Nugget is 13 weeks and a real chewer. I have to supervise him very closely as he will chew anything and everything. I'm trying to find something safe for him to chew that will last him a good long while. I've tried frozen kongs - he waits for them to thaw then polishes them off quickly. I've given him ice cubes (as I imagine his gums are sore) - he loves them but, of course, they last for mere moments. He's had whole fresh carrots - again, he likes them but eats them very quickly (plus I limit them to one a day because of all that fibre). I've tried dried tripe sticks (which stink!!!) - of course, he loves those too but can eat one in under 2 minutes. Im so, so tempted by rawhide but I've read lots of conflicting opinions about it on here. Can anyone suggest a magical, LONG lasting chewy thing that's safe for him? Please?
Hi there.....cardboard was a great favourite for us .....save every box ,toilet roll,kitchen roll you get and put a few pieces of kibble in,Dexter used to chew for ages and it goes soggy so the worse case scenario if they swallow some,it shouldn't be dangerous. iPad / iPhone boxes are THE BEST ...I put an appeal out to all my friends when Dexter was recovering from his tail operation and they kindly donated their Apple packaging`! You've got to put up with you house looking a bit of a dump but it's quickly tidies up and was worth it for me for the downtime you got for such a few pieces of food!
Nylabones are good, but I only give them to Twig for 15 minutes as I don't want her teeth to wear. The problem with anything that lasts a long time is that it'll be very hard and not good for teeth and prolonged chewing. I fill hollow bones with soaked kibble for them too - they last much longer than Kongs, but I never leave them alone with them. We give them rawhide chews twice a day after meals for teeth cleaning (be sure they are not from China as they process them with awful chemicals) and to settle them after meals as they need a good long rest before playing. These are good ones - http://tinyurl.com/h6ave5a . .
My little man Arnie, has just discovered rawhide. It lasts a long time. He seems to like it a lot. I don't believe that rawhide is all that bad for them. Sure, it's not ideal, but I think sometimes we have to live in the real world and understand that some of our dogs have needs that need to be met. If this involves giving them rawhide, then that is what it takes. Supervision is what it takes. Once you can trust them to eat it properly it should be right. Don;t give them too many and keep it sensible I know there is the whole chemical argument that you cant account for, but what about the ingredients in their kibble that you cant account for?
i second the cardboard suggestion. Both my dogs have been kept occupied for ages with empty loo rolls. Riley just used to destroy them, Obi eats them too so I'm careful what cardboard I give him. I also use pizzles.
If you research carefully you can find both kibble and rawhide chews which have been processed without dangerous chemicals. I would strongly advise against any pet treats made in China - they have caused fatal renal failure in several dogs .
Precisely. You get the decent ones and there should be very minimal risk. Arnie is loving the ones I am getting him, and he hasn't even had a bad tummy. Plenty of filled kongs are the way to go too, and that way you know what they are eating
I have a range of different chews that I give to Juno as her lunch which last her a varying amount of time. As an alternative to rawhide I offer a SmartBone which can last her around 15 minutes. Some people say that their dogs have had runny poo afterwards but I've had no problems http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/merch-groups/smartbones These are also very good. I find the hedgehog longer lasting than the alligator, but haven't tried the toothbrush http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/searchterm?searchTerm=whimzees Our favourite at the moment are these fish chews https://www.skipperspetproducts.com/fish-skin-twirls They last Juno around 20 minutes
Dexter loves a rawhide chew and has the cigar shaped ones once or twice a week. He also discovered the toothbrush (same as hedgehog and alligator that @MaccieD mentions) whilst in pets at home and helped himself whilst a member of staff was talking to me . He did give it to me when I asked him to and enjoyed it very much once we were home, lasted about 5 mins maybe a little longer. Will definitely be trying the creature ones too. He also likes the fish jerky chews but I do really limit the fish as he does get loose poo from them
These are the rawhide chews that I have found http://www.farmfood.co.uk/dogfood/premium-quality/farm-food-rawhide/natural-dog-dental-care.html. They are supposed to be fully digestible. I've not had any problems with upset tummies.
Here's another vote for cardboard. I tend to be a little addicted to Amazon (most of which are things for Luna) who always deliver in cardboard. Luna will sometimes be more interested in the cardboard than what's inside! Helps with getting it broken down into smaller bits for the recycling too as she just rips it apart. A small warning however, she now loves playing chase with the mail as it gets delivered straight into our house. Another thing I've done recently, is buy some iced lolly moulds (from amazon of course!) for a few quid. I put some kibble in them and then top it up with water and freeze them. Luna loves it.
For my dog, a safe, long lasting chew doesn't exist - and never has. When he was really, really tiny I could find things but once he got to 3 or 4 months he turned into the power chewer he is today (not all dogs are like this). His intention with anything is to destroy it, as fast as possible, and eat it. Nothing lasts any time at all, and anything that does is simply too hard for teeth. There really is nothing that is suitable for him. I'm afraid I think most of the chews/dentastix etc are pretty much junk anyway, and last 30 seconds in any case - I really have better use for calories than that! I've tried a few raw things. A whole duck neck was crunched up in 3 bites and gone, ditto large bony bits of chicken. Plus, I don't want to feed raw.... So, it's games, training, kongs for entertainment. And teeth cleaning! If kongs don't last very long, try buying larger ones. Plus, eek out the food, so you can fill several. I don't freeze kongs anymore, ever since he learned how to squeeze the kong to make the filling fly out in one, large, dangerous, frozen dog food missile....
Thanks so much for all these great replies. There are lots of these I'd like to try. I'd forgotten to mention that he has already had cardboard - LOTS of it. But he can now shred a box in under 30 seconds - he attacks them like a wild thing! After I posted this question earlier I had to take Nugget to the vet for his vaccination. Whilst I was there, he was trying to chew my hands and I was trying to stop him with his rubber bone. The vet noticed and commented on how he was a real chewer, so I mentioned how I was actually looking for something suitable for him. The vet suggested I give him a pig's ear. I went and bought one on the way home. Oh my goodness, he LOVED it and it took him absolutely ages to chew - he still has over half of it left. The only thing is his poo seems a little loose now, so I will save the rest of it for a few days. The other problem was that he guarded it fiercely. I've never had cause to take food away before, but today I needed to take away the pig's ear because I was popping out and didn't want to leave him alone with it. He growled and snapped. I managed to get it back by swapping it for a piece of sardine - it took several attempts, though, as he was somehow managing to eat the sardine without letting go of the pig's ear! Is it reasonable for me to expect to be able to take a treat away from him at this age? I've been working on the 'give' command whenever he snatches household objects but we are a long way from him obeying. So what would be the best approach with treats at this age? Thanks for any extra advice - I'd be lost without all of your help. I feel like I'm here every day asking questions!!!
I would certainly start by swapping an unfinished chew for a VERY high value treat. Keep working on give and/or drop cues. Pay big though if there's even a hint of possessiveness. You have to convince him there's nothing he shouldn't give you. Sometimes give whatever it is straight back to him. I have a somewhat possessive spaniel and we do something around this most days for just a few minutes.
Yes, swapping it out for something super tasty and then giving it back to him, several times in succession, will teach him that giving you the good thing gets a double whammy - another delicious treat and the ear back. The more you can practice this, the less impact one instance where you have to take it and keep it will have. If he's too snappy with the ear to start with, start off with something of lower value (maybe a lower-value toy) so he gets the idea.
