Bringing home a cute puppy comes along a load of responsibilities for the owner; grooming and training him to behave well is only a part of the picture. As a dutiful pet owner, you should keep a watch over changes in your puppy's behavior that indicate teeth eruption. It is quite likely that your little friend will start chewing things that comes in his way. With this brief introduction, let's try to learn more about puppy teething that you ought to know while dealing with it.

Puppy Teething: An Overview

Unlike human babies, puppy teething occurs at a very young age. As we all know, all puppies have a naturally tendency to chew things. But at teething stages, they chew instinctively just to alleviate the discomfort symptoms of tooth eruption. This means you have to be watchful towards your pet in every step. Otherwise, by the time you notice teething signs, you may already have teeth marks in furniture and shoes. Read the following information to know more about this condition in young canines.

Timeline
The first teeth to appear is baby canine, elongated teeth on each side of the mouth in the front. These long teeth will erupt when your little companion is just 3-4 weeks old. Following this, the incisors and premolars develop simultaneously at around 4-6 weeks age. A puppy with normal teething should have 28 baby teeth by the time he turns 8 weeks old. Shedding of these milk teeth begins at the age of 4-5 months.

Symptoms
Speaking about puppy teething, biting and chewing are the most noticeable symptoms. Very often, a gentle puppy shows aggressive behavior during teething stages. Other signs and symptoms of teething in puppies are bleeding, swelling and inflammation in their gum. Rarely, puppy teething is associated with whining and diarrhea conditions.

Pain Relief
For relief, apply ice over the affected gum and feed frozen (yet healthy) foods such as carrots, apples, strawberries, sweet potatoes, etc. to the pup. Another effective way is to keep teething toys in the freezer and giving them to your pet. These cold treatment will help relieve soreness in their gum.

Toys
Offering chewable toys is a good approach to address puppy teething discomfort. You can purchase such items from your local pet stores. While selecting toys, ensure that they are safe for your pet. You can opt for rope toys and rawhide chewies, which your little friend will be interested in biting. Consider rotating the toys, so that your cuddly friend will not feel bore of them.

Puppy Teeth Care
Brushing your puppy's teeth regularly is crucial to maintain good dental health. Select a soft toothbrush and toothpastes that are specially sold for usage in puppies. It is not unusual that your pet shows reluctant signs in the first few days. Be patient with your puppy while training him and I am sure your pet will obey you promptly. If possible brush everyday or at least several times a week.

No doubt, puppy teething causes painful symptoms and makes the pet restless. But, take it in the positive way that your cute little friend is growing up. At this stage, it is very important for every owner to spend more time with the little pet and follow proper puppy care. This way, you can reduce boredom and ease the pain that he is through. Last but not the least, get your pet check by a qualified veterinarian to examine whether everything is going right or not. Most probably the vet will prescribe proper diet and remedies to ensure a good dental health.