When Do Puppies Lose Their Teeth?

When do puppies lose their teeth? Don’t worry, it’s not because they’ve been chomping away at your shoes or biting through your wall….puppies just like us, lose their first set of teeth and out pop a whole new batch of pearly whites. At the same time, it’s no secret that puppy teething can be a stressful time for you and your pup – your chewed up sofa shows the stress it can have on your home too.

But let’s get down to it and learn the ‘tooth’ in this article. We’ll answer all your questions such as:

• When do puppies get their teeth?
• When do puppies lose their teeth?
• What do puppy teeth look like when they fall out?
• At what age do puppies get their adult teeth?

When do puppies get their teeth?

Puppy teeth first start coming through at around 3 weeks old. There’s all sorts of names for first teeth like primary teeth, baby teeth, milk teeth, puppy teeth or deciduous teeth. Once these teeth come through, their Mum is obviously reluctant to have them suckle – which is fair enough.  As you can then imagine, it’s part of the process of weaning them onto solid food and away from poor Mums nipples… ouch! 

If you didn’t know already, puppy teeth are super sharp to the point they can carry the name ‘baby shark’ quite well. It makes sense though – their teeth need to be so sharp so they’re able to move onto solid foods since their jaw muscles are still developing. By the time your pup is home with you the jaw power is pretty well developed. 

Teething can be quite sore for puppies and just like babies they can be quite grumpy and will chew on anything they can get their jaws on to help relieve the pain – including your ankles.

If you wanted an extra puppy fact, here’s one: Puppies have 28 teeth in total, 4 canines, 12 incisors and 12 premolars, they do not have any molars with their puppy teeth. 

When do puppies lose their teeth?

So when do puppies lose their teeth? Or shall we say, their razors? Well, puppies lose their teeth gradually from around 12 weeks. You won’t always notice, but you’ll be able to tell by finding your pup in a particularly bitey mood as the new teeth come through. 

Oh, and don’t be scared but you may find teeth on the floor or notice blood on a chew toy. But a puppy’s baby teeth mostly get swallowed…so you’re unlikely to see them. 

One thing you should keep in mind is that you should keep your hands to yourself and definitely not try to pull any out. They will all come out when they are good and ready. 

It’s a good idea to get your pup used to having their teeth cleaned or mouth examined from as young as possible. It’s good to practice when they are little so they don’t freak out as adults when they have their teeth cleaned or their mouth examined. You can use a finger brush with some beef flavour toothpaste…who doesn’t love that, right?! 

You might notice during teething that your puppy is particularly bitey. This means their gums may be sore, so they may need a little extra love and reassurance. Frozen carrots or a frozen chew toy generally do the trick though! Shredding things is also one of their favourite teething activities, so just be careful they’re actually destroying something you want to get destroyed. Our article on puppy teething here has a lot of good insights on how to deal with puppy biting if you want to take a look.  

What do puppy teeth look like when they fall out?

Aww we wish there was a doggy tooth fairy waiting to deliver treats and collect your puppy’s fallen teeth. You probably won’t find any out and about anyway, but if you do, they don’t look crazy… they just look like.. well… tiny teeth. 

The size of the tooth will be relative to the breed of dog, so compared to Chihuahua teeth, Great Dane teeth look like horse teeth. Nah, we’re exaggerating a little; they’re really not big at all – no bigger than a human’s nail anyway. 

Some puppies can lose their front teeth all in one go which makes for a very gummy ‘smile’, which is adorable. This is completely normal and nothing to worry about. If you look closely, you might see the new adult teeth just under the gums ready to pop through! 

It’s not uncommon for some puppies’ baby teeth to refuse to fall out. If you think your pup still has some baby teeth when they are around six months old, don’t hesitate to have your vet check them over. We don’t want problems later on!

What age do puppies get their adult teeth?

Between the age of 12 and 16 weeks old your puppy will start to lose their incisors (front teeth). At around 16 weeks, the canine teeth (the big pointy ones) will start to come through followed by the premolars at around 24 weeks. By the time your puppy is 8 months old, they should have 42 permanent big teeth, 4 canines, 12 incisors, 16 premolars and 10 molars. It’s important to take good care of these adult teeth, regular brushing and dental checks can help keep them pearly white and keep your dogs breath fresh (or freshly beef-smelling from that weird toothpaste).

We all know how much of a rocky road getting through teething can be…but it’ll be over before you know it. One of the things we struggle with the most as puppy owners is all the chewing that goes with it…we hate to break it to you but chewing will last until they’re grown adults! But there’s nothing to fear – at this point, they’ll have learned that chew toys are the way to go, and not your shoes, furniture, or hands.

Speaking of which, Kongs, antlers, yak chews are all good friends you’ll want to have around until they become adults. Besides keeping your furniture in the clear, they prevent boredom, help clean your dog’s teeth and are naturally calming all at once. 

We hope we’ve answered all your questions – even those that go beyond ‘When will my puppy’s teeth fall out?’.  Now that you’re here, you might also enjoy reading our article “How to stop your puppy biting you” – we bet you’ll be reading that one a whole lot more.  

If you are struggling with puppy biting, chewing and teething, why not sink your teeth into the Zigzag puppy training app? You’ll get access to our team of Puppy Experts. They’re wonderful and are full of advice and support to help you through this tricky phase,and help with any other issues you might be having with your pup’s behaviour and training. Don’t be afraid to sink your teeth into it.