Best Natural Chews for Puppies (and Which to Avoid)
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Bringing home a puppy is wonderful, exhausting, and — if you've ever watched a 12-week-old Labrador eye up your sofa leg — a crash course in just how much they need to chew. Chewing isn't bad behaviour; it's a biological need. The question isn't whether to give your puppy chews, but which chews are actually safe, healthy, and suitable for their stage of development.
This guide walks through what to look for, what to avoid, and our recommended natural chews for puppies by age. No fillers, no marketing fluff — just what we'd give our own dogs.
Why puppies need to chew
Puppies chew for three main reasons:
- Teething relief. Between roughly 3 and 7 months, puppies lose their milk teeth and grow 42 adult teeth. That process is genuinely uncomfortable, and chewing soothes sore gums.
- Mental stimulation. A good chew is one of the best ways to tire a puppy out without overexercising their developing joints — which matters enormously for larger breeds.
- Mechanical dental support. Chewing helps mechanically scrape plaque from teeth and works the jaw muscles — a useful habit to build early.
The problem is that the chew aisle in most pet shops is full of products that are either unsafe, full of additives, or completely wrong for a young dog. Here's how to choose well.
What to look for in a puppy chew
Single-ingredient and natural. A puppy's gut is still developing. The fewer ingredients, the easier it is to spot what agrees with them — and what doesn't. Look for chews with one ingredient: the meat itself. No grains, no preservatives, no artificial flavours.
The right hardness. Puppy teeth are softer than adult teeth and can be damaged by chews that are too hard. As a rule, if you can't make a slight dent with your thumbnail, it's too hard for a puppy. This is why we'd avoid antlers, nylon chews, and most weight-bearing bones for young dogs.
Age-appropriate. Many natural chews are suitable from 8 weeks, others from 12 or 16 weeks. We label every chew in our range by suitable age so you don't have to guess.
Air-dried, not smoked or rawhide. Air-drying keeps the natural ingredients intact without chemical processing. Avoid rawhide entirely — more on that below.
The right size. A chew should be too big to swallow whole. As a guide, it should be longer than your puppy's muzzle.
Chews to avoid for puppies
Some of these will be familiar from supermarket shelves. We don't stock any of them, and here's why.
- Rawhide. Often bleached, chemically treated, and a known choking and blockage risk. Easy to avoid — there are far better natural alternatives.
- Cooked or boiled bones. Cooking makes bones brittle, and brittle bones splinter. Splinters cause emergency-vet trips. Never give cooked bones of any kind.
- Weight-bearing bones (marrow bones, knuckle bones). Too hard for puppy teeth and a known cause of slab fractures, even in adult dogs.
- Antlers and hooves. Same problem — too hard, real risk of tooth fractures. Best left until your dog is fully adult, if at all.
- Anything with additives, colourings or preservatives. If the ingredient list reads like a chemistry set, put it back.
The best natural chews for puppies, by age
These are the chews we'd happily give our own puppies, grouped by the earliest age they're suitable from.
From 8 weeks
The very softest, most digestible options — perfect for early teething and getting puppies used to chewing safely.
- Fish skin twists or cubes. Soft, naturally contain omega-3, and easy on tiny teeth.
- Chicken or turkey breast strips (air-dried). Gentle, lean, and brilliant as both a chew and a high-value training treat.
- Rabbit ears (with fur on). A single-ingredient, naturally low-allergen chew that's soft and easy on young teeth.
Browse our Suitable from 8 weeks collection for the full range.
From 12 weeks
As your puppy's jaw strengthens, you can introduce slightly more substantial chews. Still nothing rock-hard.
- Lamb or beef ears. A great step up in chewing time without being tooth-threatening.
- Pizzle (bully) sticks. Long-lasting, single-ingredient, and naturally high in protein. A genuine puppy favourite.
- Air-dried tripe sticks. Smelly — there's no getting around it — but a natural, single-ingredient chew dogs love.
See our Suitable from 12 weeks collection.
From 16 weeks
Around the four-month mark, most puppies can handle longer-lasting, denser chews — though you should still avoid anything you can't dent.
- Buffalo or beef paddywack. Tough but flexible, brilliant for serious chewers and adult teeth coming through.
- Venison or wild boar chews. Lean, novel proteins that are ideal if you're already noticing any sensitivities.
- Longer fish chews like salmon skin rolls. Long-lasting and naturally contain omega-3.
Explore our Suitable from 16 weeks collection.
What about puppies with sensitivities?
If your puppy is itchy, has loose stools, or seems to react to common meats, a novel protein is often the simplest place to start. Proteins like camel, ostrich, goat and insect are rarely used in mainstream pet food, so most puppies haven't been exposed to them before. Single-ingredient, naturally low-allergen chews also make it easier to identify what agrees with your dog.
If symptoms persist, always speak to your vet. But for everyday treat choices, a clean novel-protein chew is a sensible starting point.
How often should puppies chew?
Most puppies do well with a chew once a day, supervised, in a calm setting (a crate or bed is ideal). Long-lasting chews can replace part of their daily food allowance if they're substantial — natural chews still contain calories. As with anything new, introduce one chew at a time so you can spot any reaction.
A quick word on supervision
Every chew, no matter how safe, should be supervised — especially with puppies. Take the chew away once it becomes small enough to swallow whole. This applies to every product on the market, ours included.
The bottom line
The best natural chews for puppies are simple: single-ingredient, age-appropriate, air-dried, and free from anything artificial. Skip the rawhide and the rock-hard bones, match the chew to your puppy's age and size, and supervise.
If you're not sure where to start, we groom, feed and live with dogs every day — message us through the site or pop along to one of our weekly markets in Bury St Edmunds, Ely, Peterborough or Stamford, and we'll happily talk you through what'll suit your puppy best.
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