Chow Chow puppy teething: toys they won't ignore

Chow Chows are one of those breeds that will look directly at a toy you've just bought and decide it doesn't exist — so if yours is already doing that at 12 weeks, you're in for a characterful ride. Teething is one of the most intense periods of puppyhood, and having the right chew toys available — ones that are firm enough to satisfy but safe for developing teeth, and ideally chillable to soothe sore gums — makes a genuine difference to how much destruction happens. To point you in the right direction: how old is your puppy exactly, what's their size looking like so far, and is the main concern getting them to actually engage with something appropriate, or are there specific things in the home already taking a battering?

That's classic Chow Chow behaviour — they're not motivated by novelty the way a Labrador is. They need a reason to engage, and a plain rubber ring gives them none. Before I recommend anything, one question: have you tried putting food inside any of the toys, or have you only offered them dry with no incentive?

That's the missing piece for a Chow. They're independent thinkers — they won't chew something just because you want them to. But they will absolutely work for food. Get a Kong Puppy — the pink or blue rubber one designed specifically for puppy teeth, not the black adult version. It's firm enough to satisfy the chewing urge without being hard enough to damage her developing teeth, and you can stuff it with something smelly and high-value: a little wet puppy food, cream cheese, or mashed banana works well. Freeze it overnight and she gets the food payoff plus the cold rubber soothes her gums at the same time. The Kong Puppy is on Amazon UK for around £8–10 and it's genuinely the one toy that converts stubborn breeds because it ties chewing to a reward they choose to pursue. Start with something really tasty inside so the first few sessions are a guaranteed win for her — once she's made the association between that toy and good things, she'll go back to it herself.

Two is ideal — one in the freezer, one available. That way you always have a cold one ready, which is where most of the soothing benefit comes from during peak teething. Rotate what you stuff them with so she doesn't lose interest in the smell. And keep them out of reach when they're not in use — part of what makes them work for Chows is that they're not just lying around being ignored. You bring it out, she earns it, it goes away again. That slight scarcity keeps it feeling like something worth engaging with.

Good call. Stick with it for the first week even if she's slow to engage — leave a frozen stuffed Kong near the skirting board she's targeting so she's literally choosing between boring wood and frozen cream cheese. She'll make the right call. Good luck with her, Chow puppies are a handful but they're brilliant dogs once they trust you.