Just wondering what others give their pups to chew on? Albert (15 weeks today!) needs to have chews. He loves pizzles, but they stink and give him huge poos so I stopped them. He also likes dried beef cheeks, but they are extra calories he doesn't need too. He has an antler but isn't keen, and has no interest in much else. He plays with/chews an old trainer, toys etc but doesn't enjoy anything as much as the pizzle or beef cheeks, presumably because they taste good!! So what else is out there? I've read about Anco roots, does anyone give these to their pups? And Nylabones, anyone use these? He's had rice bones, loves them, but devours them quickly now (5-10 mins) and again more food. I want to give him something durable, and at the same time nice for him (if anything like it exists) or else he's going to transfer his need to chew on things around the house! Thanks in advance for your help Jan
Re: Puppy Chews! Jan, have you tried kongs? You can fill them with mashed banana, natural yoghurt, veg and loads of things that won't really affect his food intake. I always freeze mine so they take even longer to demolish
Re: Puppy Chews! When puzzle was young i used to give her frozen carrots and bananas. They don't last that long but keep her quite for a bit. We have a couple of nylabones and she does have a chew on them now and then, she does prefer her stag bar. Have you tried a different type of stag bar, antler dog chews do fallow deer ones which are softer and she loved hers when she had it, they also do 'easy' ones which are cut in half which reveals the nice stuff inside so makes it more tempting to chew on. Have you thought about getting a kong, they are great toys, perfect for stuffing at meal times and it keeps her busy for ages, especially when it has been frozen. She gets her dinner in a kong almost every day now and it makes her meals last longer than seconds. Another thing you could try would be cow hoofs, they are very chewy and last a long time, same as pigs and cows ears, all chewey and last a fair while. Some other people use rawhide chews for their dogs, i don't but that because of having a food guarding dog, and all of his chews have to be consumable within 30 mins, stag bar is an exclusion to this as he will trade that when he is bored of it.
Re: Puppy Chews! Definately Kongs, get hard ones for large breeds they last longer, stuff with carrot, cheese or some soaked kibble and freeze. Antlers damage the teeth so they are a no no, Nyla bones are OK but don't last long.
Re: Puppy Chews! I got an Anco root (expensive!) and Tatze isn't interested at all. Maybe the pup will be when s/he comes. Nylabone keys are brilliant. You can leave them in the crate and they are not too hard for teething. http://tinyurl.com/ot6odoa Once they have all their big teeth they can chew them up, but Tatze's lasted 'till she was nine months old. I have ordered a new set for the pupster Like everyone else has said, Kongs are great. We get the red, medium ones. We have lots so there are always some ready in the freezer. We pop them in a plastic cup, half fill with kibble (from her daily food allowance) soak with boiling water, drain excess off, smear a little cream cheese or peanut butter on the top and freeze. Tatze has one after breakfast every day to keep her busy before her big walk at about 10am. If we leave her for an hour or so we always leave a Kong for her. They also keep her busy when visitors come around. Oh - and for teething a rope toy, soaked in water then frozen is good
Re: Puppy Chews! [quote author=Indy link=topic=6169.msg80698#msg80698 date=1400839679] Antlers damage the teeth so they are a no no, Nyla bones are OK but don't last long. [/quote] My i ask why you say this, both of my dogs have stag bars and do chew on them regularly and their teeth are perfectly fine, no problems at all. They were great when puzzle was teething as it kept her busy and loosened her teeth. Barley chews on them and they clean his teeth, especially his back ones, he has had them for several years now with no problems at all.
Re: Puppy Chews! I don't think antler chews will damage teeth, it's just a possibility. For those dogs that chew hard, they are at risk of cracking a tooth, but normal chewers should be fine. I bought one for Penny and she doesn't really use it. Maybe once a fortnight she'll go get it and have a litte nibble but that's about it. She doesn't show much interest in Nylabones either, even the flavoured ones, although I know a lot of dogs love them! You can buy softer ones designed for puppy teething too. Nothing beats a frozen kong though. You get the chewing action that they need and you can use them to feed your pups meals so you don't need to worry about extra calories. I know you said rice bones don't last long but have you tried freezing them? They should last a bit longer then. If you are worried about calorie intake you could cut his meal sizes down - that way he can still have the chews that he needs and you don't have to worry as much about how much he's eating.
Re: Puppy Chews! Thanks everyone. We have kongs! He's not interested in chewing them! He will lick them initially untill his tongue can no longer reach the good bits and then leaves them alone until they've defrosted and then just munches whatever is left. He might persevere more when he's older. He gets bored with carrots frozen or fresh and doesn't like banana. I will try the Nylabone teether and maybe get a different stag bar. Rawhide is a no no for me, and the pigs ears etc are no different to the beef cheeks he already has and loves but make him poo more!!!! He really needs something hard but with a bit of give if you know what I mean. Thanks again for the advice. Jan
Re: Puppy Chews! Pongo (now 23 weeks) has a range of chewy things but the only ones that are permanent favourites are Paul's croc clogs. As soon as they are off Paul's feet in the evening Pongo grabs them and takes them over to his mat to chew on. They've survived very well, all things considered. They've been shared between them for 13 weeks now. Not sure that that is really the answer you were after, though.....
Re: Puppy Chews! [quote author=Rosie link=topic=6169.msg80763#msg80763 date=1400851316] Pongo (now 23 weeks) has a range of chewy things but the only ones that are permanent favourites are Paul's croc clogs. As soon as they are off Paul's feet in the evening Pongo grabs them and takes them over to his mat to chew on. They've survived very well, all things considered. They've been shared between them for 13 weeks now. Not sure that that is really the answer you were after, though..... [/quote] Puzzle says they are great chews as well. Mine have put up with beatings from her and barley and still live to tell the tale, even if they are marked with a few needle sharp puppy teeth when she was little
Re: Puppy Chews! ;D I think they're only REALLY great, though, when they've just come off the feet of The Beloved Master. Something about the fragrance. :
Re: Puppy Chews! [quote author=Puppypal link=topic=6169.msg80715#msg80715 date=1400842727] [quote author=Indy link=topic=6169.msg80698#msg80698 date=1400839679] Antlers damage the teeth so they are a no no, Nyla bones are OK but don't last long. [/quote] My i ask why you say this, both of my dogs have stag bars and do chew on them regularly and their teeth are perfectly fine, no problems at all. They were great when puzzle was teething as it kept her busy and loosened her teeth. Barley chews on them and they clean his teeth, especially his back ones, he has had them for several years now with no problems at all. [/quote] I stay away from antlers, nylabones and so on - I think it was Lochan that told us the guidance to vets from the RCVS is to not give a dog anything to chew that is so hard you can't make a dent it it with a finger nail. I'm sure it does depend on how the dog chews though, and lots of people say there dogs are fine with these things.
Re: Puppy Chews! [quote author=JulieT link=topic=6169.msg80796#msg80796 date=1400858106] [quote author=Puppypal link=topic=6169.msg80715#msg80715 date=1400842727] [quote author=Indy link=topic=6169.msg80698#msg80698 date=1400839679] Antlers damage the teeth so they are a no no, Nyla bones are OK but don't last long. [/quote] My i ask why you say this, both of my dogs have stag bars and do chew on them regularly and their teeth are perfectly fine, no problems at all. They were great when puzzle was teething as it kept her busy and loosened her teeth. Barley chews on them and they clean his teeth, especially his back ones, he has had them for several years now with no problems at all. [/quote] I stay away from antlers, nylabones and so on - I think it was Lochan that told us the guidance to vets from the RCVS is to not give a dog anything to chew that is so hard you can't make a dent it it with a finger nail. I'm sure it does depend on how the dog chews though, and lots of people say there dogs are fine with these things. [/quote] I don't like nylabones as they make barley's gums bleed as the plastic cuts his gums, puzzle is not affected by the nylabones. I am not being pedantic but if that is true then puzzle should not be having raw bones as you can't make a dent in them.
Re: Puppy Chews! Annabelle I will see whether I can find the thread so you can read it for yourself. My recollection is that Pippa raised the same point you have, and the answer was that there was no significant reports of damage to teeth from bones that are fed as part of a meal, but damage is reported from chewing on recreational bones. A bone that is easily crunched up and swallowed is probably different from something very hard chewed for long periods. Lots of people say their dogs are fine, so maybe you have sensible chewers.
Re: Puppy Chews! [quote author=Jane Martin link=topic=6169.msg80801#msg80801 date=1400858429] I have just got a KONG Safestix. Although it does say for "light chewing only"! [/quote] Tatze was having a good old chew on her Safestix with her big back teeth just now, she didn't make a dent in it
Re: Puppy Chews! The Anco root did not float Molly's boat, though she loves munching on wood. Sometimes rawhide chews catch her fancy, sometimes they don't She loves a Kong, but that's more of a slurp than a chew. Reading other posts, she is not a great chewer.
