This is a specific conversation about Puppy teething — surviving it and protecting your home — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A 10-week-old Newfoundland is already in full teething mode — and with a breed that's going to be 60-plus kilograms, you're dealing with jaw strength that will destroy most standard puppy toys in minutes. Teething is one of the most intense periods of puppyhood, and having the right chew toys — firm enough to satisfy, safe for developing teeth, and ideally chillable to soothe those sore gums — genuinely changes how much of your house survives. To point you to the right thing: how big is your pup right now, is this more about keeping them occupied and comfortable, or are specific things in the home already getting targeted?
He's about 8kg already at 10 weeks, so yeah, huge. He's not too destructive yet but I want to get ahead of it. Mainly want something safe I can freeze because he seems to really want to chew constantly and his gums look sore.
inparticular.ai
Eight kilos at 10 weeks — he's going to be a serious dog. The good news is you're thinking about this at exactly the right moment, before the real destructive phase hits. For a puppy his size, most standard chew toys are just too small and too soft. What's your setup like at home — are you crating him, or is he free to roam certain rooms? And has he shown any preference so far, like rubber over rope, or does he go for everything equally?
He's crated at night but free in the kitchen and living room during the day. He goes for everything — socks, the corner of the sofa, his water bowl. Rubber seems to work better than rope, rope he just shreds.
inparticular.ai
That's exactly the profile I needed. Rope is useless for a Newfoundland puppy — shredded in minutes and actually a swallowing hazard once it frays. Given his size now and where he's heading, I'd go straight to the Kong Extreme in XL. I know it says 'extreme' and that's usually for adult aggressive chewers, but for a giant-breed puppy at 10 weeks who's already 8kg, the regular puppy Kong is going to be too small and too soft within a fortnight. The Extreme is made from the toughest natural rubber Kong produces, it has a hollow centre you can stuff and freeze — mashed banana, a little peanut butter, or just wet kibble — and when frozen it keeps him occupied for a solid stretch while the cold genuinely soothes inflamed gums. The XL size is appropriate for where he is now and will see him well into adolescence. It's available on Amazon UK, usually around £15-18, and it's one of the few toys I'd confidently say will last him through the worst of teething without breaking apart.
That sounds right. Is it actually safe for a puppy his age though — I've heard the Extreme is really for adult dogs?
inparticular.ai
It's a fair question and the packaging does skew toward adults, but here's the practical reality: the 'puppy' Kong range is designed for smaller breeds with lighter jaw pressure. For giant breeds, those softer versions get destroyed fast, and broken-off chunks are a genuine choking risk. The Extreme's rubber is tough but not brittle — it compresses rather than cracks, which is what you want. The one thing I'd say: supervise the first few sessions just to see how he interacts with it, which you'd want to do with any new chew toy. But for a 10-week Newfoundland, the Extreme XL is genuinely the safer choice compared to something that's going to break apart in his mouth within a week.
Perfect, that's really reassuring. I'll get the XL and start freezing them. Should I get a couple so I can rotate them?
inparticular.ai
Absolutely — two is the ideal setup. Keep one in the freezer at all times so there's always a cold one ready to swap in. When he's in a heavy teething phase you'll be grateful for the rotation, and it also means he's always getting a frozen one rather than a room-temperature one, which is significantly less soothing for sore gums. Two XL Kong Extremes, stuffed and frozen, will be your most-used piece of kit for the next few months.