Puppy teething has a beginning most owners miss and a middle nobody misses. Her first set arrives early, while she is still with the breeder, the earliest teeth at roughly three weeks and the last of them by about six weeks, twenty-eight small sharp teeth in all. The adult replacement set, forty-two teeth when complete, works through from about three months onward, finishing near seven months, and the mouth is mostly settled at about six months, or seven at the latest, front teeth first and the big chewing teeth at the back last.
What the Changeover Looks Like
Expect heavier chewing, with gums looking tender and sore, as adult teeth push through, because gnawing is how a puppy relieves the pressure and helps a loose baby tooth on its way. She may mouth hands more, drag herself to chair legs and baseboards, drool a little, or eat more slowly for a day or two. Tiny teeth appear on floors and in bedding, though most are swallowed with meals and pass unnoticed. A slight pink tinge on a chew toy is common on the day a tooth lets go, while heavy bleeding, a broken tooth, or a mouth she will not let you near needs a vet. Rotate firm rubber toys, knotted cloths dampened and chilled in the freezer compartment, and cardboard she is allowed to shred, and offer her one of them in trade for anything forbidden instead of scolding her for a need she cannot switch off.
Weekly Mouth Checks
Build a gentle weekly check into cuddle time: lift each lip, look along the gum line, and reward her for holding still for a few seconds. You are watching for teeth arriving in order, gums that settle back to pale pink, and any baby tooth refusing to leave. Start soft toothbrushing once adult teeth are coming through, a few teeth at a time with dog toothpaste on a finger brush, and stop before she fusses so the game stays hers to win. Softening her usual meals with warm water helps on the sorest days, and frozen wet cloths give her something cold and legal to compress between her jaws. These checks also teach her that hands around her mouth predict treats, which pays off at every vet examination for life.
The Tooth That Stays Behind
Teething explains a run of household mysteries during these months. Shoes, charging cables, table legs, and the corners of books all become targets because pressure on aching gums feels good, so management beats scolding: lift valuables, block cables, and keep a suitable chew within her reach in every room she uses. Mouthing of hands often peaks now too, and the kind response is to withdraw attention calmly, offer her toy instead, and resume play once her teeth are on the right object, since yelping or pushing can turn mouthing into a game. Chilled wet cloths soothe some puppies for an evening, while others prefer a firm rubber toy they can really work, and watching which she chooses tells you how sore she is that day. Appetite, sleep, and patience all wobble together during a heavy teething week, so lower your training expectations and keep sessions easy until her mouth settles.
A baby tooth still in place beside its adult replacement is the one finding to raise with the vet, most often a fang with the slim baby version standing right beside the thicker adult one. Two teeth sharing a socket crowd the gum, trap food, and can deflect the adult tooth as the jaw grows, and small breeds run this risk more than large ones. Do not wiggle or pull a retained tooth yourself; note when you spotted it and let the vet judge whether it will shed or needs planned removal, often discussed alongside neutering. Record each spotted tooth promptly, because KinsLe built Pet Passport around dated health notes that let your vet see when a baby tooth was first noticed beside its replacement.