If your puppy has recently developed a taste for table legs, remote controls, or your favorite sneakers, you’re not doing anything wrong — you’re just in the middle of teething. It’s one of the most predictable phases of puppyhood, and also one of the most destructive if you’re not ready for it. Here’s what’s actually happening and how to get through it with your furniture intact.
Why puppies chew so much
Puppies start losing their baby teeth around 3-4 months old, and by about 6 months most dogs have their full set of 42 adult teeth, according to the AKC's puppy teething timeline. During that window, their gums are sore and swollen, and chewing is one of the only ways they can relieve the pressure — the same reason human babies gnaw on teething rings. On top of the physical discomfort, puppies also chew to explore the world, relieve boredom, and work through separation anxiety, so even after the adult teeth are in, chewing habits that started during teething often stick around if they're not redirected early.
The signs you're in a teething window
Beyond the obvious "everything is suddenly a chew toy" behavior, look for excessive drooling, small spots of blood on toys (from loose baby teeth), reluctance to eat hard kibble, and a generally more irritable or clingy mood. Some puppies also get a mild, short-lived dip in appetite as their mouths get sore — worth watching, but usually not a cause for concern unless it lasts more than a day or two.
Redirect, don't punish
The single most useful thing you can do during teething is make appropriate chew items more available and more appealing than your belongings, rather than only reacting after the fact — the AKC's survival guide to puppy teething and nipping covers this redirection approach in more depth. Puppy-proofing helps — shoes in a closet, cords tucked away, trash cans out of reach — but the real fix is giving them something satisfying to chew before they go looking for an alternative.
This is where texture and design matter more than people expect. A chew toy that's too soft gets destroyed in a day and can become a choking hazard; one that's too hard can crack a puppy's still-developing teeth. Our Dog Chew Teeth Cleaning Toy is built to be bite-resistant and durable enough to hold up to serious puppy enthusiasm while still doing double duty on dental cleaning as they gnaw. For gentler gum relief, our Dog Teeth Cleaning Toy uses a softer TPR material with a toothpaste groove and textured nubs, designed to massage sore gums while helping clean teeth — a nice option to rotate in when a puppy's mouth is especially tender.
Cold can help too
A lot of trainers and vets recommend chilling (not freezing solid) a rubber chew toy for puppies in an especially sore teething phase — the cold has a mild numbing effect on inflamed gums, similar to how a cold washcloth soothes a teething baby. Just avoid ice cubes or anything frozen rock-hard, since that can be harsh on emerging adult teeth. AKC Pet Insurance's teething guide has more on gentle at-home relief methods if your puppy is having a particularly rough week.
When to call the vet
Occasional light bleeding from a wiggly baby tooth is normal. What's not normal: teeth that seem stuck half in and half out for more than a few days (retained baby teeth can need professional extraction), noticeable swelling, a puppy that stops eating entirely, or bleeding that doesn't stop. Any of those are worth a vet visit rather than waiting it out.
The phase does end
It's easy to feel like the chewing will never stop, but most of the intense teething behavior tapers off by 6-7 months as the adult teeth finish coming in. What sticks around depends a lot on the habits you build during this window — puppies that always had an appropriate chew toy within reach tend to grow into adult dogs that reach for their toy box instead of your shoes.
Ready to give your puppy something better to chew on? Explore our teething and dental chew toys built for sore gums and serious chewers alike.