When puppies are teething, they’ll chew anything in sight—including fingers and furniture legs. Great teething toys help soothe aching gums and the need to chew.
“For puppies, as with humans, the teething process can be uncomfortable,” says veterinarian Barbara Hodges, DVM, program director of advocacy and outreach for the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Alliance. “Chewing can help alleviate this discomfort and is normal puppy behavior.”
She advises storing valuable and dangerous items out of reach and offering safe dog toys and chews instead. “Dogs and puppies explore the world with their mouths even outside of the teething process,” she says. “Avoid teaching your puppy that hands are chew toys during this crucial phase and consult with your veterinarian for a personalized training plan if needed.”
Nylabone’s Puppy Power Rings Chew Toy is our favorite teething toy for puppies. It has different textures to massage sore gums and it can be chewed or tugged.
What We Like
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Various textures
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Can chew or tug
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Bacon flavor
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For serious chewers
The colorful Nylabone Puppy Power Rings are an all-around good place to start for puppy teething. They are made of hard plastic so they can withstand even the most determined puppy teeth. Each ring has textured surfaces to help massage gums and give your puppy something to grip. The nubs may also help lessen plaque and tartar on those growing puppy teeth.
The rings are bacon-flavored, which should encourage your dog to chew. And they can even be used to play a gentle game of tug. This toy is for dogs up to 25 pounds. It’s reasonably priced and very durable, and the puppies we’ve watched really seem to enjoy it.
It’s not meant to be edible, so if more than tiny pieces come off, then replace the toy. The rings must be hand-washed and cannot be cleaned in the dishwasher.
Materials: Plastic | Sizes/Dimensions: 2.5 x 4 x 3 inches | Colors: Multicolor
When puppies are eyeing your shoes or the table leg, Benebone chew toys are much safer (and probably tastier) alternatives. Made of hard nylon, these chews are designed for strong chewers who want something to gnaw on. They are a little softer and have a little more give than regular Benebones, making them safer for teething pups.
Puppy Benebones come in several shapes, including a popular stick and a wishbone. They’re designed to be easy for little paws to pick them up and chew on them and they have alluring flavors—like bacon or wood—for extra motivation. Benebones should be replaced when they start to wear down.
Materials: Nylon | Sizes/Dimensions: 2 x 7 inches | Colors: Brown, tan
The classic Kong might be our very favorite must-have dog toy. You can fill it with something like peanut butter or yogurt, then freeze it and give your dog something fun to snack on. It’s soothing for anxiety, fights boredom, and is a great enrichment activity. The Puppy Kong is made of a little softer rubber for growing mouths and aching gums. The rubber also makes it bounce, which makes it fun for puppies to chase.
You can find it in pink or blue and it comes in four sizes from extra-small (for pups up to 5 pounds) to large (for dogs up to 65 pounds). Kongs can be cleaned in the dishwasher or you can use a bottle brush to get all the crannies.
Materials: Rubber | Sizes/Dimensions: 1.5 x 2.25 inches, 1.75 x 3 inches, 2.25 x 3.5 inches, 2.75 x 4.25 inches | Colors: Pink, blue
These edible N-Bone Puppy Teething Rings are just so tempting to puppies. They grab the ring with a paw or two and then get caught up with chewing. The rings are made of edible and digestible ingredients including rice flour, vegetable glycerin, and gelatin and come in four flavors: chicken, pumpkin, peanut butter, and salmon. The rings are fortified with calcium and omega-3s.
Some puppies can experience stomach upset if they eat the whole thing, so you might want to start small and only let them chew a little bit at a time. Note that they can be sticky and messy, but it just gives puppies something else to lick and chew.
Materials: Rice flour, vegetable glycerin, gelatin | Sizes/Dimensions: 9.75 x 3.25 x 6.75 inches | Colors: Brown
Teeny tiny puppies need smaller-sized toys like the colorful playthings in the Petstages Dental Chew Pack. The collection has three different toys: a chew toy for toss and fetch, a rope tug to remove tartar, and a barbell toy that’s durable and has several different textures to massage sore gums.
The toys are relatively small—only about 7 inches long—so they’re targeted specifically toward smaller puppies. They’re relatively tough and can withstand a lot of tossing and chewing, though some puppies may tear them up. As with all teething toys, keep an eye out for wear and tear and replace them if they start to chip or shred. We love the bright colors that make them easy to find in the yard or hidden under the furniture.
Materials: Plastic, fabric | Sizes/Dimensions: 7 x 1.5 inches | Colors: Multicolor
Bigger puppies need more substantial chews when their teeth are coming in. The N-Bone Jumbo Puppy Teething Sticks are made of a digestible recipe that includes rice flour, vegetable glycerin, and gelatin. There’s added DHA for brain development and no corn, wheat, or soy.
The sticks are nearly 9 inches long and come in five flavors: chicken, pumpkin, peanut butter, blueberry and barbecue, and salmon. They contain no rawhide and are targeted toward moderate chewers. Give one-half stick daily for puppies between 13 and 35 pounds and up to a full stick for dogs more than 35 pounds. These are meant only for large-breed puppies and not for smaller ones. Keep in mind that the sticks don’t last long and may break into small pieces.
Materials: Rice flour, vegetable glycerin, gelatin | Sizes/Dimensions: 8.46 x 6.5 x 2.48 inches | Colors: Brown
To use the brightly colored Petstages Cool Teething Stick, soak it in water and freeze. Once it’s cold, your pup can chew away and soothe achy gums. There are dangly ribbons on the end that add a little texture and offer something else to chew and tug.
Once the toy has thawed, soak and refreeze again. It’s not meant to be used as a chew toy when it isn’t frozen. The fabric is soft on gums, even when frozen and crunchy. The filling inside is made of mold-resistant materials so it can be frozen over and over again safely.
Materials: Polyester, synthetic fabric | Sizes/Dimensions: 6 x 1.5 inches | Colors: Multicolor
One popular and easy way to deal with puppy teething is by soaking a washcloth in water and then freezing it. When your puppy chews on the frozen cloth, the cold is soothing on sore gums as they chomp. The Nylabone Freezer Puppy Chew Toy comes in bacon and peanut butter flavors and includes the freezable cloth along with a soft plastic bone with textured bristles to massage irritated gums.
Soak the entire toy in water, freeze it, and then give it to your puppy to play with. The toy is for smaller puppies up to 25 pounds. If pups chew on it long enough, the cloth part will start to shred a little, so keep an eye on it. The plastic part is relatively durable when used by average chewers.
Materials: Plastic, fabric | Sizes/Dimensions: 10 x 4 x 1 inches | Colors: Multicolor
What We Like
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Three bones
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Two are chicken flavored, one is bacon flavored
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Use throughout teething process
The Nylabone Puppy Triple Pack is sort of a step-by-step teething process where puppies can graduate to a different bone as their adult teeth come in. Young puppies start with the soft bone-shaped teething toy that has little nubs to massage achy gums and is for puppy teeth. Once their adult teeth start coming in, they can move up to the power chew that can withstand much more action. Both chew toys are chicken-flavored.
Once your puppy is at least six months old and has all their adult teeth, you can offer the bacon-flavored healthy edibles chew. The treat has DHA, an omega-3 that supports a growing puppy’s brain development.
Materials: Nylon | Sizes/Dimensions: 4.5 x 1 x 1.75 inches | Colors: Brown, white, and pink or blue
The Yomp ChillChew Teether Toy is a soft yet durable silicone teether that is BPA- and phthalate-free. It’s made for soft to medium chewers that are between 15 and 60 pounds. It has a great shape to soothe your puppy’s gums, with soft nubs all around the sides for an added massage. Plus, it can also be used frozen.
If your pup requires an incentive, this chew toy has built-in slots so you can insert treats. We also appreciate that it’s dishwasher safe so it’s easy to maintain and keep clean. Our tester dog enjoyed playing a bit of tug of war with the toy as well as licking the treats and gnawing on it independently. The sturdy material prevented her from removing any chunks or leaving any chew marks on the toy.
Materials: Silicone | Sizes/Dimensions: 4.5 x 3.7 x 1.6 inches | Colors: Green
This simple Kong Rubber Ring is a soothing teething toy for puppies with inflamed gums and an unending need to chew. It’s durable, made with natural rubber, and has nubs throughout to massage gums and help keep teeth clean.
The ring comes in three sizes: small/medium for dogs up to 35 pounds, medium/large for dogs from 30 to 65 pounds, and extra large for dogs over 65 pounds. It can be a straightforward chew toy or can be used for catch and chase as the rubber material and fun shape make it bounce erratically when tossed. There’s also an extremely durable version that’s for power chewers from 60 to 90 pounds. It’s made of tough black rubber.
Materials: Rubber | Sizes/Dimensions: 3.5 x 3.5 x 1 inches, 4.25x 4.25 x 1.25 inches, 5 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches | Colors: Red
Final Verdict
Our favorite teething toy for puppies is the Nylabone Puppy Power Rings Chew Toy. It has all sorts of textures to help massage your pup’s sore gums and it can be chewed or tugged. Another great choice is the durable Benebone for Puppies. It comes in several shapes and flavors.
What to Look For in Teething Toys for Puppies
Types of Teething Relief
When they’re teething, puppies don’t typically show signs of discomfort. “We don’t recommend using any of the topic anesthetic agents that were developed for humans,” says Naomi Hoyer, DVM, a board-certified veterinary dentist and assistant professor of dentistry and oral surgery at Colorado State University.
Instead, they recommend teethers and chews that aren’t too hard because puppy teeth and newly erupted permanent teeth can be easily fractured. “We recommend using the rule of thumb to test chews,” Hoyer says. “If you can’t indent it with a thumbnail, the puppy shouldn’t be chewing on it.”
Addressing Problem Behaviors
One of the best ways to deal with teething-related puppy behaviors like nipping and chewing on everything is by giving your puppy more appropriate things to chew. Trainers suggest trading items. If the puppy is gnawing on something like a chair or your pants leg, offer a toy instead so your puppy can learn which things are toys and OK to chew and which things are off limits.
Keep puppies confined in a pen or crate when you can’t supervise them and be sure they have lots of safe toys to play with. Make sure they have plenty of physical exercise and mental stimulation. Sometimes puppies will just chew when they are bored. Clean and store toys when not in use.
FAQ
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What is puppy teething?
Just like human babies, puppies grow teeth as part of their development. “In the first weeks of life, puppies grow baby teeth (primary or deciduous teeth) which are sharply pointed,” said Barbara Hodges, DVM, program director of advocacy and outreach for the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Alliance. “Those teeth eventually fall out and are replaced with up to 42 permanent teeth.”
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When do puppies stop teething?
Teething can seem like it lasts forever, but you typically only have to wait until your puppy is about 6 months old until it ends. “Their baby teeth will generally begin falling out when they are about 12 weeks old,” says Hodges. “By the time they are six months old, all their permanent teeth will typically have grown in.”
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When do puppies get their adult teeth?
Puppies get their baby (deciduous) teeth when they’re 4–6 weeks old. “They then shed their deciduous teeth and erupt their permanent teeth between 3 to 7 months of age,” Hoyer says. “During the time when permanent teeth are erupting, dogs frequently display increased chewing behavior, and it’s important to make sure that they have the right kinds of structures to use!”
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Why are puppy teeth so sharp?
If you’ve felt puppy bath teeth on your hands or ankles, you know they can be razor sharp. “It is likely this sharpness helps puppies chew their food effectively while their jaws are still developing strength,” says Hodges.
No one really knows why puppy teeth are so sharp, adds Hoyer. “At their young age they are primarily used for social interaction and learning eating behavior, so it’s probably related to that!”
Why Trust The Spruce Pets
For this roundup, Mary Jo DiLonardo talked to puppy fosters, puppy owners, and rescue volunteers about what they look for when choosing teething toys for puppies and which are their favorites. She also has tested nearly all of these and sifted through loads of online reviews. For this article, she consulted Barbara Hodges, DVM, program director of advocacy and outreach for the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Alliance, and Naomi Hoyer, DVM, a board-certified veterinary dentist and assistant professor of dentistry and oral surgery at Colorado State University.
DiLonardo has been writing about pets and animals for several decades. She has a rescue dog and has fostered more than 50 dogs and puppies. She is always trying different products to keep the dogs in her care entertained, healthy, and safe.
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