Teething
Beagle Teething
Overview of Beagle Puppy Teething
A newborn is born without any teeth at all. Around the 3 week old mark, small temporary teeth begin to emerge. These are often referred to as milk teeth and they have very small, short roots.
At the age of 3 to 4 months old, a process by which these milk teeth fall out and are replaced with a dog's adult teeth begins. When a pup is teething, it can cause itching that is at times quite severe, and also cause varying levels of discomfort.
This in turn will cause puppies to seek out relief. The most common way that this is accomplished is by chewing on items that will scratch the itch on the gums. Without proper planning and care, Beagle puppies may chew on just about anything that they can mouth.
This can cause quite a bit of destruction in the home and it can be quite dangerous for the pup to be gnawing on non-toy items. With a bit of planning, you can help your pup get through this somewhat difficult time.
The Age & Orderof Teething
The Age & Order of Teething
A Beagle puppy will begin teething at approximately 3 to 4 months old and will be done by 7 months to 9 months. Some late bloomers can start around the 4.5 to 5 month mark.
There will be starts and stops to this with some very intense days and weeks with overwhelming itching and discomfort.
Often, the pup's teeth will fall out while eating or playing, so they are often swallowed and you may not notice that it has happened. (See also: When a Beagle swallows something)
If at the
age of 6 months, if your puppy is still holding onto all of his puppy teeth, you should have a veterinarian perform a dental checkup.
In some cases, a adult tooth will begin to grow in while the puppy tooth still remains. This will create "2 rows" of teeth and can seriously affect the permanent bite of the dog. If this happens, the veterinarian should remove the puppy tooth in order to allow the adult tooth to grow into the correct spot. Even if it has begun descending, once it has room, it will usually move over into the proper position.
The loss of puppy teeth and the growth of adult teeth normally happen in this order:
4 Months old - the incisors grow in
5 months old - the canine teeth grow in
6 months old - the molars grow in
How to Help Your Beagle
The teething stage will a difficult one, for both owner and puppy. The Beagle pup will have an almost unstoppable, uncontrollable urge to chew on just about anything...in order to feel relief.
There are things that you can do to help. It is recommended to:
1) Provide ice cubes - pups love chasing them around on slippery floors, it provides both entertainment to distract the puppy and the cold cube will ease the discomfort. You can make flavored cubes by adding chicken broth to water and then freezing in ice cube trays.
2) Offer effective teething toys
- These will be created specifically for teething puppies. Good ones will have textures that pups find beneficial and will shapes that easily fit into the crevices of the mouth so that the puppy can position it exactly where he is feeling the itching.
You'll want it to have small nubs that work well to 'scratch' the teething 'itch' and, of course, to be appropriately sized.
3) Try taking a large carrot and placing it in the freezer until it is icy cold.
Not only will the cool temperature aid the pup's teething discomfort, but the carrot will provide excellent nutrition.
1) Find new spots for chewable objects.
Many owners become very frustrated when their puppy chews on items in the house. While it seems too easy of an answer...the answer is to not place those objects where your teething Beagle puppy can reach them. Until this phase is over, find new places for these things.
The most commonly chewed on items that need to have new homes include:
- Shoes
- Pocket books
- Wallets
- Small throw pillows
- Clothes
- Keys
- TV remotes
- Phone chargers
These can be temporarily moved to shelves, closets and hanging hooks.
Nothing is off limits and even items that you would never think a puppy would chew, may be mouthed. Many times a puppy will test an object in order to find out if it helps his discomfort.
An owner should always tied up electrical cords in any room that the puppy can enter. All it takes is a moment for a pup to see a cord (just the right size to fit nicely on those sore gums), bite into it and get electrocuted.
Other dangers include houseplants and items small enough to be swallowed that can then cause blockage issues such as coins, shoe laces, pen caps and paper clips.
2) Limit access.
Anytime that you can't keep a close eye on your teething puppy, and of course when home alone, place your Beagle in his playpen. Just as with housebreaking, this is the best method to confine things to one spot.
Within the pen should be his toys, bed, and food/water.
