Puppies are surely the sweetest thing on the planet. However, raising a new puppy is not an easy job. There is a lot to learn about what to expect and how to handle certain changes in your puppies as they age.
Puppy teething, how long do puppies teeth? Puppy teething is a long process. It begins when puppies are two weeks old and their first teeth begin to appear, and generally ends around 8 months old when all adult teeth fully erupt.
An important component of a puppy’s life involves teething and chewing. If you are wondering how long do puppies teeth? OR How many teeth do dogs have? OR How to Survive Puppy Teething? Then this post especially is for you.
How Long Do Puppies Teeth?
Puppies are usually born without teeth. They have two types of teeth in their life. The first one is puppy teeth also known as temporary teeth, deciduous teeth, or milk teeth. Then these milk teeth are replaced by adult teeth.
Here we will divide the teething process into different stages for easy understanding.
- Birth to 2 Weeks
- Weeks 2 to 4
- Weeks 5 to 8
- Weeks 12 to 16
- 6 Months and Older
- READ MORE: PUPPY CHECKLIST
Birth to 2 Weeks
As mentioned above, puppies are born without teeth. Your puppies will not grow any teeth in the first 2 weeks.
At this stage, puppies will start nursing. Their eyes will be open in the first two weeks. You should start socialization your puppy at this time for effective future training. The first vet visit should also be planned in this period.
Weeks 2 to 4
In the second and third weeks, the first narrow-edged tooth incisors begin to appear. Dogs generally have 12 incisor teeth, six at the top and six at the bottom.
In the third to the fifth week, canine teeth (the pointy teeth) begin to appear, which are four in total, two at the top and two at the bottom
Weeks 5 to 8
Dogs generally have 6 premolars, three at the top and three at the bottom. Premolars begin to appear from the fifth to six weeks.
At the age of 8 weeks, your beloved puppy should have a complete set of milk teeth.
Puppies typically have 28 baby teeth in total. Around this time, the breeder will likely already be or will be in the process of weaning the puppies while they learn to eat soft, moist puppy food.
Around eight weeks breeders often let their puppies go to their new owner’s homes.
Weeks 12 to 16
As your puppy grows after 8 weeks, adult teeth start to come out and baby teeth start to fall out.
The sequence of the loss of baby teeth in puppies is as follows:
- First, the incisors fall out around 12 to 16 weeks
- Canine teeth will fall out around 16 weeks
- Pre-molars will fall out around 24 weeks
The fall out process of baby teeth begins when the permanent teeth begin to appear because permanent teeth begin pushing out deciduous or milk teeth.
This process is painful for your beloved puppies, so you should provide puppy safe chew toys. At the age of 12-16 weeks, the adult incisors begin to appear. Adult canines also begin to appear this time.
This is the best time to socialize your puppy. You should closely look and touch the inside and outside of his mouth, and prepare your puppy to brush his teeth.
6 Months and Older
At the age of 16 to 20 weeks, your dog’s premolars begin to appear. At the age of 16 to 24 weeks, your dog’s molars also begin to appear.
At the age of 8 months, the puppy must have a complete set of adult teeth that are 42 in number: 12 incisors, 4 canines, 16 premolars, and 10 molars.
How Many Teeth Does a Dog Have?
Below is the dental formula for the milk teeth and permanent teeth of the dog.
The dental formula of Dog (Milk Teeth): 2 (I 3 ⁄ 3 C 1 ⁄ 1 P 3 ⁄ 3 M 0 ⁄ 0)
The dental formula of Dog (Permanent Teeth): 2 (I 3 ⁄ 3 C 1 ⁄ 1 P 4 ⁄ 4 M 2 ⁄ 3)
*(I= Incisors, C= Canines, P=Premolars, M= Molars)
Puppies have a total of 28 baby teeth and adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth. Permanent teeth are the teeth that your dog will have for the rest of its life.
You may wonder where your puppy’s teeth end up with all this. It turns out that you may not find your lost puppy teeth at all. Often times, the puppy swallows his own teeth. That’s kind of gross, but don’t worry.
How to Survive Puppy Teething?
When your puppy starts teething and sheds his old teeth, this process is very painful and uncomfortable for your puppy.
Puppies’ gums will be sore as their adult teeth breakthrough, and they will want to chew on everything, that will ease the pain.
What you can do in this situation is a very important question. You can make this phase comfortable by following these simple steps.
The first line of defense for a teething puppy is bully sticks, and they are pretty much the ultimate chew toy. We can definitely recommend the Best Bully Sticks made of 100% all-natural-beef, produced in the US.
You must also offer your puppy safe chewy toys made of rubber. For puppy teething, we love the West Paw Zogoflex that you can stuff with either food or a bully stick. If you want to make it even more interesting for your puppy, consider also getting a Large version as it will allow you to fasten them together and make a sealed container filled with treats.
By doing this, it will prevent your puppy from finding something on their own to chew on, whether it’s your favorite pair of shoes, the new sofa, or your children’s toys.
The puppy needs to get used to the dental care system. Gently touch his mouth and rub the gums and teeth.
You should gently rub the puppy’s teeth with a soft cloth or toothbrush approved for use with dogs and puppies. You can also use the specially designed dog toothpaste.
You should provide soft food to your dog in this phase and teach him a positive reinforcement that he’s only allowed to chew his own toys.
If baby teeth don’t fall out in time, puppies may appear to have a double set of teeth. Retained baby teeth must be extracted by a veterinarian so that permanent teeth have room to grow.
Sometimes a crowded mouth with a double set of teeth misaligns them, resulting in difficulty eating or poor dental hygiene, which can lead to periodontal disease.
Teething Problems
You should regularly check your puppy mouth during the teething process and look for these signs such as swelling, rubbing of face and change in eating habits. You’ll want to take your pup to the veterinarian if you see:
- Adult crooked teeth
- Bleeding or inflammation of gums
- Cracked or broken teeth
- Delayed teething
Purpose of Each Tooth in a dog
Each of your dog’s teeth has a specific function based on the position in the mouth and the shape of the tooth. There are several ways that dogs use their teeth:
Incisors Teeth
Dogs use incisors to tear and scrape flesh from bones. It is also used as a tool to care for nibbles or dirt from fur.
Canine Teeth
These pointy canine teeth can inflict puncture and sharp wounds.
Premolar and Molar Teeth
Premolars and molars are designed for crushing. These are used to process vegetable, dog food, and bone.
These special teeth are known as “Carnassial teeth”, when they cross while the mouth is closed, these teeth act like scissors. Carnassial teeth are innovations for carnivores that require cutting action to process meat.
Conclusion
The teething process is a very important part of a dog’s life. You should properly care for your beloved dog in this process and schedule a visit with your vet for an initial dental exam.
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If you’re looking for the most up-to-date recommendations, check out my recommended products section that I’ve created to help every dog owner!
