Safe Chews for Teething Puppies: What to Give Your Little Land Shark

Puppies are adorable. They are also tiny, fluffy chaos machines with needle teeth.

If you are currently living with a puppy who bites your sleeves, chews your furniture, attacks your shoelaces, and treats your hands like a personal chew toy, you are not alone. This stage is very normal — but full disclosure, it feels like it is going to last forever and may have you questioning your decision to adopt a puppy! The good news is that one day it WILL stop. With Ember it seemed like overnight she went from being a land shark to being a lovely puppy that didn’t try to chew me every time I pet her.

While your puppy is in the chew-everything stage, the goal is not to stop the chewing altogether. Chewing is normal, soothing, and important for puppies. The goal is to give them safe things to chew, teach them that human skin is not a chew toy, and manage the environment so they do not practise chewing all the wrong things.

Here’s how to get through the teething and biting phase without losing your mind — or your favourite shoes.

Why Puppies Chew So Much

Puppies chew for a few reasons.

First, their mouths are how they explore the world. They do not have hands, so everything interesting goes straight into the mouth: your fingers, the rug, the couch leg, the remote, a pinecone, a sock, the corner of the wall. Lovely.

Second, teething can be uncomfortable. According to VCA Canada, puppies usually have their baby teeth by around six weeks, and their adult teeth start coming in at around 12 weeks. By about six months, most puppies have their adult teeth. During that time, chewing can help relieve gum discomfort. VCA Canada: Teeth, Teething and Chewing in Puppies

Third, chewing can be a boredom, stress, or excess-energy behaviour. If your puppy is under-stimulated, overtired, frustrated, or left with too much freedom too soon, chewing can quickly become their favourite hobby.

For more help with the general chewing problem, see our guide to how to stop destructive chewing in dogs.

Teething Chewing vs. Puppy Biting

This is where it helps to separate two things:

• Chewing on objects is often teething, exploration, boredom, or self-soothing.
• Biting people is often play, excitement, attention-seeking, or poor bite control.

VCA Canada notes that nipping, mouthing, and biting in young dogs is often social play rather than simply teething. Teething is more likely to show up as gnawing on objects. VCA Canada: Play Biting in Puppies

That means chews are helpful, but chews alone will not magically stop puppy biting. You need both: safe chew options and simple training.

The Rule of Thumb for Puppy Chews

Here is the easy version.

If your puppy is teething, look for chews and toys that are:

• soft enough to bend a little
• gentle on puppy teeth
• sized so they cannot be swallowed whole
• interesting enough to redirect biting
• easy to clean
• safe to supervise
• appropriate for your puppy’s size, breed, and chewing style

VCA’s puppy teething guidance recommends avoiding extremely hard items such as bones, antlers, and hard nylon because they can risk tooth fractures. They suggest choosing chew toys with a little bend, or ones you can indent with a fingernail. VCA: Dos and Don’ts of Puppy Teething Toys

Basically: if it feels like your puppy is chewing on a rock, it is probably not the best choice for baby teeth.

Best Chews and Toys for Teething Puppies

1. Soft Puppy Rubber Toys

A soft rubber puppy toy is one of the best starting points. Look for puppy-specific versions, not the ultra-hard adult power-chewer versions. KONG is one of our favourite brands — and they colour code their toys and chews for puppies, adult dogs, strong chewers, and elderly dogs. Ember still loves to play with all of her KONG toys.

Good options to consider:

• KONG Puppy Toy
• KONG Puppy Teething Stick
• KONG Puppy Goodie Bone

These work well because many can be stuffed with food and frozen. That gives your puppy something soothing to work on, the cold can soothe their sore gums, and it also turns chewing into a calming activity instead of a wild shark attack.

Try stuffing with a small amount of wet puppy food, soaked kibble, plain pumpkin, or dog-safe peanut butter. Always check that peanut butter does not contain xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. FDA: Got a Question About Your Pet’s Health?

2. Freezable Teething Toys

Cold can feel good on sore puppy gums. Freezable puppy teething toys can be a nice option, especially during peak teething.

Good options to consider:

• Petstages Cool Teething Stick
• Puppy-safe rubber toys that can be frozen with soft food inside

Do not give your puppy ice cubes that are too hard or too large, especially if they crunch aggressively. A softer frozen toy or frozen food-stuffed toy is usually a better choice.

3. Lick Mats for Calm Chewing Breaks

A lick mat is not really a chew toy, but it can be incredibly useful during the biting phase.

Licking is calming for many dogs, and a lick mat gives your puppy something to do with their mouth that is not biting your ankles while you try to make dinner.

Good options to consider:

• LickiMat or similar slow-feeder lick mat
• SodaPup Honeycomb Lick Mat
• Messy Mutts licking mat or bowl mat

Spread a thin layer of wet food, plain yogurt, soaked kibble, pumpkin, or dog-safe peanut butter on the mat. Freeze it for a longer-lasting activity. I recommend keeping your eye on your puppy while they enjoy the lick mat to prevent them from trying to chew it once all the good stuff is gone!

For more indoor enrichment ideas, see our guide to how to tire out your dog indoors.

4. Edible Puppy Teething Chews

Edible puppy teething chews can be useful, but they need more caution than rubber toys.

Choose chews that are designed for puppies, match your puppy’s size, and are not so hard that they could damage teeth. The ASPCA notes that chews should be matched to the dog’s size and chewing style, and that pieces that are too small or break into swallowable chunks can become choking or blockage risks. ASPCA: Position Statement on Dog Chews/Treats

A good option to consider:

• N-Bone Puppy Teething Rings

Use these as supervised treats, not all-day chew toys. If your puppy tries to swallow big pieces, take the chew away.

5. Snuffle Mats and Food Puzzles

This one might sound unrelated, but it matters.

Sometimes puppies bite because they are not just teething — they are bored, overexcited, or looking for something to do. A snuffle mat lets them sniff, search, and work for kibble. That mental work can help take the edge off. Avy was a big fan of her snuffle mat, and it gave me some much-needed quiet time!

Good options to consider:

• Messy Mutts Square Forage Mat
• Silicone snuffle mat
• Beginner puppy puzzle feeder

Use these when your puppy is in “I need a job or I’m going to bite the furniture” mode.

Chews I Would Avoid for Teething Puppies

This is where I would be fairly conservative.

For teething puppies, avoid:

• cooked bones
• antlers
• hooves
• very hard nylon chews
• hard plastic toys
• sticks
• old shoes or socks
• toys small enough to swallow
• damaged toys with pieces missing
• rope toys if your puppy shreds and swallows the strings
• rawhide, especially for puppies who gulp or chew off large pieces

VCA Canada notes that many chew items, including rawhide, bones, synthetic toys, and animal-part chews, have caused problems such as gastrointestinal blockages, intestinal punctures, throat obstruction, or tooth damage. Their guidance also emphasizes that no toy is 100% safe, even when it is recommended. VCA Canada: Teeth, Teething and Chewing in Puppies

That does not mean every puppy will have a problem with every chew. It just means you should choose carefully and supervise your pup.

If your dog is older and already a very strong chewer, see our guide to best dog chews for aggressive chewers. Just remember: adult power-chewer options are not always appropriate for young puppy teeth.

Puppy Chew Safety Rules

Here is the “stick it on the fridge” version.

Always supervise new chews

Do not assume a toy is safe just because it says “puppy” on the package. Watch how your puppy uses it.

Some puppies gently gnaw. Others immediately try to remove pieces like tiny forensic investigators (this was Ember!)

Size matters

A chew should be large enough that your puppy cannot swallow it whole, but not so huge or awkward that they have to crank their jaw open to use it.

Replace damaged toys

If a rubber toy is cracking, missing pieces, splitting, or developing sharp edges, it is done. Throw it out.

This is especially important if your puppy is a determined chewer. We have seen firsthand how quickly a “tough” toy can become unsafe once a dog starts breaking pieces off. See our Mammoth Tire Biter dog toy review for a real example of why durability claims do not always tell the whole story.

Do the fingernail test

If you cannot make any indent at all with your fingernail, think twice before giving it to a teething puppy.

Know your puppy’s chew style

A gentle puppy may do fine with softer toys and edible chews. A power-chewing puppy may need more durable rubber options and much closer supervision.

When in doubt, ask your vet

This is especially important for small breeds, brachycephalic breeds, puppies with retained baby teeth, or puppies who chew aggressively.

How to Stop Puppy Biting Without Making It Worse

Now let’s talk about the part that makes everyone question their life choices: puppy biting.

The good news is that puppy biting usually improves with age, consistency, and training. The bad news is that you do have to teach your puppy what to do instead.

1. Redirect before your puppy gets wild

Keep a few puppy-safe toys within reach in the rooms where biting happens most.

When your puppy goes for your hands, sleeves, ankles, or pant legs, calmly offer a toy instead.

Do not wave your hands around. Do not squeal and run away (as hard as this is to avoid). To a puppy, that can look like the best game ever.

The ASPCA recommends substituting a toy or chew when a puppy tries to gnaw on fingers or toes, and encouraging non-contact play such as fetch or tug instead of rough hand play. ASPCA: Mouthing, Nipping and Biting in Puppies

2. Stop play when teeth hurt

If your puppy bites hard, calmly stop the fun.

You can say “ouch,” remove your attention, and pause play for a few seconds. If they keep biting, step away or use a short time-out.

The point is not to scare your puppy. The point is to teach: gentle play continues, painful biting ends the game.

3. Reward the behaviour you want

When your puppy chooses the toy instead of your hand, praise them.

When they settle with a chew, praise them.

When they play without teeth on skin, praise them.

This sounds basic, but puppies repeat what works. Make the right choice pay off.

4. Do not use your hands as toys

This is so tempting because puppy wrestling is cute for about 14 seconds. But if your puppy learns that hands are toys, they will keep biting hands. Use tug toys, flirt poles, balls, soft puppy toys, and food toys instead.

5. Watch for overtired biting

Many puppies turn into land sharks when they are overtired.

If your puppy has been awake for a while and suddenly starts biting everything harder, they may not need more exercise. They may need a nap.

Use a crate, pen, or quiet puppy-safe area if your puppy is crate-trained or comfortable being separated.

6. Add more mental enrichment

A short training session, a sniffy walk, a snuffle mat, or a frozen food toy can make a huge difference. Chews are helpful, but they are not the whole plan. If your puppy is bored or overstimulated, you need to meet their brain needs too.

7. Keep expectations realistic

Puppies do not learn this in one day.

You are not looking for perfection. You are looking for small improvements:

• fewer hard bites
• faster redirection
• more chewing on toys
• less chewing on furniture
• better settling
• shorter shark-mode episodes

That is progress.