German Shorthaired Pointers are born toothless, but they develop sharp temporary baby teeth, which help them eat solid food as they grow older. Like humans, these teeth will eventually fall out and get replaced by adult teeth.
German Shorthaired Pointers lose their baby teeth around 3 or 4 months old. Their adult teeth will then grow when they’re around 6 months old. During the teething period, it’s normal for them to want to chew on things.
Keep reading as I discuss how and when German Shorthaired Pointers develop their permanent teeth. I’ll also explain how they usually behave during their teething period.
German Shorthaired Pointer Puppy Teething Period
Like all puppies, German Shorthaired Pointers slowly develop baby teeth, then these temporary teeth are replaced by a set of adult or permanent teeth.
German Shorthaired Pointer puppies grow their baby teeth between 2 and 4 weeks old, and they fall out when they’re around 3 months old. At 6 months of age, they usually have all of their permanent teeth.
Let’s explore the phases a German Shorthaired Pointer puppy goes through before getting all of their adult teeth.
Newborn
When a German Shorthaired Pointer puppy is born, they don’t have any visible teeth. Instead, they have a set of baby teeth hidden underneath their gums. Like humans, these will eventually erupt as your dog gets older.
Puppies don’t have sharp teeth at birth because they nurse from their mother. If they all had teeth, nursing would be uncomfortable for the mother, and she might push them away to avoid the pain of being bitten into.
So, essentially, puppies only get teeth when they can be weaned.
2–4 Weeks Old
When a German Shorthaired Pointer puppy is 2 weeks old, they’ll develop a set of baby teeth.
This first set, often called deciduous teeth because they’ll eventually fall out, consists of 28 small pointy teeth. Some people even call these “needle teeth” since they can be extremely sharp.
They’ll slowly erupt from the puppy’s jaw but are usually all in before the puppy is 8 weeks old.
The development of deciduous teeth is a sign that you can start to wean your puppies from their mother’s milk.
In nature, these teeth cause pain to the mother dog, triggering her to push her puppies away when they try to nurse. With no other food to eat, the pups will learn to chew and eat solid foods using their baby teeth.
3–6 Months Old
When your German Shorthaired Pointer Puppy is 3 months old, they’ll start to lose their deciduous teeth. In addition, as they fall out, your puppy’s permanent teeth will begin to erupt from their jaw.
Like in humans, this process can be uncomfortable, and it might mean your puppy starts to bite and chew all kinds of things. This process is called teething, and it’s painful for your pup.
During this teething period, you’ll need to ensure that your puppy has plenty of toys and treats that help them soothe their sore, often bleeding gums. In addition, you’ll need to be patient and kind to your dog during this time, even if they bite you or chew up your personal belongings.
Here are some teething toys you can find on Amazon.com:
Nylabone Puppy Power Chew Toys – You basic chew toy that will keep your dog busy for hours
Nylabone Chill and Chew Dog Chew Toy – Another high quality teething toy from Nylabone, but this one can be chilled in freezer and comes in different flavors
KONG – Puppy Teething Stick – Teething toy from KONG – a popular dog toy company known for making products that will last forever
As your German Shorthaired Pointer puppy continues to chew hard things like toys, dry dog food, bones, and possibly even your furniture and belongings, their baby teeth will fall out, and their new teeth will break through their gums.
Usually, puppies swallow their baby teeth, but they may also fall onto the floor. You don’t need to worry about collecting them. Puppies can usually digest them quickly, and they’re so small that many people don’t notice them after they’ve fallen out.
6 Months Old
When a German Shorthaired Pointer puppy is 6 months old, they usually have all of their permanent adult teeth. Six months is when your puppy will stop teething, meaning they won’t need to bite or chew things as much.
Although puppies only have 28 baby teeth, they’ll grow 42 adult teeth as they mature. That’s because, as they get larger, there’s more room in their jaws for teeth that can pierce, grind, and cut their food.
How To Help Your Puppy With Teething
Teething is very uncomfortable for your puppy, and most dogs will do anything to get some relief from the pain in their gums during this time.
It can be challenging to know what to do when your puppy is chewing uncontrollably and biting things around your home, especially since most of them don’t know commands yet.
Here are the most important things to do to help your puppy with teething:
- Be patient and gentle with your puppy during teething. If you punish your puppy for chewing, they might get the wrong idea and stop trusting you. They don’t bite out of aggression. Most of the time, they just want the pain to stop.
- Instead of punishing your pup, take away the objects you want to keep safe. If they try to bite you, pull your hands or legs back quickly to set your boundaries. When you take things away from your puppy, they’ll learn that not all items are okay to bite.
- Whenever your puppy tries to bite something they shouldn’t, offer them a bone or chew toy. That way, they’ll learn what’s appropriate to chew on. I used N-Bone Puppy Teething Ring as a reward when my dogs were chewing on their toys and not my leather work shoes. The linked will take you to Amazon.com.
- Consider setting up a “safe room” or pen for your German Shorthaired Pointer so that they can’t chew on anything you don’t want them to. Having a room or enclosure for your dog clear of your personal belongings and potentially hazardous items like electrical cords will keep them safe while also keeping you from having to supervise your puppy at all times.
Conclusion
German Shorthaired Pointer puppies go through teething like all other dogs, and they usually start to lose their baby teeth at around 3 or 4 months old.
You might find the phase of your puppy starting to lose their baby teeth when they have all of their permanent adult teeth challenging. That’s because your puppy will always want to bite and chew anything to relieve their gum pain.
Still, if you help your German Shorthaired Pointer through the process, teething will be over in no time.