Teething and mouthing in the puppy: a phase, not a vice

Teething is not a single event but a path that starts with the first milk teeth and reaches the permanent set. The exact timing varies with species, size and the individual animal, so the ages should be taken as a general reference and not as a schedule to meet to the day. What matters is recognising the sequence, because it is the same for everyone even when the dates differ.

Mouthing meets several needs at once, which is why saying no is not enough. During teething, pressure on the gums relieves the discomfort of moving teeth. Beyond pain, the mouth is for the puppy a tool of learning: it explores textures and objects by biting them, as a small child would with its hands. Add play, which in young animals often runs through the bite.

• Relief from gum discomfort while teeth move and are replaced.
• Exploring the world through the mouth, which in the puppy is an organ of learning.
• Play and interaction, which in young animals naturally include biting.
• Releasing energy and tension, above all when the puppy is tired or overexcited.
• Seeking attention, when biting a hand gets an immediate reaction from the person.

Recognising which need is driving the bite at that moment changes the right response. An overexcited, tired puppy does not need another game but calm and rest; a puppy that is exploring needs suitable objects to bite; a puppy seeking attention learns faster when biting a hand stops working as a call. Telling them apart is more useful than suppressing.

Giving the need to bite an outlet means providing suitable objects and removing dangerous ones. The choice is not trivial: some objects that are too hard can damage the teeth, others too small or that flake off can be swallowed. The prudent rule is to prefer objects made for the purpose and to supervise their use, above all at first, asking the vet for advice in doubtful cases.

• Objects to bite suited to size and age, large enough not to be swallowed.
• Materials that give a little under the bite, avoiding those so hard they risk chipping teeth.
• Rotating the objects, because novelty keeps interest up and keeps the puppy away from furniture and hands.
• Electrical cables, small objects, fraying fabrics and toys that break into pieces must be kept out of reach.
• Care with thread, elastic and ribbon, which if swallowed can form a dangerous linear foreign body.
• Periodic checking of the bite objects, replacing worn ones that could shed pieces.

The aim is not to eliminate biting, which is natural, but to move it from objects and people to what is suitable, and to teach the puppy to control its force. This is built with consistency and coherent reactions, not with punishment, which frightens without teaching the alternative. The underlying rule is simple: hands are not a toy, and each time the bite lands on them the game stops.

1. 1

   Always keep a suitable object within reach

   When the puppy tries to bite a hand or a piece of furniture, offer the right object at once. Swapping the target is more effective than merely preventing the bite.

2. 2

   Stop the game when the bite lands on skin

   Calmly pause the interaction for a moment. The puppy learns that biting hands ends the game rather than making it more exciting.

3. 3

   Do not use hands as a toy

   Playing at having your fingers bitten teaches the puppy that hands are for biting. Better to always place an object between hand and teeth.

4. 4

   Reward teeth on the right thing

   When the puppy mouths the suitable object, a calm reinforcement cements the correct choice far more than telling it off for the mistake.

5. 5

   Manage tiredness and overexcitement

   A puppy that bites more when tired needs a break and rest, not more play. Offering calm switches off many bites better than any correction.

6. 6

   Be consistent across the whole family

   If one person stops the game at a bite and another keeps letting their hands be bitten, the puppy does not learn. The rules apply to everyone the same way.

With a kitten the reasoning is similar but play with hands must be avoided even more firmly, because a bite aimed at skin tends to become fixed. In both species patience pays: growth mouthing eases as teething completes, while the need to chew appropriately remains for life and should be met with suitable objects.

Teething is a physiological process that in most cases proceeds without trouble, but some signals deserve the vet's eye. Recognising them is not a substitute for the visit, which accompanies growth through the first year anyway, but a way not to let pass situations that, if ignored, can create problems for the adult mouth.

• A milk tooth that stays in place when the matching permanent one has already come through beside it.
• Permanent teeth that do not appear in the expected time or that look poorly aligned.
• Very red or swollen gums, persistent bleeding or markedly bad breath.
• Refusing food, difficulty chewing or signs of pain when the mouth is touched.
• A chipped or broken tooth, which should be assessed because it can be painful and become infected.
• Chewing always on one side only, or objects dropped repeatedly during play.

Noting when these signals appear and bringing them to a check lets the vet assess the mouth at the right time, when treatment is simpler. The permanent dentition will be with the animal for life, and the habits set in the first months, from the right objects to bite to attention for the mouth, are the basis of future dental health.