So Nelson (20 weeks) got his first go with a chicken wing today, under close supervision of course. I wanted to try him on one before he is so big that he wants to swallow it whole. Maybe that time has already passed, because he took it whole in his mouth and looked like he wanted to swallow it! I quickly plucked it out and we proceeded to eat it together, as a team (his mouth + my hand). I held it tightly whilst he gnawed and chewed all the skin/meat off the bones, at which point I threw the bones in the bin. I want to get to the stage where I can give him a whole wing, and he chews it up himself, without gulping the thing down in one. Any tips towards that goal?
So the normal thing that a dog would do with a chicken wing (or leg, or thigh, or anything of that size) is to: - first move it about in their mouth while crushing the bones with their molars (not biting bits off) - once the bones are crushed swallow it all whole. That's the way they are 'supposed' to do it. So just give him the wing and let him have a go at it. Some dogs throw up the wing (or similar) and then swallow it again. That's also normal and perfectly fine.
Exactly as Rachael has said. They will chew it, barely breaking the skin, but crushing the bones and then swallow it whole. The first time I gave Willow a chicken wing, I followed advice I had read to hold it while she did so, but it made her more desperate to swallow it. The next time, I was nervous about it, but I popped her in her crate with it and left her to it. She was absolutely fine! Luna had her first chicken wing at about 9 weeks. The first few she had took 15-20 minutes a time, but she was very soon demolishing them in less than a minute. I wouldn't expect a wing to last long with a 20-week old puppy.
Thanks Oberon and Snowbunny. As is often the case, it's probably the owner here being too cautious, whilst the puppy is thinking, "just hand it over and let me get on with it!"
I did hold on at first because it appeared NO crunching was going to happen at all. But a tip that might help: They might be more inclined to gulp without crunching if they suspect an audience. So, try, if you can, to supervise without appearing to watch and from a bit of distancce
Yes raw chicken wings - first time you watch your little pup devour one whole is terrifying! Bailey's favourite snack now is a chicken wing
Nelson seems satisfied and is snoozing off his lunch + bonus wing. He keeps farting though, and not his normal flavour. I guess he is working away on that protein
So about 2 months ago, Nelson's new teeth were looking great and I thought it would be a good time to try him again with a raw wing. This time whole. I tried to play it as cool as possible, just slipping it in to his empty food bowl and casually wandered off. Nelson turned up and wuf! It was gone. No licking, no chewing, no crunching of bones. Just down in one, like shot of Stolichnaya. We poked through his poop for a few days afterwards. No sign of bones or anything. No sign of pain or discomfort (no problems with his usual belly tickle ). I guess the bones must have passed through at some point (maybe during a "freestyle" poop when running free in the forest). But now the dilemma.... Do I risk giving him another one?
Yes, give him another one! Pongo loved them and learned to chew them well. The first ones he swallowed, then threw up, then ate again, then threw up again, then ate again. I was horrified . But it seemed like just normal behaviour to him and he was no worse for it. Labradors.
Yup, perfectly normal. He may regurgitate every now and again, but that's fine, just part of the process. If he does, just let him have a second go at it You'll find that, even when they do chew, it's maybe not quite what you expect. They don't usually break it into small pieces, they crunch up the bones without breaking the skin, then swallow it down in one go. It's quite disturbing when you first see it
As a fully-grown dog, Coco gets a raw chicken drumstick as a treat. Sometimes it's still frozen. He definitely chews them.
Homer always does a little dance around his chicken wing, play bows, barks at it and throws it in the sir before taking it in his mouth. He will also walk around the house with it in his mouth, sometimes for quite a while, before chewing on it.
First time Vanilla had a chicken wing I watched her like a hawk. Hers are dried though so a bit different. If she is in a playful mood she will throw it in the air whilst on her bed for a few times. She does always makes sure she liks the surface fir any crumbs etc. I once gave her a chicken neck. That lasted about 1milisecond. She carried it to her bed, positioned herself and as I was about to say 'is that good' she appeared at my feet sitting expecting another one. No chew nothing...that was a worry for a few days so no more chicken necks
We gave him another and everything went perfectly. He spent about 2 mins licking it, then crunching the bones, and then it was gone. We made one small change this time: instead of placing it in his bowl (which ended up with him swallowing it whole last time), I just threw it on the floor. I think this made a difference. So instead of it being "food to wolf down as quick as possible", it was "something interesting to be sniffed, licked and played with before eating".
