Your puppy is getting his act together physically – he’s still quite roly-poly, but learning to coordinate his growing body well enough for playful jumping and tumbling. Toward his 12th week, he’ll start shedding puppy teeth as permanent teeth emerge. By his 12th week, bladder control is improving.
As the new teeth come in, the puppy might experience redness, swelling and irritation. Provide your puppy with acceptable items on which to chew. While the new teeth are putting pressure on a puppy’s gums, chewing is a natural reation. If you don’t provide the correct type of chew toy, your puppy will look for something else to chew, including furniture, shoes, and other things of value to you. Provide just 1 – 2 toys for him to chew…any more than that (for now) the puppy cannot distinguish them from other things that seem chewable. The soft, fuzzy toys we have found the pups LOVE. Especially the ones that have no filling, has a squeeky inside it and is small enought for them to carry.
Remedies: We use cold baby carrots. This cools the swollen gums, gives him something to chew and it’s good for him. OR …
Freeze a clean dishrag after dipping it in water & wringing it out. Twist the damp dishrag into a tight, rope-like shape & let it freeze that way. When your puppy shows signs of needing to chew, offer the frozen rag
