Irish Setter puppy teething & antique furniture

Teething is one of the most intense periods of puppyhood — and with antique furniture in the house, the stakes are genuinely high. Having the right chew toys available from the start makes a real difference: you want something firm enough to satisfy that urge to gnaw, safe for baby teeth that are still coming in, and ideally something you can chill in the fridge to soothe sore gums. To point you to the right thing: how old is your puppy, what breed, and is the main concern the chewing behaviour itself or protecting specific things in the home?

Right, so you're in the best possible position — you're ahead of it. An 8-week-old Irish Setter is going to grow into a big, mouthy, enthusiastic dog, and the habits you build now stick. The key at this age is having something so consistently appealing in his environment that the furniture never becomes the go-to option. Can I ask: does he seem more drawn to hard surfaces to chew — like table legs and chair feet — or is he mouthing softer things like cushions and rugs too?

That tells you exactly what he needs — something with real resistance that he can sink his teeth into. For an 8-week-old with that instinct, I'd go straight to the KONG Puppy toy. It's made from a softer rubber than the adult KONG, specifically designed for puppy teeth that are still developing, but it still has enough firmness to satisfy a dog who wants to chew hard surfaces. You stuff it with something like puppy pâté or soft kibble soaked in water, pop it in the freezer for a couple of hours, and it becomes genuinely compelling — the cold soothes his gums and the food reward keeps him coming back to it rather than the furniture. The other thing it does is teach him early that chewing his own object gets a payoff. That mental association is worth a lot with an Irish Setter, who'll be clever enough to test boundaries as he grows. I'd get two so one is always in the freezer ready to go.

Yes — get the small KONG Puppy to start. At 8 weeks he doesn't have the jaw strength to work a medium effectively, and a toy that's too big can actually put him off. As he grows through 12–16 weeks you can size up to medium, and by the time he's approaching his adult size you'll want to switch to the Classic KONG in large or extra-large. Irish Setters are a big breed so he'll get there — but start small now so the toy actually fits his mouth and stays rewarding.

Two practical things alongside the KONG. First, use a bitter apple spray on the furniture legs — it's tasteless to humans but genuinely unpleasant to dogs, and it creates a deterrent at the exact spots he's already shown interest in. Grannick's Bitter Apple is the one most people find actually works. Second, don't give him unsupervised access to the rooms with the antiques yet. At 8 weeks he simply doesn't have the impulse control to make good choices when you're not there — that comes with time and training. Keep him in rooms where you can watch him, redirect him to the KONG every time he goes for something he shouldn't, and you'll be in good shape. The furniture will survive.