How To Survive Dachshund Puppy Teething And Chewing
Are your shoes and furniture starting to look like they were attacked by a large termite? Dachshund Puppy Teething!
This can be a tough stage not only for Dachshund parents, but for doxie puppies too. Your little puppy’s mouth is feeling very sore right now and they NEED to keep chewing to relieve their pain.
I have lots of easy tips on How To Survive Dachshund Puppy Teething And Chewing just for you.
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When Do Dachshunds Lose Their Baby Teeth?
Dachshund Puppies can start losing their baby teeth around 12-14 weeks old. These little pin-like sharp teeth are finally on their way out, Hooray! But, now what? Well, during this stage, puppies need our help to relieve their sensitive gums and teeth.
Which Teeth Do Puppies Lose First?
Usually, the first puppy teeth to fall out are the Incisors. These are the tiny teeth at the front of the mouth (see picture below).
Then, around 16 weeks old, your puppy will lose their canines, which are those sharp “Vampire Fang” teeth on the sides.
How Can I Tell If My Puppy Is Teething?
Some specific signs of puppy teething include:
Extreme Chewing
Drooling
Pawing or Rubbing their mouth
Blood spots on chewed item
Loss of Appetite
Do Puppy’s Teeth Hurt When They Are Teething?
Yes, for some dachshund puppies, losing 28 little baby teeth can be painful. Some puppies may eat less food than they usually do because of the discomfort of losing their teeth.
To help reduce teething pain, puppies need lots of things to chew.
Be on the lookout for dangerous items in the house that the puppy may try to chew: electrical cords, toys, shoes and furniture. Anything they can get a hold of, they will chew.
During the puppy teething phase, it is best to keep them in a gated play area or playpen, just like during puppy potty training. This will help protect your household items from the chewy monster.
Watch Out For Retained Puppy Teeth!
A retained baby tooth occurs when an adult dog tooth doesn’t push the baby tooth out of a puppy’s gums. The adult tooth will then grow in next to the puppy’s baby tooth.
Unfortunately, retained baby teeth can rot and cause a nasty tooth abscess. Visit your veterinarian as soon as possible if you believe your puppy has any problems with their teeth, they may need to be removed.
Check inside your puppy’s mouth regularly.
A couple times per week, gently rub your fingers along your pup’s gums and teeth for a few seconds. This helps them get used to being touched in the mouth. This will help get them ready for brushing their teeth and mouth exams by their vet.
Post You May Like: 4 Easy Ways To Brush Your Dachshund’s Teeth
Do Puppies Swallow Their Baby Teeth?
Yep, sometimes your dachshund will be chewing their favorite toy or food and accidentally swallow a baby tooth. You may find little puppy teeth on the floor or in their food bowl as well.
Do Puppies Get Aggressive When Teething?
Yes, puppies can become aggressive during the teething phase. Your sweet puppy is working through this uncomfortable time the best he can.
Your puppy needs to still abide by the house rules, but have some patience and give your puppy some space during this time. It hurts to get new teeth!
How To Protect Your Hands!
Playing down on the ground with your little puppy is a great way to do some extra special bonding. Unfortunately, during the puppy teething phase, those little baby teeth can feel like sharp pins, and they can do some damage to your hands…and your face if you get too close.
It is completely natural for your dachshund puppy to want to run and play with you. But, their way of playing usually involves grabbing onto you or your clothes with their sharp teeth.
My husband and I knew how important it was to make sure our puppy, Eko, was getting enough playtime, so we played with him several times each day. My hands were a mess from playing with Eko! He even got a hold of my nose once and that hurt terrible. It felt like we had a mini-raptor on our hands.
Our Solution: We learned that putting on some old thick gloves, like leather or winter gloves, while we played with Eko allowed our hands to heal instead of getting torn up every day. Now, I’m not saying this is the ultimate dog trainer answer, because it probably isn’t… but as a Dachshund Mom, it worked!
How Long Does Puppy Teething Last?
The Puppy Teething Stage is usually complete around 5-6 months of age. The next stage of puppy teething is called the development phase, which usually begins when they are 7-8 months old. This phase can last up to 2 years, yikes!
Learn more about the 5 Stages Of Puppy Teething, by Particular Paws.com.
Best Tips For Easing Puppy Teething Pain
Here are a few tips to help make the puppy teething phase a little easier for you and your dachshund puppy.
- Chew toys
- Frozen chews
- Soften Food
- House lead
Best Chew Toys For Teething Puppies:
Having lots of chew toys in your home can help deter your puppy from chewing your shoes and furniture.
Most puppy chew toys are Not Edible. If you notice loose or sharp pieces on the chew toy, throw it away (when they aren’t looking).
Have replacement chew toys ready to go to keep your pup’s mouth safe. Here are a few puppy chew toys that my Dachshund puppy, Eko, really enjoys.
Related: DIY Puppy Dog Toys on Pinterest
Frozen Chews And Snacks:
Frozen Carrot: Try giving your puppy a large chilled carrot to chew on. Carrots can soothe your puppy’s sore mouth during the teething phase.
Always supervise your puppy while he is chewing on the carrot (keep them in a gated area). Avoid letting your pup consume a lot of carrot all at once, this may upset their tummy.
Frozen Chicken Broth: Freeze some low sodium, organic chicken broth in these adorable frozen dog treat trays (from Amazon). My mini dachshund puppy, Eko loves these treats the best!
Frozen Treats To Relieve Teething Pain: Try making some DIY Frozen puppy treats, Rover.com.
Frozen Washcloth: My puppy’s vet recommends tying an old washcloth into a couple of knots, wetting it, and putting it in the freezer overnight. This creates a cold teething chew for your pup. Always supervise your pup while he chews on the washcloth, don’t let them eat it.
Soften Your Puppy’s Food:
If your puppy is having a hard time crunching through their dry puppy food, you can moisten your dog’s food with a little water for 5-10 minutes to see if that helps.
Another option would be to mix their regular dry puppy food with some moist canned food. But, make sure to start this dog food change gradually to avoid an upset stomach.
Post You May Like: How To Change Your Dog’s Food The Right Way
Use A House Lead:
During the later stages of Puppy Potty Training, it is recommended that your pup stays on a “House Lead” when roaming around your home.
You should use this house lead technique during puppy teething as well.
You can attach a regular dog leash to your pup and let them drag it behind them or hook it to your pant’s belt loop. The house lead is a great way to keep your puppy safe and out of trouble.
When your puppy starts to chew the furniture or any personal belongings, it helps to have that leash to redirect them to a toy that they are allowed to chew.
To protect larger pieces of furniture, try the no-chew spray for dogs. My puppy, Eko, tended to chew my couch corners and sliding glass door frame. So, I ended up getting some Bitter No-Chew Spray (Amazon), and that worked! No more chewing my stuff little long dog!
Don’t worry, Dachshund Puppy teething won’t last forever. It can be a difficult stage to go through, especially when potty training your puppy at the same time.
Try to remain patient and know that these little pin teeth will eventually be replaced by some big doxie-dog teeth and the excessive chewing will reduce to a more reasonable pace.
Tip: After the puppy teething phase is complete, continue to keep lots of chew toys and bones around for your Dachshund to enjoy.
Cheers lots of similarities with my mini at least I know now it’s normal
Hi there, Yay! I’m so glad this is helping you survive dachshund puppy teething. :) Thank you for your comment. Have a great day.
We just brought home a chiweenie puppy, 12 weeks old, and he’s a doll… its been about 10 years since weve had a dachshund, so I just wanted to say thank you for this article, it was like a refresher course for me, I plan to try all the teething tips for this little guy, he definitely lives to chew!!!
Hi Lindsay, Thank you so much for your nice comment. That made my day. I’m so glad this article helped. Yes, those puppies do love to chew a lot. Enjoy your new chiweenie pup. *hugs*
This is very informative, ThankYou
Very welcome, I am glad you liked it.
I have a 3 month old dacshund puppy, and he js always chewing something, he has his own toys + toys I made at home. The problem I have is that he tends to get ruff ,
Biting my fingers & my arm, to the point of bleeding. Ive tried to let him know that he is hurting me with those needle sharp teeth, but continue’s how can I get his atten ?
Hi Mike! Yes, this sounds familiar. My dachshund puppy, Eko, did the same exact thing. My husband and I called them “pin teeth”. My hands also got very cut up. Those puppy teeth are so sharp.
Doxie puppies need to put their mouths on something constantly to relieve that sore mouth as the puppy teeth work themselves out and the big chompers move in.
The personal way I prevented my hands from getting shredded up is to wear cheap gloves… I used my spare pair of winter gloves that I didn’t mind getting roughed up. This allowed me to continue to play with my puppy and protect my hands while this puppy teething phase was going on.
Continue to provide lots of chew toys and replace them when they get too sharp or pieces start coming off. Using longer rope toys also helps keep those sharp teeth more at a distance.
I also like to Refer to this Great Stop Puppy Biting Video from McCann Dogs, they do any awesome job at showing how to train the puppy not to bite: https://youtu.be/PTPvpKNNQV0
(Credit: @McCann Dog Training)
Very helpful!
Hi Mos, I’m so glad you found my puppy teething post helpful. :) Thanks for letting me know.
I am so glad I have read this. We brought home 2 weeks ago our dachshund puppy and I was starting to get really frustrated that maybe he just does not like us because he is biting us all the time, when he falls asleep on my lap during his afternoon or morning nap he is so cute but as he wakes up immediate starts to chew on my hands I am trying to substitute my hands for toys but well obviously my hands tastes better and those teeth well really sharp nredles and my hands are looking quite “lovely” with red scratches cummulating everx day, he also loves to bite feet and I was starting to be afraid that he is maybe not happy or maybe has some aggressive side which on other hand he really does not look like he is.
Hi there! Your puppy is definitely not upset or unhappy with you. The poor doxie pup just needs other things to chew on. His mouth is probably so sore, pick up some safe puppy chews and maybe some gloves for your hands when you play with him. You can also knot up a wash cloth, wet it, and put it in the freezer for a couple of hours. He will appreciate anything he can chew to relieve that sore puppy mouth pain. *hugs* for your puppy.
Hi, thank you for your comment. I will try the frozen wash cloth. And did you have experience that he keeps on biting on my hands even though I say ouch, or when I tried to yelp as a hurt puppy, or when say no, it does not matter, he keep on biting and when he is overexcited he loves to go for our feet and legs and trousers and regardless what we say or do he can not learn to stop or soften the bite.
Hi Monika, the yelling out loud when bitten didn’t ever work for my dachshund pups either…but I have heard it works for other dog breeds. It must not phase the dachshund dog breed, haha.
When he gets into the crazy play / biting phase, offer him some of those chewy options for his teething. If he continues to go for your feet or hands, put him in a gated area.
Get in the habit of offering a puppy chew that he is ‘allowed to bite’ – when he starts to bite thing that he isn’t allowed to. Take your hands and feet away so he can’t bite them.
Sometimes the play biting can get a bit intense, that is when he needs a little “time out” in his playpen or gated area with some things to chew by himself to help calm down a bit. You can be close by, but hands and feet out of reach.
If you like to play down on the floor with him, put some gloves on your hands or try a long puppy rope toy to play ‘from a distance’ with him. Be careful not too yank hard (to protect his neck), just move it around on the floor and get some of that puppy energy out.
Also, getting some 15-20 minute walks in daily or a couple times a week will also help release that puppy biting/playing energy.