Teething toys for tiny puppies with big dogs at home

A 9-week-old Papillon trying to teethe while two large dogs keep commandeering the toys — that's a real problem, and it's more common than people expect. Teething is one of the most intense periods of puppyhood, and at this age your Papillon's gums are genuinely sore. Having the right chew toys available — firm enough to satisfy but safe for tiny developing teeth, and ideally chillable to soothe inflammation — makes a genuine difference to how much destruction happens and how distressed the pup gets. But if the bigger dogs are constantly stealing or destroying those toys, the puppy never gets the relief she needs. How old are your two larger dogs, and what breeds are they? And is the main issue that they're actively taking the toy from her, or just that they destroy it when they get hold of it?

That makes sense — the Labs aren't being bullies, they just find a chew toy and do what Labs do. The core issue is that any toy robust enough for a Lab is going to be too hard and too large for a Papillon puppy's mouth, and anything soft and small enough for her gets destroyed the moment a Lab picks it up. So we need to think about this differently: rather than finding one toy that works for everyone, you want something specifically sized for tiny mouths that you can supervise closely, and ideally keep her separate during chew time. Before I suggest something specific — is she chewing mostly on soft things like fabric and furniture, or is she going for harder things like table legs and cables?

Perfect — that tells me her gums are sore but she's not yet in the hard-chewing phase, so you don't need anything super firm. What I'd recommend is the Nylabone Puppy Teething Keys. They're specifically designed for small and toy breeds under 11kg, so the size is right for a Papillon's tiny jaw. The texture is soft enough not to damage developing teeth but satisfying enough to redirect her from fabric. Crucially, they can go in the freezer — ten minutes frozen and they become genuinely soothing for inflamed gums at this age. They're also bright yellow and distinctly puppy-shaped, so you'll spot immediately if a Lab picks one up. The Labs won't find them particularly interesting since there's no real chew resistance for a dog their size, but even if one does grab it, they're cheap enough that you can keep two or three on rotation. Pop one in the freezer now, one in her crate or playpen, and one out as a swap. That rotation keeps her interest up too.

At 9 weeks, I'd always supervise chew time — not because the Nylabone Keys are particularly dangerous, but because she's tiny, she's still learning what chewing means, and if a Lab does wander over you want to be there to redirect. As she gets a bit older and you get a feel for how she chews, you can relax that. For now, short supervised sessions of 10–15 minutes work well. When she loses interest, pick it up and put it away — that also helps keep the Labs from turning it into their toy by default.

Good plan. The freezer trick makes a noticeable difference at this age — you'll likely see her settle into chewing much more purposefully when the toy is cold. If in a few weeks she starts going for harder surfaces or the Keys aren't holding her attention, come back and we can look at what's next for a growing Papillon. Good luck with her — they're brilliant little dogs.