Everything you need to know about puppy chewing

Chewing and biting objects are part of normal behaviour for puppies as they develop and grow. All growing dogs go through the puppy chewing phase, which is at its most intense as their adult teeth come through.

As a responsible owner, understanding your puppy’s habits is important. Learning more about why they chew will allow you to distinguish normal levels of chewing from behaviour that goes beyond that—and to put in place puppy chewing solutions to ensure your dog gently learns not to bite the people, animals and objects around them.

• Puppies learn about the world by putting things in their mouth
• Young dogs chew to relieve the pain of puppy teething
• Chewing is part of playing, and therefore important for puppies’ development
• Puppies chew instinctively as the movement strengthens their jaws
• Chewing and biting help puppies learn social codes: how their mothers, littermates or human owners react to a nip or bite helps puppies learn to be gentle

‘What age does a puppy stop chewing?’ may be a question that pops regularly into your mind as you go through the puppy chewing phase.

While there is no fixed puppy chewing age (it depends on the individual dog), the good news is that the most intense chewing usually correlates with your dog’s teething age. That usually begins at around four months and lasts until six or seven months, depending on your dog’s breed and size, of course.

While there’s no precise answer, it’s partly a question of timing. Once their adult teeth are in place, puppies’ most intense chewing behaviour should start to tail off. However, your dog is likely to keep mouthing and biting objects as they grow, play and seek to understand the world around them.

This so-called ‘adolescent chewing’ phase may continue until your puppy is around a year old.

Sometimes normal chewing and mouthing can tip over into a puppy chewing problem. Understanding puppy behaviour in general, and your own puppy in particular, is essential as a pet owner.

If your puppy keeps on chewing excessively, long after their adult teeth have come through, their behaviour may be trying to communicate an important message to you.

While some chewing is normal, and your goal should not be eliminating this behaviour, your puppy needs to learn to live in harmony with their humans and any other pets.

That’s a gradual process, for you and your puppy, but the right environment will make the process much smoother.

Think about how to puppy proof your home to make it easier for everyone in the meantime.

It’s probably not possible—and certainly not desirable—to stop your puppy chewing entirely. During the early months of your puppy’s life, this instinctive behaviour helps them learn about their surroundings, ease their teething pain and develop their muscles.

Once the puppy teething age is past, if your pet is still chewing a lot, destroying their toys or your household objects or furniture, their biting and mouthing behaviour may have become a habit and your dog will need your help to break it.

Excessive chewing past the puppy teething phase could also be a sign of puppy boredom or separation anxiety. You know your puppy best: listen to your instincts if they are telling you that your puppy’s destructive behaviour might be due to more than just habit. And don’t hesitate to ask your vet for advice.

If you think your puppy has just picked up an undesirable habit and are wondering how to get your puppy to stop chewing on things, be assured that there are steps you can take.