Somewhere around month four, a sweet puppy turns into a small woodchipper. That's not a training failure — it's dentistry. Twenty-eight baby teeth are falling out and forty-two adult ones are pushing through, and chewing is how a puppy manages the discomfort (AKC). The job isn't to stop the chewing; it's to steer it.

The timeline, so you can see the end

Baby teeth erupt from about three weeks and are all in by six. From roughly twelve weeks they start falling out — you'll rarely find them; puppies usually swallow them harmlessly — and the adult set arrives in waves: incisors first, canines around five months, molars last. By about six months it's over and the mouth settles (AKC, VCA). Teething is a season, not a personality.

The hardness rule most owners never hear

Here's the part that surprises people: the classic "indestructible" chews are the dangerous ones. Veterinary dentists warn against bones, antlers and hard nylon because they crack teeth — baby and adult — and a fractured tooth means a painful mouth and a dental bill (VCA). Their rule of thumb: don't let a dog chew anything that won't bend (VCA). A practical version many trainers use: press your thumbnail into it — if it doesn't dent, treat it as too hard. The same logic rules out ice cubes and toys that freeze solid.

Cold helps — deliver it soft

Cold genuinely soothes inflamed gums. Skip the ice cube (too hard) and go soft-and-cold instead: wet food or plain dog-safe yoghurt smeared on a silicone lick mat and frozen gives long, gentle cold contact — and the licking itself is calming.

Redirection is a system, not a scold

  • Manage the environment. A puppy who can't reach the chair legs can't practise on them — this is the puppy-zone logic, and it's half the battle.
  • Trade, don't chase. Wrong thing in mouth → offer the right thing, praise the swap. Chasing turns theft into the best game in the house.
  • Rotate the chews. Three toys out, three in the cupboard, swap weekly — novelty does a lot of free work.
  • Supervised tug counts too. A soft tug toy gives the jaw a workout and you a bonding game — keep it gentle while the mouth is under construction.

When it's more than teething

A baby tooth still in place next to its adult replacement, a visibly broken tooth, blood beyond light spotting, or a puppy that stops eating — those are vet-check items, not wait-it-out items (VCA).

Survive the season with the right targets, cold relief and closed wardrobe doors, and you come out the other side with a full set of adult teeth and most of your furniture.