How Puppy Teething Works?

Puppy teething is a sign that your puppy is going through a process where new teeth start to appear. During this teething period, puppies will instinctively chew, not because they want to punish you for leaving her home alone and locking her in a crate. They chew because they need to at this period of teething. When teething, puppies will chew to alleviate as much discomfort as they can. Think about it, if you had 42 adult teeth growing in, you’d want to alleviate the pain. Puppy teething is part of the life of every puppy and care should be attended as much as possible to your puppy during this period.

Puppy teething often worries dog owners who complain about not knowing how to deal with the pet’s increasing need to chew at things. There are two teething periods, one at around three or four weeks of life when the baby teeth erupt, and another more difficult period at six or seven months of age when the adult teeth appear. The first teeth that start to appear are the canines, followed by the incisors and the premolars.

Puppy teething signs are very easy to spot. There are specific signs that indicate puppy teething. You’ll notice an increase in the dog’s chewing habits, and all of a sudden many of the house objects like the TV remote control for instance will carry teeth marks. Other visible signs of puppy teething are missing teeth and swollen gums.

Puppy teething signs or symptoms summary.

• Swollen, inflamed gums
• Bleeding gums
• Missing teeth
• Teeth prints on your nice things.

Puppy teething comes with some discomfort caused by the soreness and pain from the swollen gum. Part of the discomfort caused by teeth eruption can be alleviated by the use of special powders and gels designed for veterinarian use.

In addition, a normal level of chewing needs to be accepted by any dog owner during puppy teething as the pressure on the gums reduces your pet’s discomfort and the mouth soreness. During puppy teething period, the dog will chew everything from socks to shoes to furniture. Nevertheless, if the chewing habit gets disruptive, a firm control of the dog’s urge is required.

To avoid any mess around the house as well as the creation of a very bad habit, you should provide your puppy with plenty of toys to chew. Puppy teething is easier for both the pet and the owner when rubber objects keep the puppy distracted as well as from chewing your home’s furniture and at the same time relieving the pressure in the gum of your puppy.

Frozen food or a cold piece of cloth and even a dampened and frozen rope could work wonders for soreness alleviation during puppy teething time. Any cold object will have a positive effect on the swollen tissues, allowing the dog to be able to eat normally. You could try this method at least two times a day in order to help the pet cope better with pain.

Alleviate Puppy Teething Discomfort Summary

• Ice
• Puppy teething toys found at pet stores
• Frozen fruits and vegetables such as carrots, strawberries, watermelon, apples, sweet potatoe, etc.
• Freeze natural bones that you’ve filled with peanut butter, cheese wiz, cream cheese, etc. (STAY AWAY from rawhides as they do not digest properly in a dog’s body)
• You can put broth in ice cubes, and freeze them before giving it to your puppy. The taste alone will entice your puppy to chew them.
• Dip knotted socks or towels (remember knotting them will create a difference between a forbidden object such as new socks and an object that the puppy can chew, such as old socks) into broth and freeze before giving it to the puppy.

In short, puppy teething is a natural process and is part of the life of every puppy. You shouldn’t get too worried about it and as long as your puppy are taken care of during this period, you and your pet can pretty much lead a happy life.

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 1st, 2008 at 5:13 pm and is filed under puppy teething. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.