Dental Chews for Puppies: Age Minimums by Brand and Safety Notes

How we chose and checked these chews

We compare published manufacturer data and the VOHC accepted list; we do not test products on dogs (see our methodology). For puppies the question is the age on the label, so the table is built around it. We list a line only with the age statement we checked, and where a maker prints none, or we did not read the page, the cell says that instead of guessing.

We found no independent source that ranks dental chews for puppies or names a safe age, and we do not give one. What exists is each maker's own minimum, which is what the table shows. The decision for a young puppy belongs to your veterinarian, who knows the dog's age, breed, weight and teeth.

At what age can puppies have dental chews?

The answer depends on the product. In the lines we have data for, the printed minimums are 6 months for Greenies Original and Milk-Bone Brushing Chews, and over 9 months for Whimzees Brushzees. VeggieDent FR3SH is the exception: Virbac's FAQ says puppies can have it once they eat solid food with ease, with supervision, and does not give a number of months. Pedigree's Dentastix page says Dentastix are not suitable for puppies without naming an age. For DentaLife and Earthbones we found no minimum age on the pages we checked.

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VOHC claims and seal years come from the accepted list copied October 13, 2026. Dentastix: the VOHC row names only the Original Large Dog Treats, Beef & Fresh Variety Pack. DentaLife: the row reads "North American sizes". Earthbones is not on the list. Greenies Puppy is a separate VOHC row from Greenies Original; we state only what the list says about it.

The weights in the table are the dog's weight today, not its adult size. Greenies' Teenie is for dogs of 5 to 15 lb, so a 6-month-old toy-breed puppy under 5 lb meets the age minimum but is below the weight minimum. Read both limits on the package.

What kind of chew is safe for a 3-month-old puppy?

None of the dental chew lines in our data prints a minimum age at or below 3 months. The closest is VeggieDent FR3SH, whose FAQ allows puppies that eat solid food with ease, and Virbac's wording leaves the age to the owner and veterinarian. For puppies under the 6-month and 9-month limits above, the label rules out Greenies Original, Milk-Bone Brushing Chews and Whimzees Brushzees. We do not recommend a product for this age, because no source we checked supports one.

Younger puppies chew because they explore and teethe, and the ASPCA notes that some makers produce chews for puppies and for average or moderate chewers.¹ That is a general statement, not a ranking of brands. If your puppy's teeth are the concern, ask your vet what to give and when to start brushing; our page on cleaning a dog's teeth without brushing covers the alternatives for adult dogs.

Greenies Puppy: what we can and cannot say

Greenies Puppy Dental Chews appear on the VOHC list as a separate row from the Original adult line: "four sizes", Plaque and Tartar, seal awarded 2019, company Greenies-Mars PetCare.² That is all we state. We have not read the maker's page for the puppy line, so we have no verified minimum age, weight bands or calories for it, and we do not carry numbers over from the adult Original line. Read the package for the age and the size for your puppy.

Calories and size for a small puppy

Among the sizes in the table, per-chew calories run from 22 kcal (Dentastix Original Toy/Small, retailer label) to 63 kcal (DentaLife Small/Medium) and 46 kcal for Earthbones Tiny. WSAVA recommends that treats stay under 10% of a dog's daily calories, but its chart of allowances is for average healthy adult dogs at ideal weight, so we do not compute a percentage for a puppy.³ Growing dogs have different energy needs, and the chart does not cover them. For scale only, WSAVA lists 14 kcal a day from treats for an adult at 2 kg and 24 kcal at 4 kg, so a single 25 kcal Greenies Teenie is already near an adult's allowance at 4 kg. Ask your vet for your puppy's daily figure, then use the dental chew calorie calculator with that number in mind.

Hard chews and puppy teeth

A frequent search is whether hard chews can damage puppy teeth. We found no study of that in puppies. What WSAVA does say, for dogs in general, is to avoid "excessively hard chews and treats, for example, antlers and hooves" and those with sharp edges, and to make sure any treat is an appropriate size and shape to reduce the risk of choking.³ It also advises supervising any chew. The ASPCA adds that if a dog swallows a chunk of chew material, you should consult a veterinarian immediately.¹ Our guide to whether dental chews are safe sets out these risks with the case-series data.

Grow into the right size page

A puppy's weight changes quickly, so the right chew row changes too. When your dog reaches adult size, use the size pages: dental chews for small dogs for adults up to about 25 lb and dental chews for large dogs for adults of 40 lb and over, including Labradors and German Shepherds. Product pages with every size: Greenies Original, Milk-Bone Brushing Chews, Whimzees Brushzees and VeggieDent FR3SH. Frequency questions are answered in how often to give a dental chew, and the VOHC accepted dental chews page lists every accepted product.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. ASPCA: Position statement on dog chews and treats, accessed October 13, 2026. Matching chew size to the dog, supervision, swallowed chunks.
2. VOHC: Accepted products, accessed October 13, 2026. Claims and seal years, including the Greenies Puppy Dental Chews row.
3. World Small Animal Veterinary Association: Feeding treats to your dog (June 2024), accessed October 13, 2026. The 10% guidance, the treat budget by body weight, and the advice on size, shape, supervision and very hard chews.
4. Greenies (manufacturer): Original Regular size, accessed October 13, 2026. Weight bands, calories, one chew a day, minimum age and weight. The Teenie, Petite and Large pages (adult-dental-dog-treats-teenie-size-original, -petite-size-original, -large-size-original) were read the same way.
5. Milk-Bone (manufacturer): Brushing Chews, Small/Medium, accessed October 13, 2026. Feeding, minimum age; weight bands and calories also from the Mini and Large pages.
6. Wellness Pet (manufacturer): Whimzees Brushzees, accessed October 13, 2026. Size and weight bands, one chew a day, minimum age.
7. PetSmart: Whimzees Brushzees Medium listing (not linked), accessed October 13, 2026. Label text for calories (Small 44, Medium 87, Large 173); the manufacturer page lists none and gives no figure for X-Small or X-Large.
8. Virbac US (manufacturer): C.E.T. VeggieDent FR3SH, accessed October 13, 2026. Weight bands, calories per chew, once-daily feeding and the FAQ line on puppies.
9. Pedigree (manufacturer): Dentastix oral care dog treats, accessed October 13, 2026. Age statement (not suitable for puppies; no age given); the Large size page is Dentastix Original Large.
10. PetSmart: Pedigree Dentastix Original Toy/Small and Small/Medium listings (not linked), accessed October 13, 2026. Weight bands and calories for those two sizes (22 and 54 kcal).
11. PetSmart: Purina DentaLife Daily Oral Care Small/Medium and Large listings (not linked), accessed October 13, 2026. Weight bands and calories (63 and 100 kcal); no minimum age appeared on the pages read.
12. Earthly Pet: Fresh Breath Dog Dental Bones (Earthbones) product page (seller page, not linked), accessed October 13, 2026. Sizes, weight bands and calories; Earthbones is not on the VOHC list.

Prepared by the DentalDogTreats editorial team from the sources above. We compile published data and did not try these products on dogs. This is not veterinary advice; ask your veterinarian about your dog's teeth, diet and health. See how we compare and the affiliate disclosure.