Quick Answer: Most puppies finish teething by 6-8 months old, per AKC guidance. Baby teeth first emerge around weeks 2-6, then start falling out around 12-16 weeks (3-4 months) as the permanent teeth push through underneath, with all baby teeth typically gone by 6 months. A puppy grows roughly 28 baby teeth, later replaced by about 42 adult teeth — the full swap usually takes 2-3 months and wraps up by around 8 months old.
New owners often brace for teething the moment a puppy comes home, but the heaviest chewing and drooling phase doesn’t actually start until 3-4 months — well after the first baby teeth have already come and gone unnoticed. Knowing which stage is which changes what’s worth worrying about and what’s just a normal, temporary phase.
The timeline, by the numbers
- Weeks 2-4: Baby teeth begin emerging, while a puppy is still with its mother and breeder.
- Weeks 5-6: All 28 baby teeth are in, per AKC guidance — breeders typically start transitioning puppies to soft food around this point.
- Weeks 12-16 (3-4 months): Permanent teeth start emerging as baby teeth shed — the stage most owners actually notice as “teething,” with visible chewing and drooling.
- 6 months: Baby teeth should be completely gone, per AKC guidance; any that remain are considered retained and may need a vet’s attention.
- ~8 months: The full set of roughly 42 adult teeth has typically finished coming in.
Why the “teething” phase feels shorter than it is
Baby teeth actually start coming in as early as 2 weeks old, but a puppy is still with its breeder and mostly unnoticed by an owner at that stage. The phase people usually mean by “teething” — visible chewing, drooling, and a puppy losing baby teeth — doesn’t start until 12-16 weeks, when permanent teeth begin pushing the baby teeth out from underneath. That’s also close to when most puppies go home with a new owner, which is part of why teething feels like it starts the moment a puppy arrives rather than weeks earlier.
| Age | What's happening | What owners notice |
|---|---|---|
| 2-4 weeks | Baby teeth begin emerging | Usually nothing — puppy still with breeder |
| 5-6 weeks | All 28 baby teeth in | Transition to soft food begins |
| 12-16 weeks | Baby teeth shed, permanent teeth emerge | Chewing, drooling, mouthing hands |
| 6 months | Baby teeth should be fully gone | Any remaining baby teeth = vet check |
| ~8 months | Full set of ~42 adult teeth in | Teething behavior tapers off |
What to do during the 3-4 month chewing window
Since a teething puppy is going to chew on something, the practical goal is making sure it’s chewing on the right things. Vets and toy makers generally point owners toward safe, size-appropriate chew toys during this window — the same core rule that applies to adult dogs applies here: a toy should be too large for a puppy to swallow whole or lodge in its throat. Supervised frozen washcloths and dedicated teething chews are common lower-cost additions alongside a proper toy.
Puppy-safe chew toys for the teething window
- Look for toys explicitly labeled for puppies — Nylabone and KONG both make softer, puppy-specific density tiers rather than the full-strength versions built for adult power chewers.
- See our full best dog chew toys guide for durability tiers by chewing style, and best dog dental chews for options that double as teeth-cleaning.
Puppy-specific chew toys and teething chews typically ship in two days — try Amazon Prime free for 30 days if you want a few options on hand before the 3-4 month chewing window actually starts.
When retained baby teeth need a vet
Baby teeth are supposed to fall out on their own as the permanent tooth beneath pushes them loose, but that doesn’t always happen cleanly. If a puppy still has visible baby teeth once it passes 6 months old, AKC guidance notes these are considered retained and usually won’t resolve on their own — leaving both a baby and adult tooth crowded into the same spot, which can affect bite alignment or trap debris between the two teeth. A vet can typically remove a retained baby tooth during the same visit as a spay/neuter procedure if timing lines up, rather than requiring a separate anesthetic event. Occasional light gum bleeding during normal shedding is common and not a cause for alarm; persistent bleeding, visible swelling, or a puppy refusing to eat is worth a call regardless of age.
The bottom line
Teething runs on a longer timeline than most owners expect: baby teeth arrive quietly in the first 6 weeks, the visible chewing-and-drooling phase most people call “teething” doesn’t start until 12-16 weeks, and the full swap to about 42 adult teeth isn’t finished until around 8 months. The practical window that matters for planning is 3-4 months through 6 months — that’s when a puppy needs safe chew toys on hand and when it’s worth checking that no baby teeth are still hanging around past their expected exit. Pair a durable puppy chew toy with routine mouth checks during that stretch, and most puppies come out the other side with a full, healthy adult set and no extra vet visits needed.