rely entirely on their mother's milk.
Twenty-eight deciduous (baby) teeth come in: 12 incisors, 4 canines, and 12 premolars. These are the sharp little needle teeth that make early puppy biting so painful.
This is the period owners notice most. Baby teeth begin falling out as adult teeth push through the gum tissue. The process is not orderly — at any given point your puppy may have a mix of baby teeth, gaps where teeth have fallen out, and emerging adult teeth at various stages.
This phase produces the most intense chewing drive. The pressure of erupting teeth causes significant gum discomfort, and chewing relieves it.
The full set of 42 permanent teeth — 12 incisors, 4 canines, 16 premolars, and 10 molars — should be in place by 6–7 months. The intense teething-related chewing typically subsides once adult teeth have fully emerged and settled.
Finding teeth around the house: You will occasionally find tiny white teeth on the floor, in toys, or on the couch. This is normal. Puppies also commonly swallow their baby teeth — this is harmless.
Blood on chew toys: Small pink or red staining on chew toys is normal during the 3–6 month phase. The gums bleed slightly when baby teeth are loosened or lost.
Swollen or inflamed-looking gums: Mild redness and swelling along the gumline is normal during active tooth eruption. The gums are tender, which is why cold items provide relief.
Increased chewing on everything: Furniture corners, baseboards, shoe laces, power cords, hands, and anything else within reach. This is driven by gum discomfort, not misbehavior.
Drooling more than usual: Some puppies drool heavily during teething. Normal.
Slightly reduced appetite around 4–5 months: Chewing dry kibble on sore gums can be uncomfortable. If appetite drops noticeably, try moistening food with warm water to soften it.
Most teething resolves without intervention, but contact your vet if you see:
Retained baby teeth: If a baby tooth is still present alongside the fully erupted adult tooth (usually canines), it needs to be extracted. Retained baby teeth push adult teeth out of alignment and create pockets where bacteria accumulate. This is one of the most common dental issues in young dogs — address it at the spay/neuter appointment or earlier if the adult tooth has been in for 2+ weeks.
Heavy or prolonged bleeding: More than light staining warrants examination.
Puppy pawing at mouth, rubbing face: Could indicate a broken tooth, abscessed tooth, or foreign object lodged in the gum.
Missing adult teeth at 7+ months: If you count fewer than 42 teeth and gum tissue has fully closed over the area, the tooth may be embedded — worth checking by X-ray.
Frozen items are the most effective, immediate relief. The cold reduces gum inflammation and the pressure of chewing counteracts the discomfort of erupting teeth.
Options:
Chew toy rotation: Puppies habituate to toys. Keep 8–10 appropriate chew items and rotate them so there is always something "new" available. A puppy with access to satisfying chew options has less motivation to chew furniture.
What to avoid: Cooked bones (splinter), hard nylon antlers in very young puppies (can fracture baby teeth), ice cubes (choking risk for small breeds), and anything that can be broken into chunks and swallowed.
Teething intensifies biting but does not create it — puppies bite as part of normal play and communication. The behaviors you establish now will last long after teething ends.
The core principle: every time puppy teeth contact human skin, the interaction ends immediately. This is not punishment — it is information. "Teeth on skin = fun stops."
In practice:
The key is absolute consistency. If teeth on skin sometimes produces play and sometimes produces the end of fun, the puppy will keep trying — intermittent reinforcement strengthens behavior. Every interaction must have the same consequence.
No amount of training prevents teething chewing — the drive is physiological. Management is the solution:
The most intense teething typically happens between 4–5 months. By 6 months, most puppies have their adult teeth and the driven, constant chewing drive subsides. You will notice the change — suddenly chew toys that the puppy ignored at 4 months become interesting again at 7 months, but without the manic edge.
Stay consistent with redirection, keep appropriate chew options always available, and remember that this phase is temporary. A puppy who learns the chewing rules during teething carries those habits forward into adult life.