Puppies spend nearly the entire first nine months of their lives in one stage of teething or another. Teething is painful and gums become irritated and even bleed occasionally. The discomforts of teething lead puppies to engage in the activity for which they are most notorious--chewing up anything and everything they can get their mouths on.
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Teething Stages
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When a puppy is born, she has no teeth. When she is about four weeks old, she begins to cut her baby teeth. These baby teeth will begin falling out as the permanent teeth are cut at about two to three months of age. Up until about nine months of age the puppy will continue to cut her permanent teeth. A puppy has 28 baby or milk teeth and 42 adult teeth.
Teething Symptoms
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It's usually not difficult to tell that your puppy is teething, but some clear signs include a well-behaved puppy suddenly becoming nippy and chewing on everything. The puppy's gums will look red and may be slightly inflamed. You may also see the tips of the new teeth emerging. While your puppy will loose his baby teeth, it is unlikely you will find them. Most of the time dogs swallow these teeth as soon as they are free of the gums.
Chew Toys
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While your puppy is teething, you can ease some of her discomfort by providing appropriate toys on which to chew. This will also help eliminate the potential of her chewing up your shoes, books or furniture to ease her pain. Hard plastic toys with edges that will fit in the puppy's mouth, but that are too large for the puppy to swallow, usually work best.
Soothing the Pain with Cold
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Cold eases the pain associated with teething. Take old towels or washcloths, depending upon the size of your puppy, douse them in water and freeze them. Once they're frozen, give them to your puppy to chew. Another way to ease your pet's gums is to pour chicken broth into an ice tray and freeze it. Give the puppy the ice cubes to chew. The cold helps to reduce the inflammation of the gums.
Massage
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Rubbing the outside of the puppy's mouth gently, along his gums, with your fingers will also help to provide some relieve of the discomfort associated with teething. You can also massage along the gum line inside of his mouth. In addition to the relief this provides now, this is teaching your puppy to have the inside of his mouth touched. This will make it easier to provide dental care and examinations, including teeth brushing, as an adult dog.
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