Vizsla puppy teething at 20 weeks

A 20-week-old Vizsla chewing harder than ever rather than settling down is actually pretty common — at this stage the bigger adult teeth are pushing through, and that pressure means puppies often go through an intensity spike before things ease off. Teething is genuinely one of the most disruptive periods of puppyhood, but having the right chew toys makes a real difference to how much of your furniture becomes a casualty. The key is something firm enough to give real resistance, safe for teeth that are still developing, and ideally chillable to soothe inflamed gums. Can I ask — is the chewing focused on specific things like furniture or shoes, or is it more that he'll destroy anything within reach? And is he generally getting plenty of exercise and mental stimulation alongside this?

Rope toys tend to be too soft for Vizslas at this stage — they don't give enough resistance to satisfy that deep gum pressure the bigger teeth cause. The evening escalation is also really telling; Vizslas are high-drive dogs and when they've burnt off physical energy but still have mental restlessness, chewing becomes the outlet. What you want is something with genuine firmness that takes sustained effort. Have you tried a nylon chew like a Nylabone, or anything with that level of hardness?

It's a fair concern, and the answer is that it depends on the specific product. My recommendation here would be the Nylabone Puppy Teething Ring — it's designed specifically for puppies in the teething phase, so it's firm enough to give real resistance and satisfy that gum pressure, but it's made from a softer nylon formulation than the adult versions, which means it won't damage teeth that are still coming through. The ring shape also makes it easy for him to hold and work at from different angles, which tends to keep dogs engaged longer than a straight stick shape. You can also pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes before you give it to him in the evenings — the cold genuinely helps with inflamed gums and often takes the edge off that frantic quality the chewing has. It's widely available on Amazon UK and reasonably priced, so worth trying before investing in anything more expensive.

The resistance is what makes the difference — rope toys go soft and shapeless quickly, so there's nothing for him to work against. With the Nylabone, every time he chews he gets that firm push-back, which is what his gums are actually craving right now. Most dogs in the teething phase will return to a nylon chew repeatedly across an evening rather than ignoring it after five minutes. That said, rotating it with one or two other textures — a rubber Kong stuffed with something frozen works well alongside it — keeps novelty up and means he has a legitimate outlet rather than auditing your furniture for alternatives.

Just check it periodically for any chunks breaking off — with the puppy version this is rare because the nylon is designed to shred into tiny fibres rather than chunks, but it's good habit to glance at it every few days. If you ever see a large piece has come away, swap it out. Also keep an eye on the colour — when the toy starts looking heavily grooved and worn down significantly, replace it. Other than that, let him get on with it. Most Vizsla owners find the chewing phase settles noticeably by 6 to 7 months once the main adult teeth are fully through, so you're not far off the end of the worst of it.