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The 10 Best Teething Toys for Puppies of 2024

collage of popular teething toys

The Spruce Pets / Kristin Kempa

When puppies are teething, they’ll chew anything in sight – including your fingers and your furniture legs. Great teething toys help soothe aching gums and the need to chew.

“For puppies, as with humans, the teething process can be uncomfortable,” says veterinarian Barbara Hodges, DVM, program director of advocacy and outreach for the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association. “Chewing can help alleviate this discomfort and is normal puppy behavior.”

She suggests keeping valuable or dangerous items out of reach and replacing them with safer dog toys and chews. “Dogs and puppies explore the world with their mouths even outside of the teething process,” she says. “Avoid teaching your puppy that hands are chew toys during this crucial phase and consult with your veterinarian for a personalized training plan if needed.”

Our favorite teething toy for puppies is the Nylabone Puppy Power Rings Chew Toy. It has all sorts of textures to help massage your pup’s sore gums and it can be chewed or tugged.

What We Like
  • Various textures

  • Can chew or tug

  • Bacon flavor

  • For serious chewers

What We Don’t Like
  • Must be hand-washed

The colorful Nylabone Puppy Power Rings are an all-around good place to start for puppy teething. They are made of hard plastic so they can withstand even the most determined puppy teeth. And each ring has textured surfaces to help massage gums and give your puppy something to grip. The nubs may also help lessen plaque and tartar on those growing puppy teeth.

The rings are bacon flavored, which should encourage your dog to chew. And they can even be used to play a gentle game of tug. This toy is for dogs up to 25 pounds. It’s reasonably priced, very durable, and the puppies we’ve watched really seem to enjoy it.

It’s not meant to be edible, so if more than tiny pieces come off, then replace the toy. The rings must be hand-washed and cannot be cleaned in the dishwasher.

Materials: Plastic | Sizes/Dimensions: 2.5 x 4 x 3 inches | Colors: Green, blue, and yellow

What We Like
  • Five shapes

  • Several flavors including bacon and salmon

  • Easy for puppy paws to pick up and chew

  • Very durable

What We Don’t Like
  • Some pups don’t love them

When puppies are eyeing your shoes or the table leg, Benebone are much safer (and probably tastier) alternatives. Made of hard nylon, these chews are designed for strong chewers who want something to gnaw on. They are a little softer and have a little more give than regular Benebones, making them safer for teething pups.

Puppy Benebones come in five shapes, including a popular stick and a wishbone. They’re designed to be easy for little paws to pick them up and chew on them and they have alluring flavors – like bacon or salmon – for extra motivation. Benebones should be replaced when they start to wear down.

Materials: Nylon | Sizes/Dimensions: 2 x 7 inches | Colors: Brown, tan

What We Like
  • Four sizes and two colors

  • Soft rubber for chewing

  • Can be stuffed and frozen

  • Bounces

  • Dishwasher safe

What We Don’t Like
  • Some puppies can tear it up

The classic Kong might be our very favorite must-have dog toy. You can fill it with something like peanut butter or yogurt, then freeze it and give your dog something fun to snack on. It’s soothing for anxiety, fights boredom, and is a great enrichment activity. The Puppy Kong is made of a little softer rubber for growing mouths and aching gums. The rubber also makes it bounce which can be fun for puppies to chase.

You can find it in pink or blue and it comes in four sizes from extra-small (up to 5 pounds) to large (up to 65 pounds). Kongs can be cleaned in the dishwasher or you can use a bottle brush to get all the crannies.

Materials: Rubber | Sizes/Dimensions: 1.5 x 2.25 inches, 1.75 x 3 inches, 2.25 x 3.5 inches, 2.75 x 4.25 inches | Colors: Pink, blue

What We Like
  • Four flavors

  • Edible

  • Contains calcium and omegas

What We Don’t Like
  • Can be messy

  • Can upset stomachs of some puppies

These edible N-Bone Puppy Teething Rings are just so tempting to puppies. They grab the ring with a paw or two and then get caught up with chewing. The rings are made of edible and digestible ingredients including rice flour, vegetable glycerin, and gelatin and come in four flavors: chicken, pumpkin, peanut butter, and salmon. The rings are fortified with calcium and omega 3s.

Some puppies can experience stomach upset if they eat the whole thing, so you might want to start small and only let them chew a little bit at a time. Warning that they can be sticky and messy, but it just gives puppies something else to lick and chew.

Materials: Rice flour, vegetable glycerin, gelatin, | Sizes/Dimensions: 7.2 ounces | Colors: n/a

Best for Little Puppies

Petstages Dental Dog Chew Toys

Amazon Petstages Dental Dog Chew Toys
PHOTO: Amazon
What We Like
  • Set of three

  • Helps clean teeth and soothe gums

  • Different textures to massage gums

What We Don’t Like
  • Only for small dogs and puppies

Teeny tiny puppies need smaller-sized toys like the colorful playthings in the Petstages Dental Chew Pack. The collection has three different toys: a chew toy for toss and fetch, a rope tug to remove tartar, and a barbell toy that’s durable and has several different textures to massage sore gums.

The toys are relatively small – only about 7 inches long – so they’re targeted only towards smaller puppies. They’re relatively tough and can put up with a lot of tossing and chewing. As in all teething toys, be sure to keep an eye out for wear and tear and replace them if they start to chip or shred. We love the bright colors that make them easy to find in the yard or hidden under the furniture.

Materials: Plastic, fabric | Sizes/Dimensions: 7 x 1.5 inches | Colors: Multi

What We Like
  • Added DHA for brain development

  • Digestible

  • Chicken flavor

What We Don’t Like
  • May cause stomach upset for some pups

Bigger puppies need more substantial chews when their teeth are coming in. The N-Bone Jumbo Puppy Teething Sticks are made of a digestible recipe that includes rice flour, vegetable glycerin, and gelatin. There’s added DHA for brain development and no corn, wheat, or soy.

The sticks are nearly nine inches long and are chicken flavored. They contain no rawhide and are targeted towards moderate chewers. Give one-half stick daily for puppies between 13 and 35 pounds and up to a full stick for dogs more than 35 pounds. These are meant only for large breed puppies and not for smaller ones.

Materials: Rice flour, vegetable glycerin, gelatin | Sizes/Dimensions: 8.46 x 6.5 x 2.48 inches | Colors: n/a

What We Like
  • Can be frozen

  • Gentle on gums

  • Ribbons add texture and fun

What We Don’t Like
  • Should only be used when frozen

To use the brightly colored Petstages Cool Teething Stick, soak it in water and freeze. Once it’s cold, your pup can chew away and soothe achy gums. There are dangly ribbons on the end that add a little texture and offer something else to chew and tug.

Once the toy has thawed, soak and refreeze again. It’s not meant to be used as a chew toy when it isn’t frozen. The fabric is soft on gums, even when frozen and crunchy. The filling inside is made of mold-resistant materials so it can be frozen over and over again safely.

Materials: Polyester, synthetic fabric | Sizes/Dimensions: 6 x 1.5 inches | Colors: Multi

What We Like
  • Very durable

  • Two sizes

  • Nubs to massage gums and clean teeth

What We Don’t Like
  • Some puppies just aren’t into it

This simple Kong Rubber Ring is a soothing teething toy for puppies with inflamed gums and an unending need to chew. It’s durable, made with natural rubber, and has nubs throughout to massage gums and help keep teeth clean.

The ring comes in two sizes: small/medium for dogs up to 35 pounds and medium/large for dogs from 30 to 65 pounds. It can be a straight-forward chew toy or can be used for catch and chase as the rubber material and fun shape make it bounce erratically when tossed. There’s also an extremely durable version that’s for power chewers from 60 to 90 pounds. It’s made of tough black rubber.

Materials: Rubber | Sizes/Dimensions: 3.5 x 1.2 inches, 4.2 x 1.2 inches | Colors: Red

What We Like
  • Freezable

  • Various flavors including bacon, peanut butter, and lamb and apple

  • Soft material plus plastic with nubs

What We Don’t Like
  • Only for very gentle chewers

One popular and easy way to deal with puppy teething is by soaking a washcloth in water and then freezing it. When your puppy chews on the frozen cloth, the cold is soothing on sore gums as they chomp. The Nylabone Freezer Puppy Chew Toy includes the freezable cloth along with a soft plastic bone with textured bristles to massage irritated gums.

Soak the entire toy in water and freeze and then give it to your puppy to play with. The toy is for smaller puppies up to 25 pounds. If pups chew on it long enough, the cloth part will start to shred a little, so keep an eye on it. The plastic part is relatively durable when used by average chewers.

Materials: Plastic, fabric | Sizes/Dimensions: 10 x 4 x 1 inches | Colors: Multi

What We Like
  • Three bones

  • Bacon and chicken flavors

  • Pink or blue set

What We Don’t Like
  • Some puppies chew too hard on the teething bone

The Nylabone Puppy Triple Pack is sort of a step-by-step teething process where puppies can graduate to a different bone as their adult teeth come in. Young puppies start with the soft bone-shaped teething toy that has little nubs to massage achy gums and is for puppy teeth. Once their adult teeth start coming in, they can move up to the power chew that can withstand much more action. Both chew toys are chicken flavored.

Once your puppy is at least six months old and has all their adult teeth, you can offer the bacon-flavored healthy edibles chew. The treat has DHA, an omega-3 that supports a growing puppy’s brain development.

Materials: Nylon | Sizes/Dimensions: 4.5 x 1 x 1.75 inches | Colors: Pink, blue

Our favorite teething toy for puppies is the Nylabone Puppy Power Rings Chew Toy. It has all sorts of textures to help massage your pup’s sore gums and it can be chewed or tugged. Another great choice is the durable Benebone for Puppies. It comes in five shapes and several flavors.

Puppy Teething Strategies

What is puppy teething?

Just like human babies, puppies grow teeth as part of their development. “In the first weeks of life, puppies grow baby teeth (primary or deciduous teeth) which are sharply pointed,” Barbara Hodges, DVM, program director of advocacy and outreach for the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association. “Those teeth eventually fall out and are replaced with up to 42 permanent teeth.”


Types of Teething Relief

When they’re teething, puppies don’t typically show signs of discomfort. “We don't recommend using any of the topic anesthetic agents that were developed for humans,” says Naomi Hoyer, DVM, a board certified veterinary dentist and assistant professor of dentistry and oral surgery at Colorado State University.

Instead, they recommend chews that aren’t too hard because puppy teeth and newly erupted permanent teeth can be easily fractured. “We recommend using the rule of thumb to test chews,” Hoyer says. “If you can't indent it with a thumbnail, the puppy shouldn't be chewing on it.”


Addressing Problem Behaviors 

One of the best ways to deal with teething-related puppy behaviors like nipping and chewing on everything is by giving your puppy more appropriate things to chew. Trainers suggest trading items. If the puppy is gnawing on something like a chair or your pants leg, offer a toy instead. 

Puppies have to learn which things are toys and OK to chew and which things are off limits. Keep your stuff puppy-safe by storing it out of reach.

Keep puppies confined in a pen or crate when you can’t supervise them and be sure they have lots of safe toys to play with. Make sure they have plenty of physical exercise and mental stimulation. Sometimes puppies will just chew when they are bored.

FAQ
  • When do puppies stop teething?

    Teething can seem like it lasts forever, but you typically only have to wait until your puppy is about 6 months old until it ends. “Their baby teeth will generally begin falling out when they are about 12 weeks old,” says Hodges. “By the time they are six months old, all their permanent teeth will typically have grown in.”

  • When do puppies get their adult teeth?

    Puppies get their baby (deciduous) teeth when they’re between 4–6 weeks old. “They then shed their deciduous teeth and erupt their permanent teeth between 3–7 months of age,” Hoyer says. “During the time when permanent teeth are erupting, dogs frequently display increased chewing behavior, and it's important to make sure that they have the right kinds of structures to use!”

  • Why are puppy teeth so sharp?

    If you’ve felt puppy bath teeth on your hands or ankles, you know they can be razor sharp. “It is likely this sharpness helps puppies chew their food effectively while their jaws are still developing strength,” says Hodges.

    No one really knows why puppy teeth are so sharp, adds Hoyer. “At their young age they are primarily used for social interaction and learning eating behavior, so it's probably related to that!”

Why Trust The Spruce Pets

For this roundup, Mary Jo DiLonardo talked to puppy fosters, puppy owners, and rescue volunteers about what they look for when choosing teething toys for puppies and which are their favorites. She also has tested nearly all of these and sifted through loads of online reviews. 

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