Yorkie Information Center
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Teething Issues with the Yorkie
Puppy Teeth Coming In
Yorkshire Terrier puppies start to grow their puppy teeth at about 1 month old. They will have 28 puppy teeth once they have all grown in.
Puppy Teeth Coming Out
At the age of 4 to 7 months, they will begin to lose those puppy teeth.
Adult Dog Teeth Coming In
These teeth will be replaced with their 42 permanent adult teeth. A general schedule of when a Yorkie puppy grows and loses their teeth is:
- At 4 months old, the incisor teeth grow in
- At 5 months old, the canine teeth grow in
- At 6 months old, the molars grow in
Each puppy is unique. Some may be very late or very early bloomers. However, if your Yorkie has not grown its puppy teeth by 2 months or if they have not grown in any adult teeth by 11 months, do bring your Yorkie to the veterinarian.
Sometimes the canines will not grow all of the way out and removal by the vet may be necessary. Sometimes, a Yorkshire Terrier puppy will retain all of their puppy teeth and they must be removed by the veterinarian.
Help With Teething Issues
When your puppy is teething, he or she will have an overwhelming urge to chew on anything and everything that they can get their mouth onto. They do not have control over this.
It will be your job to:
It will be your job to:
- Safe-Proof your home so that you Yorkie puppy does not chew on anything dangerous
- Provide teething relief to help your pup cope with the pain
- Take all electrical cords out of reach of your puppy
- Keep all shoes out of reach - a puppy can chew on and choke on shoe laces
- Keep small objects off of the floors
- Give your puppy ice cubes. Not only do dogs love playing around with the sliding ice, the cold helps to soothe their gums
- Offer not just dog toys. There are now available a huge assortment of dog toys especially designed for the teething puppy. These toys are often made to be put into your freezer to make them cold and will have projections so that the pup can easily maneuver them into the crevices of their growing teeth and rub the dog toy against their gums.
Teething on Your Hand VS Toys
Your little Yorkie puppy needs to chew on something. Quite often, a pup will try to gnaw and chew on their owner's hand/ arm/ foot, etc.
It is important to train your puppy to not do this. It can become a habit. Once the teething stage is done, a puppy who was allowed to chew on their owner may then continue to bite, chew and gnaw indefinitely.
Any time that your Yorkie bites down on you:
Your little Yorkie puppy needs to chew on something. Quite often, a pup will try to gnaw and chew on their owner's hand/ arm/ foot, etc.
It is important to train your puppy to not do this. It can become a habit. Once the teething stage is done, a puppy who was allowed to chew on their owner may then continue to bite, chew and gnaw indefinitely.
Any time that your Yorkie bites down on you:
- Say "Ouch ! " very loudly. Puppies are used to their litter mates "Yelping" loudly when they are bitten too hard during play time. You must train your Yorkie to know that a bite = pain for you. Make sure to say this in a tone that implies that it really hurt (even if it did not) and obviously pull your hand up toward your body.
- Immediately give your dog a teething dog chew toy. When they bite down on the toy, offer great words of praise.
- Be patient. The teething stage for dogs is relatively short. Remember that you have more control over this than your dog does. If you consistently show your Yorkie that they are not allowed to bite you and you offer lots of good dog teething toys, you can help your puppy control themselves.
When a Puppy is Teething They May:
- Bite YOU !
- Nip at Your Heels When you Try to Leave
- Lick or Chew Themselves to the Point of Obsession
- Bark like crazy if they do not get their way
- And Many More Odd Behaviors!
- Learn How to Calmly Deal with All Yorkie Issues... Click Here to Learn How
