The Best Toys for Dog Teething

Dogs grow two sets of teeth, just like humans. The first set appears a few weeks after birth and after a while, makes way for the second set of teeth.

The teething period in puppies can be painful and disturbing to both the dog and the owner. Like babies, the puppies have no prior experience of teething, so they have no proper way to react to the changes happening in their body.

During teething and jaw formation, drooling and excessive chewing (which can lead to destructive habit) are rampant in puppies.

At this stage, getting a toy for your dog to chew on is advisable to prevent the dog from venting all its anger on household materials like shoes, rugs, and table legs.

When Does Teething Start in Puppies?

Puppies at birth have no teeth because their diet at this stage is reliant on their mother’s breast milk.

Teeth growth starts as the puppies start transitioning from breast milk to solid food during weaning. This is usually between 2 – 5 weeks after birth, and at this point, their eyes should be opened.

The milk teeth should have completed its growth after 8 or 9 weeks and should be have been weaned at this stage.

Their diets at this stage will consist of soft puppy foods. Solid foods are not encouraged because of the relative weakness of their jaws and teeth.

A complete set of baby teeth in dogs should consist of: 12 incisors, 4 canines, and 12 premolars. The teeth count at this stage should be 28 teeth.

Puppies lose their baby teeth faster than human, and the baby teeth would start falling off for the adult teeth to start growing in about 4 or 5 weeks after the baby teeth have wholly grown.

An adult dog has 42 teeth; 12 incisors, 4 canines and 12 premolars, this should be around 7-8months after birth.

Toys That Help the Teething Process

During the teething process, dogs feel the need to chew more than ever. The gum is usually sore, and chewing helps the puppy to relieve the pain.

Keeping the puppy occupied and mentally stimulated during teething is also essential, to physiologically help the dog throughout the whole process.

The puppy needs certain toys at this stage more than ever to chew on and also to keep it mentally stimulated and occupied.

Chew Toys

Because of puppies’ obsession with chewing during teething, buying toys for your dog at this stage will prevent it from chewing on household materials like; carpets, shoes, pillow, etc., even your toes and finger!

These chew toys help to relieve soreness of the gum by the actions of your dog chewing on them and at the same time keep your dog occupied.

Some chew toys can be filled with treats to reward your dog for chewing on them. These treats serve as an incentive for the puppy to continue chewing on the toys.

When choosing chew toys for puppies, the toy material has to be carefully selected.

The material must be strong enough to withstand heavy chewing and flexible enough to not break the budding teeth.

Finding the right balance when it comes to choosing chew toy material is very crucial for your dog’s safety. The material must not be toxic, strong and durable, be of compact quality to prevent bits of the materials falling off and dog swallowing them, small enough to fit in the dog’s mouth and big enough to prevent the dog from swallowing them.

The only thing better than chewing a toy for a puppy is chewing a tasty toy. There are a ton of tasty chew toys on the market, and your puppy will find them interesting.

Chew toys can be of any shape, as long as your dog likes the toy.

Rope Toys

Rope toys are useful because they engage your dog both physically and mentally. These toys help to clean the teeth, reduce plaque, and tartar buildup on the dog’s teeth. Rope toys are also used for games like tug-of-war.

The ropes must be tightly woven and be of good quality to prevent loose fabrics from entering the dog mouth.

Regular inspection of the rope must be carried out to remove loose fabrics and tighten the knot in cases of a loose knot. For drooling dogs, the rope material might help to absorb the moisture.

Ball Toys

Not just good for playing fetch alone, ball toys make great toys for teething dogs. Regardless of the size or shape, dogs love playing with balls and can be busy with one all day.

Ball toys can be filled with treats for the dog’s pleasure, while some balls have tiny perforations to fit and brush the dog’s teeth.

Some balls have cuts and designs that make them fascinating and enticing for dogs to play with and chew on.

These toys can be flexible for compression when chewing or made as squeaky balls to keep the dog’s attention.

In general, teething toys must be soft enough to provide relief and tough enough to be durable. Frozen toys have proven to be very effective in soothing the dog’s gum during teething.

So, you can keep your dog’s toys overnight in the refrigerator before giving it to the dog. I am sure the pooch will enjoy it.

And remember, always check the toy for blood in case the toy is causing damage to the dog’s gum.

Check all toys with your vet before giving them to your dogs to play with.

Dental Care During Teething

Chewing on toys won’t give your dog all the dental care it needs. Oral hygiene is essential to having a healthy dog.

Brushing of teeth in puppies is highly recommended for dog owner; to get your dog used to having a brush in its mouth from an early age.

You should purchase toothpaste and toothbrush suitable for dogs (human toothpaste is very bad for dogs), and start brushing as soon as the dog starts teething for proper oral hygiene.

For dogs with bad breath, you can use oral gels to compliment the brushing of teeth.

Always consult your vet before using any oral product on your dogs, or for learning how to brush a dog’s teeth for new dog owners.