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My 3-week-old puppies are teething. What safe chew toys can I give?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Cane Corso | Female | unspayed | 3 years and 4 months old | 83 lbs

My 3 week puppies are starting to teeth. I was wondering if there are any safe toys I could give them to chew on.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Linda G, MS, DVM

Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 27th, 2019

Hello. There are many, many puppy teething toys, from Kong toys to Nylabones for puppies. Stay away from real, solid bones & any kind of rawhide , pigs ear, pizzle stiks, etc. Whatever your purchase ( & Petco usually has a pretty good supply ), make sure that it is large enough that none of the puppies can swallow it whole, & replace anything that begins to fray, develop sharp edges, or the puppies seem to be getting close to chewing off a piece. One of my colleagues said after removing an entire chew toy from a 6 month old lab, " all chew toys should be bigger than a puppies head!" Soft toys are fine, just make sure there are no glued on eyes, or easily torn noses, ears or limbs. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
Vote Icon2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 31st, 2017

    Yes, you can give Jack a Kong toy. Those are safe for puppies to chew on (they have puppy sized ones), and you can fill them with treats for him. There are also toys that you can get that you can freeze, and that helps with teething behaviors, as chewing often is related to teething in dogs. Do not put dental cream on anything, as the ingredients are not safe for puppies to ingest.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 19th, 2017

    Puppies like to chew on things but usually outgrow this behavior with time. You cold fill a Kong with a mixture of dog kibble and a small amount of peanut butter and then freeze it. It should keep him occupied while he licks the food out of the Kong. You can also start working on the "leave it" command and use the command when he is chewing on something inappropriate. Here is a link with some good chew toys for puppies and also the leave it command training.

    http://www.volhard.com/pages/leave-it-command.php

    https://www.labradortraininghq.com/reviews/best-puppy-chew-toys-for-teething/

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

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What are the best toys for a 4-week-old puppy to play with safely?
There are chew toys that are designed for puppies that are softer for their baby teeth but not easily destroyed. Stuffed toys can be good as well, but watch them with it to make sure that they don't rip it apart and eat it. Balls can be fun for them.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
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What are the best toys for a puppy that's teething and chewing everything?
Teething time in puppies can be difficult! While you can play with Chloe with plush toys, I would only do so supervised as she may be able to rip open a seam and eat the stuffing/squeaker. Rubber toys are great when teething, and filling the inside of a rubber toy with peanut butter (regular peanut butter, not one with artificial sugars that may be toxic) and putting it in the freezer can be a great option for the need to chew! If Chloe likes ice, you can also mix water and low sodium chicken broth together to make chicken flavored ice cubes for her to chew on.
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New Pet
What bones are safe for my 2-month-old puppy to chew?
That looks like a rawhide type which is soft enough for puppies when supervised and removed before they become small enough to try and swallow. It is important to avoid over hard toys such as real bones, antlers, nylabone while he still has baby teeth
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
What are the best durable chews for my 3-year-old Chiweenie dog?
Hi there. Great question! If Brody is a big chewer I would suggest compressed rawhides or nylabones. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/nylabone-healthy-edibles-wild-bison-value-bag-dog-treats You may also want to consider getting him a kong and fill it with stuff that he likes. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/kong-classic-dog-toy https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/kong-stuffn-pepperoni-recipe Regardless of what you give him to chew always be sure he is supervised during chewing (except for the Kong) just in case he breaks a piece off the bone and tries to swallow it! This can cause choking. Hope this helps. Best wishes.
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Is it safe to give my new 9-week-old puppy a Nylabone to chew on?
It's ok to do, but monitor closely to make sure he plays with it appropriately and doesn't eat it. It should be large enough that he's chewing on a rounded edge rather than a flat surface (which can break this teeth).
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
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My puppy is 2 months old. When can I safely give them toys?
Hello! Thank you for your question! In regards to when you should buy toys for puppies, there is really no set age. What I would say is to be careful of the size of toy that you buy as puppies can choose small pieces and swallow them and that can lead to problems such as intestinal obstructions. I would also refrain from buying very hard toys as teeth are quite fragile and these hard toys can break their teeth quite easily.
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My super chewer needs safe, durable toys that won't break teeth.
You are correct that antlers and nylon bones will break teeth, but they can also cause obstructions and/or perforations in the GI tract. I recommend a Kong toy. Those are very tough chew toys that are hard to dogs to destroy. You can also fill them with treats. I'd recommend, as an occasional treat, filling it with peanut butter and freezing it overnight in the freezer. That will keep her occupied for a while.
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