Which chew for a puppy

Let us start with what is not suitable

We may as well write it at the outset, even though it should lead us to sell less: our products are reserved for dogs over six months. No exception, no “puppy” format.

The reason is physiological. A puppy has milk teeth until four to seven months depending on the breed. They are thin, hollow, far less mineralised than an adult tooth. And during teething, the adult teeth coming through are not yet fully mineralised: that process continues for several months after they emerge.

Giving deer antler, olive wood or coffee wood at that age means offering a material harder than the tooth chewing it. Fracture is not a theoretical risk, and an adult tooth fractured at seven months is a problem for the animal's whole life.

Also to avoid before six months: cooked bones, hooves, deer antler in any form, coconuts, sticks picked up outdoors, and anything you cannot mark with a fingernail.

Why he nibbles everything

There are three distinct causes, and they are not handled the same way.

Exploration. A puppy discovers the world with his mouth as a child does with their hands. It is not a behavioural problem, it is a stage. It passes.

Teething, roughly between three and seven months. The gums are sore and swollen; nibbling relieves them through pressure and through cold. It is the most intense period, and it has an end.

The need to chew, which by contrast will never pass. An adult dog needs to chew all his life: it is species behaviour, not a phase. What you put in place now prepares the next ten years.

A word on nibbling hands. Do not let it go on the grounds that he is small and it does not hurt: bite inhibition is learned at this age and not later. When he bites too hard, stop the game dead and ignore him for thirty seconds. He learns that biting hard ends the fun. That works better than any telling-off.

What you can give before six months

The rule is simple: a material that gives under the tooth. You should be able to press into it with a fingernail without forcing.

Soft rubber toys designed for puppies, particularly the stuffable ones. Cold soothes the gum: a toy stuffed and then put in the freezer for an hour is what works best during teething.

A frozen damp cloth, simply twisted and knotted. Free, very effective, to be removed as soon as it starts to fray.

Tug ropes, supervised, and set aside as soon as threads come loose — fibres swallowed lengthwise are a genuine cause of intestinal obstruction.

Pieces of raw chilled carrot, in reasonable quantity, if your vet has no objection.

And the principle worth more than the list: it is not about stopping the puppy from nibbling, but about giving him what he is allowed to nibble. A puppy denied every outlet falls back on skirting boards and your shoes.

Getting through teething

It lasts three to four months. A few pointers that make a real difference.

Always have something cold available. Keep two or three toys rotating in the freezer permanently, so one is ready for every episode.

Swap, do not confiscate. When he nibbles a chair leg, offer a toy in exchange rather than snatching it away. A puppy who has objects taken from him learns to carry them off and guard them.

Put temptation away. Electrical cables, shoes, accessible furniture legs. It is a temporary arrangement, not an admission of defeat — and far more effective than supervising him constantly.

Watch for retained milk teeth. If a milk tooth is still present while the adult tooth has come through beside it, especially on the canines, show your vet. It is common in small breeds and needs an extraction to avoid a misalignment.

And watch what he swallows. A puppy swallows fragments more readily than an adult. Any object starting to break up is out of the game immediately.

At six months, what changes

The adult dentition is in place. Hard materials can begin — gradually, not all at once.

Do not start with the whole deer antler. It is the densest material in the range, and a young dog who gets discouraged by it will not come back to it easily. Start with something that gives a quick result.

Split deer antler is the best way in: the marrow is exposed from the start, the dog understands immediately what there is to be had, and the cortex remains beneath it for durability. Size M, 56 to 80 g, covers dogs from 5 to 10 kg.

Yak cheese is the other good start: highly palatable, it softens under saliva instead of staying hard. Five sizes, from S for toy breeds to XXL above 20 kg.

The first sessions: 10 to 15 minutes under your supervision for three days, then up to 30 minutes, then 20 to 40 minutes a day in sessions. The object is put away in between — that keeps interest up and lets you track its wear.

And the instruction that is never negotiable: take the piece away as soon as it becomes small enough to be swallowed whole. The test is simple — if it fits entirely inside his mouth, it is too small. In a young, enthusiastic dog that moment arrives sooner than you would think.

And if the puppy is a large breed

A point often overlooked that deserves its own section.

Large and giant breeds — German shepherd, labrador, great dane, mountain dog — have a longer period of bone growth. Their growth plates do not close before twelve to eighteen months, sometimes later.

That changes nothing for the teeth: at six months the adult dentition is there and hard materials become possible as for any other dog. But the size of the piece must follow the jaw, not the age. A labrador at seven months already weighs 25 kg: he needs a size suited to that weight, not a “puppy” size.

So check the size chart on the product page, going by your dog's current weight. And remember the steps differ from one product to another: olive and coffee wood stop at 20 kg, deer antler goes well beyond.