Most puppies can start chewing on soft, puppy-suitable chew products once their milk teeth have come through - typically from around eight to twelve weeks of age. The question of when puppies can have chew bones, however, isn't just about age. It's just as much about how hard the chew item is, how big the puppy is, and how far along it is in the teething process. A soft treat for a small puppy is something entirely different from a hard chew bone intended for an adult dog with a complete set of teeth, and it's precisely that difference that determines whether chewing becomes a healthy pleasure or a risk to those delicate milk teeth.

Here you'll get a walkthrough of when you can safely introduce chew bones and chew products, how to read your puppy's teething, and what you should look for when choosing something for the little one to chew on. At ESSENTIAL FOODS, your puppy's first year of life has been thought through from meals to treats, and we gather all of our advice in our Puppy Universe, where you'll find products and guidance created directly by us.

When can a puppy have a chew bone for the first time?

There isn't one fixed date that suits all puppies, but a good rule of thumb is that soft chew products can be introduced once the milk teeth are in place and the puppy has the urge to chew. This is often seen as early as around eight to ten weeks, when many puppies come to their new home. At that point the urge to chew is genuine, because chewing helps the puppy explore the world, settle down and deal with the itch that comes when the teeth start moving.

What matters isn't whether the product is called a chew bone, but how hard it is. A very small puppy with delicate milk teeth needs something that gives way and can be worked without straining the teeth. Hard, compact chew bones and large gnawing items belong later in life, when the puppy has gained its permanent set of teeth and a jaw with more power. If you choose something soft and age-appropriate from the start, you give the urge to chew a healthy outlet without it affecting the teeth that are still developing.

How teething plays into the choice of chew bone

Puppies are born without teeth, get their milk teeth during the first weeks and later replace them with their permanent teeth. The teething itself typically stretches over several months and is often finished around six months of age, but it varies from dog to dog. During this period the gums can be sore, and the puppy has an extra strong urge to chew, because it eases the irritation that teething causes.

That's exactly why you should be extra attentive to hardness in the middle of teething. Sore tooth roots and loose milk teeth cannot tolerate hard strain, and a chew bone that's too hard can, in the worst case, damage a tooth that's on its way out or in. Soft chew products and chew training with treats are therefore a better choice while the teeth are changing. If you want to offer something with a bit more resistance, soft fish products can be a fine middle step, and in our selection of Fish Delights you'll find chew products where the fresh fish provides both flavour and a natural chewing experience.

Which chew products suit the smallest puppies?

For a puppy you should choose chew products in small pieces, with a size suitable for the little mouth, and with a flavour and nutritional profile intended specifically for puppies. The size is important for two reasons: the pieces need to be manageable for a delicate jaw, and they need to be easy to chew thoroughly through. Our Mini Delights are created with the little ones in mind, and if your puppy is a small breed, you'll find a wide selection of relevant products gathered for small dogs.

For the daily urge to chew and for the first exercises with sit and stay, soft treats are an obvious choice. In our selection of treats for puppies you'll find products made from fresh raw materials and human-grade ingredients, so chewing becomes both a pleasure and part of the puppy's good start. If you're looking for something to keep the puppy occupied a little longer at a time, you can look at products with long chew time and choose the softest ones that suit the puppy's age and size.

Whatever you choose, the puppy should always chew under supervision. That way you can step in if a piece becomes too small, and at the same time you learn how vigorously your particular puppy chews, so you can adjust your choice accordingly.

Chewing, teeth and oral hygiene in the puppy

Chewing is more than a pastime. The right chewing activity supports the puppy in keeping the teeth clean and promotes a healthy mouth while the permanent set of teeth settles in. If you're focused on teeth and fresh breath, you can look at our Dental Series, and if you want to read more about how food and chewing work together with fresh breath, you can dive into the guide on dog food against bad breath.

Be aware that teething itself can leave a little blood on a chew product or a loose milk tooth, and this is usually a completely natural part of the process. If you're unsure whether something is as it should be, or you notice a tooth that isn't falling out as expected, a vet is always the right one to ask. When it comes to the actual choice of chew product, treats and food for your puppy, our nutrition advisors are ready to help you by phone, chat or email, so you find something that suits the age, size and urge to chew.

Build the puppy's chewing into a well-thought-out everyday routine

Chew bones and treats make the most sense as part of a whole, where the daily meals are also adapted to the puppy's stage of life. Our grain-free puppy meals in The Beginning are composed for the finest beginning with fresh raw materials, human-grade ingredients and carefully selected local and regional delicacies, entirely without grain and unnecessary fillers. Once the foundation in the bowl is in place, treats and chew products become a supplement that complements and doesn't take over the puppy's nutrition.

Use the treats deliberately in everyday life. A soft treat is worth its weight in gold during training, where the puppy has to learn new things, while a soft chew product provides calm in those moments when the urge to chew arises on its own. As the puppy grows, teething finishes and the jaw becomes stronger, you can gradually introduce products with more resistance and longer chew time. That way chewing follows the puppy's development step by step, and you avoid giving something too hard before the little one is ready for it.